Wood Identification Primer

When shopping woodcarvings for cabinets or your remodeling project, you certainly want to know what kind of wood you are buying. Use our guide to help you identify types of wood to ensure you always purchase quality pieces. 

• Ensure the carving is solid wood. A solid piece of wood, rather than an imitation made from composite or plastic, will feature end-grain in the form of growth rings.
• Examine grain color. Stained wood is almost impossible to identify, which means you will need to sand or plan the carving to view the natural color.
• Identify texture and grain pattern. Softwoods tend to be almost completely smooth, whereas hardwoods have an open pore texture. You can then distinguish the different kinds of wood according to characteristics such as burls, knots, and curls. In addition, check to see if the wood was quartersawn or plainsawn and look for distinctive patterns in the grain.
• Check weight and hardness. Compare the weight of the woodcarving to others of a similar size.

For more information about wood identification and inspiration for woodcarving design, check out our website at Art For Everyday.