Wood and other Materials

This page contains information about the woods and other material we use.

To return to our main FAQ menu, please click here.

Q1:  Which wood is the most popular for your boards?

Mahogany is far the most popular, with cherry second, then pine, walnut, and maple pretty close and oak a distant sixth.

Q2: What choice do I have over the actual wood used for my board?

You can specify which wood species you would like used for your project when you order your board. 

We usually pick the plank we think works best for the design, but if you wish to have more control over the individual plank, we do offer a service where you can choose the actual plank used: Pick-A-Plank 

Sometimes, the wood surprises us during the finishing stages and it is only then that the full beauty is revealed!

Q3:  Why would I pick mahogany for a board?

Mahogany is fairly hard and has a nice warm, reddish wood tone. It shows engraving and images very well and is often available in wide planks making it suitable for larger boards. We use many types of mahogany, that vary quite considerably in tone.  

Q4:  Why are most of your round boards are made of pine?

We only use pine for our 15" diameter round pine boards which we get already round from our wood supplier.  That saves a lot of work as with other species, you either have to find a rare 16" wide plank to cut it out from or you have to glue and laminate pieces together and spend a lot of time sanding it smooth.

Q5:  What about maple?

Maple is even harder than mahogany and has a light, creamy color. It engraves very well and dark engraving is very easy to see with great contrast.  Maple is recommended for those with vision issues as the dark holes show up very well.

Q6: What about Cherry?

Cherry is very popular and a good compromise color-wise between the darker mahogany and lighter maple.

Q7:  Walnut is even darker?

Yes - we use mainly black walnut which is usually very dark although we do sometimes find lighter planks. Engraving is usually filled with black paint to help visibility but the dark wood keeps the contrast low. 

Q8:  Oak seems to cost a lot more?

Drilling and engraving oak and the subsequent painting is much more difficult and we price oak higher to cover the extra work involved.  It's a porous wood with open pores but very strong, with a warm tone and often clear grain.

Q9: Will the wood remain flat in my climate?

Wood will do what wood will do!  We drum-sand each board completely flat before we drill and engrave it.

However, when we add hundreds of holes, engraving, pockets, and finishing, sometimes the wood reacts, especially well-figured and wide (over 12 inches) boards.

Wood can do all kinds of things - warp, twist, cup, crook (wain), kink and even crack - as the internal tensions are released and the moisture content re-settles.

Sometimes this happens within hours and sometimes not for years.  Changes in climate - humidity and temperature - can also instigate these changes.

Again, there is little we can do to correct this natural occurrence, except to offer extra felt pads that can be applied underneath to re-balance the board.

Often we use a smaller pad or two under a larger one to add even more depth where needed.

If you have an issue with movement in your board, please contact us and we'll arrange for a selection of felt pads to be sent out to you. 

If we notice the beginnings of movement in your board before shipping, we'll include extra pads for you with the board.

Sometimes, giving the board a little time to acclimatize is all that is needed.

Q10: What are your pegs made of?

Our boards come with metal pegs as standard.  Materials include Stainless Steel, Black Steel, Brass, Copper, and Aluminum. 

We also have a range of painted and natural wooden pegs which we can swap out if requested.

You can see our pegs on the Pegs and Accessories page.

Q11: What is the peg pocket sliding door made of?

We use brass sheet for our peg doors.

To return to our main FAQ menu, please click here.

​