Keagle Cutlery

10/11/07

Wood Species

Cherry:  One of the most beautiful native American woods available, Cherry is also among the easiest woods to work with.  Cherry has a lovely open grain and will darken somewhat with age.

Maple:  Maple is a natural choice in the kitchen because it has been shown to possess natural antibacterial properties.  Maple is light in color, and the grain is not pronounced.  It is hard and durable.  Maple makes a nice partner for cherry, and many of my blocks are made with this combination of woods.

Birds-Eye Maple:  Birds-Eye can be stunningly beautiful.  The intricate whirls and swirls of each little birds-eye are the expression of art in nature.  It can take on an almost 3-D quality when finely sanded, buffed, and oiled.  The only slight drawback to birds-eye is that the end grain can look stained to some people's opinion.  I therefore recommend Birds-Eye Maple for the sides of a block, but not necessarily for the entire block itself.  It looks great when paired with Cherry, Maple, Hickory, and many other fine hardwoods.

Red Birch:  In my opinion, one of the best values in fine hardwood.  Red birch is very similar to Cherry in grain and overall appearance (although it is slightly lighter in hue than Cherry), for significantly less cost.

Hickory:  Hickory is a very hard wood, and will thus prove a durable choice for a knife block.  The grain is bold, ranging in color from light buff to dark brown.

Walnut:  Walnut is very dark in color, but has a lovely grain.  If your eye is drawn to contrast, then I'd recommend Walnut paired with Ash.  For a slightly more subtle contrast, Walnut and Cherry look nice together.

Ash:  Light blond in color, with subtle grain characteristics.  If you like light toned wood, then Ash may be a good choice, but more commonly it is paired for contrast with a darker species such as Walnut.

Aromatic Cedar:  A softwood, Cedar is easier to dent or scratch.  It is also prone to developing cracks.  But if you love Cedar as I love Cedar, then these characteristics are just part of the charm.  Cedar's better qualities are hard to resist - the grain is bold, intricate, and beautiful, and the aroma is amazing.  Each time you slide a knife into a Cedar block, you'll release a faint whiff of that evocative scent.  For some people, the scent of cedar evokes memories of log cabins and warm fires.  For me, it's the smell of my first wooden duck call that I used as a boy when I went hunting with my father.

Other wood species:  Please see the website of the good folks at The Woodery.  This is where I purchase most of my lumber.  They carry a great selection of beautiful woods from across America and around the world.  If you see something you like on their site, let me know, and I can furnish you with a price quote for a block made of that particular species.