Birch:  A straight-grained wood with fine even texture, Birch is heavy and very strong. Color range is cream or light brown tinged with red.  The wood works easily, glues well, takes stain or paint extremely well and has good holding strength for screws and other fasteners.

Cherry: The heartwood of Cherry varies from rich red to reddish brown  and will darken with age and exposure to light.  In contrast the sapwood is creamy white.  Freshly cut cherry is often very pale but the wood oxidizes to its famously favorable rich brown red in time. 

Hard White Maple:  At least 90% white sapwood, this wood is known for its durability and strength.  It has a fine and even texture as well as a natural luster.  Hard White Maple can be somewhat difficult to stain due to its hardness.  Other names: Hard Maple, Rock Maple Sugar Maple and White Maple.

Soft Maple:  Resembles Hard Maple being closed-grained but softer.  Does not require fillers to achieve a glass smooth finish.  The sapwood has a grayish tinge. The wood works easily, glues well, takes stain or paint extremely well and has good holding strength for screws and other fasteners.  Soft Maple is a much better choice for a painted radiator cover than man-made composites such as MDF board.  A painted finish on Soft Maple wood is beautiful.

Quarter Sawn White Oak: White Oak has a finer texture than the more popular Red Oak.  Quarter Sawn White Oak displays dramatic medullar figures called flake or fleck.  You'll see this used in antiques, mission style furniture, Greene and Greene furniture and more.  The heartwood is decay resistant and suitable for exterior uses.

Black Walnut:  Moderately coarse texture with a color range of light to dark brown or chocolate brown. The sapwood of Black Walnut is much lighter in color.  It needs to be stained to more closely match the heartwood.