What kind of wood is best for a custom table or desk?

You can choose from a number of different wood species for your custom piece with Bonnie Hawk Furniture

The “Color” of Wood

Wood selection is a fundamental part of designing your dream desk or table. When helping a client select a wood species for their project, I consider two major elements - the “color” of the wood, and the “cut” of the board. Not unlike a haircut… a wood is a bundle of straws afterall.

When considering wood coloring, we’ll ask if you want your furniture to stand out, or blend in. We’ll consider the amount of natural light in the room, and ask if you want to further lighten the room, or bring some visual heaviness. The style of your furniture goes hand in hand with wood selection. Keep in mind too that woods change color as they age. For example, cherry darkens with age and light exposure, while walnut lightens. Consider what you want your furniture to look like today, and in twenty years.

Wood that Ages the Most Beautifully (IMHO) - Cherry

Wood for a Clean, Minimal, & Sleek Design - Ash with a white-tinted finish

Dark Wood to To Make Bold and $$$ Impression - Walnut with a bourbon-tinted finish

Currently Trending Wood - White Oak

Shaker Tables in Quartersawn Walnut (left) and Cherry (Right). The Walnut table will lighten, the Cherry table will darken. Made by Bonnie Hawk Furniture in Frederick, MD.

The “Cut” of Wood

The “cut” of the wood has to do with both the way that a board is sawn out of a log and the typical grain pattern of that species. “Flat sawn” boards in many species display what is called "cathedrals,” these are arches or eye-like patterns in the grain. Cathedrals can be beautiful on table tops and surfaces of desks. The alternative is straight grain. When wood is “quartersawn” or “riftsawn” out of a tree, the grain appears straight. Furniture makers will often reserve these “cuts” of the wood for straight elements like table legs. If you want only straight grain throughout your piece, you may need to choose a species that is available in quarter-sawn boards, such as white oak.

Woods that can showcase beautiful “cathedrals” - Ash, Walnut, Cherry, Birch, White Oak, Maple

Wood that can be purchased as “quartersawn”/ straight grain - White Oak, Beech

“Closed grain” wood with minimal grain texture - Maple

Which Woods are Most Durable and Sustainable

All the species featured in this post are North American hardwoods. The Janka scale measures the relative hardness of woods. Cherry and walnut are on the softer end, so they are more likely to dent. Oak, ash, and birch are on the harder end, so they will provide a more durable surface. That said, all of these woods are great choices for a table or desk. Domestic woods are certainly more sustainable as they require fewer resources in transportation and fewer ethical issues. Because of the popularity of white oak and walnut, you can’t beat maple and cherry right now for going truly sustainable.

Wood that is Solid as a “Rock” - Maple, often called “rock maple”

Wood traditionally used for making baseball bats - Ash, it only splits for a homerun

Softer woods that are still considered “hard woods” - Walnut, Cherry

Most environmentally friendly, sustainable woods to the Mid-atlantic USA - Cherry, Maple

This cherry trestle table features bench tops in contrasting maple. The combination of cherry and maple is time-honored, and only gets more beautiful with age. Made by Bonnie Hawk Furniture in Frederick, MD.

What speaks to your soul?

At the end of the day, at Bonnie Hawk Furniture, we only make furniture with soul, so consider what wood speaks to your heart, and go for it!