Wood and Fabric Samples

The Brendan Rocker: Gallery of Woods

Wood Samples Page

Cherry

This traditional American wood originates in the Appalachian plateau of Pennsylvania. A strong, close-grained hardwood, it deepens to a rich reddish brown patina with age. Sunlight accelerates the natural aging process. 

Western Maple

A native of the Pacific Northwest, our maple comes from the cascade foothills of southern British Columbia
and Washington. An excellent lumber, with age Broadleaf Maple will become deeper gold and holds its color well.
About one in a thousand trees gain the prized grain figuring that we use. Bigleaf maples tend to be found in dry to moist sites that suffer from fire, erosion, logging, and other disturbances. They are found in low to middle elevation forests in monoculture stands or within mixed Douglas-fir/Hemlock forests. Maple is also the principal forest species in areas where the land is burned or logged.

Black Walnut

Grown in the rich forestlands of Michigan & Wisconsin, this regal wood is known for its deep color and figure. Walnut’s presence is ageless. Its color will mellow to a reddish brown and the figure will retain its beauty. Walnut will become a tawny light brown if aged in the sun.

African Mahogany

A large tree often reaching 180-200feet in height and 3-6 feet in diameter, Mahogany grows in western Africa’s rain forests from the Ivory Coast to Cameroon and Gabon. The wood is of moderate density with interlocking grain and ages to a deep red. Propagation by seeds is easy, and natural regeneration good. African Mahogany is listed as plentiful but under pressure from logging.  Shown in a Pacific Dining Chair.

Mango

A large tree often reaching 65 feet in height and 3 feet in diameter, this wood has been used in Hawai‘i for carved and turned bowls, furniture, and flooring. Mango is a relatively soft hardwood, moderately heavy, and its color is lustrous blond, frequently showing mottled color variations acquired during drying. Some trees may have dark brown heartwood. The grain is usually wavy and often has a pronounced curly or "fiddleback" figure. Tough and high in sugars, mango wood is perishable and is therefore tricky to season without degradation. Yet it is through precisely controlled drying that bacteria help produce its pink and brown colors. Mango is widely grown for its fruit but is largely undiscovered as a commercial lumber.

Ash

Known for its strength, toughness, flexibility, lightweight, and almost white color. It is found throughout eastern N. America up to Zone 3, in upland areas on the edges of wetlands, along waterways and fertile plains.  It does not grow in high elevations, but is found on the lower slopes of hills and mountains in mixed stands of deciduous hardwoods and evergreens.  Ash is best known in traditional baseball bats.

An exotic wood from equatorial east Africa, Bubinga (or Kevazingo) is known for its deep brownish-red color and dramatic highlights ranging from golden orange to dark purple. Its grain is fine and interlocking. Bubinga trees, which grow near lakes and riverbeds as well as marshes, are fairly large, with logs weighing up to 10 tons due to the wood’s density.

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