Standard Woods

When it comes to creating a warm, distinctive look for your home, you can’t beat North American Hardwoods. And when versatility and a regard for the environment are important too, then there’s no better choice than Alder. Using Northwest Hardwoods Alder to manufacture cabinetry and furniture offers unparalleled opportunities for creative expression. It also provides a host of functional and economic benefits too. Originally, Alder was considered a scrap wood by the local residents and used primarily for firewood. In the mid 1980’s however, Northwest Hardwoods, then a small, western hardwood company, perfected a method of milling and finishing Alder so that it could be used in commercial applications. Because of its desirable working properties, Western woodworkers, furniture makers and cabinet shops quickly adopted this new species. Today, Alder represents roughly 3% of the North American Hardwoods that are commercially available in the United States.

Sapele is a commonly exported and economically important African wood species. It’s   sold both in lumber and veneer form. It is occasionally used as a substitute for Genuine Mahogany, and is sometimes referred to as “Sapele Mahogany.” Technically, the two genera that are commonly associated with mahogany are Swietenia and Khaya, while Sapele is in the Entandrophragma genus, but all three are included in the broader Meliaceae family, so comparisons to true mahogany may not be too far fetched.