Several of my projects allow for you to select the type of wood you would like to use. When you are selecting wood for a project, there are several things that need to be taken into consideration. The grain of the wood can be very tight, or somewhat porous. Some woods hold their dimension better than others. Some are hard and strong, while others may be brittle and prone to cracking. Color is often the primary consideration for people unfamiliar with wood selection. Here I give a description of the properties of the woods I most often use, and why I use them. All of the woods I use on a daily basis are long lasting and have the best properties for my particular usage.

Aspen - Light colored, light weight, and fairly strong. Great for ornaments where a very consistent color and light weight are desirable. 

Red Oak - Great all around wood, has a reddish tint to it but can be stained just about any way you like it. The grain is kind of open and porous, but finishes nice and is very strong. I tend to use it a lot for shadow boxes and frames.

Walnut - With it's rich, dark color and very close, tight grain, walnut is the favorite wood of a lot of people. It finishes beautifully but it's not quite as strong as the oaks, but plenty strong for shadow boxes and picture frames, and I also like using thin walnut stock for ornaments and other small projects. I really like working with walnut, but the price is considerably higher than oak. Wonderful stability.

Poplar - Poplar has a very tight grain and is very stable. It is much lighter than the oaks and walnut, and not as strong. I generally use it for free standing scroll sawn projects because it is so pleasant to work and these projects are not load bearing. The color is very light, although the heartwood often has green or brown streaks in it. Less often the streaks can be purple or red. With careful application, these colors can make a project much more interesting, one of the reasons I insist on hand selecting my woods.

Maple - Wonderful wood, but harder to work because of it's hardness. It's color is light, it's grain very tight. It finishes very smoothly and is exceptionally strong. The cost is comparable to oak. 

Baltic Birch plywood is used in my silhouettes and ornaments. The color is light and consistent. I use it for the strength and warp resistance it has in thin applications. 

Finnish Birch plywood is available in stock much thinner than the Baltic Birch, and is generally darker in color. I use 1/32 inch thick material for my bookmarks, which is also 3 ply, making it strong and surprisingly flexible.