Exotic woods
Exotic woods
EXPERT KNOWLEDGE - FINE WOODS
Fine woods are ideal for woodturning and carving, and are particularly attractive for knife making and handle production thanks to their distinctive grain, hardness and wide variety of colours. Our range includes carefully selected domestic and exotic fine woods in the form of blanks, available in different sizes and grades — exclusively non-protected species that provide the ideal starting material for your individual craft projects and one-of-a-kind pieces.
Fine wood is more than just a raw material — it combines natural beauty with a unique structure. With their individual colour spectrum and characteristics such as grain and density, fine woods are particularly attractive for high-quality craft work such as woodturning, carving, knife making and instrument making.
Diversity from nature
Few materials are as versatile as wood. More than 70 000 wood species are known worldwide — we offer a carefully selected range of domestic and exotic fine woods that are particularly well suited to artistic craft work. We take great care to ensure that the trees from which our woods are sourced are not protected species.
Due to its natural growth, solid wood has anisotropic properties: it works, shrinks differently in all directions and has a lively grain structure. This should be taken into account during storage, machining and design. Only with the right surface treatment — using natural finishes such as shellac, oils or waxes — does the full beauty of the wood come to life.
Fine wood species and their typical uses
Among domestic fine woods, walnut, cherry, maple, yew, pear and ash are among the classics for artistic craft work. Walnut is valued for its warm, dark brown tones and calm grain — ideal for woodturning, furniture components and knife handles. Cherry has a lively reddish-golden colour play and is excellent for carving and turning. Maple is particularly fine-pored, works very well and is suitable for contrasting details, for example in marquetry or writing instruments. The rare yew stands out for its orange-brown colour play with a dark heartwood and is often used for decorative objects. Pear, with its soft, almost velvety appearance, is a traditional furniture wood that also polishes very well. Ash and robinia offer distinctive grain patterns and high strength, making them particularly attractive for furniture making and tool handles.
In addition to these domestic species, selected exotic fine woods are also highly popular, especially for their exceptional hardness, colour and density. Ebony is one of the most valuable hardwoods in the world: deep black, extremely hard and virtually pore-free. It is traditionally used for fingerboards in instrument making, fine turned work, marquetry and knife handles. Mahogany, with its warm reddish-brown colour and even structure, is excellent for furniture, casework and classic boat interiors. It is easy to work and highly resonant, which is why it is also used in guitar making.
Bubinga, also known as African rosewood, is a heavy, robust wood with reddish-violet colouring and spectacular grain. It is suitable for large bowls, high-quality furniture, knife handles and instrument making. Mopane is extremely dense and resistant, usually dark brown to violet-brown, sometimes with a strongly contrasting texture. Due to its hardness, it is often used for wind instruments, handles and turned objects. Rosewood is known for its varied colour palette, ranging from reddish brown to violet-black, and is traditionally used in instrument making, furniture and finely crafted handles. Brazilian and East Indian rosewood are particularly renowned for these applications. Desert ironwood, one of the hardest woods in the world, is extremely dense and heavy, with dark, strongly figured grain. It is used for workpieces subject to particularly high stress, such as knife handles or technical turned parts.
Olive is a well-known fine wood — a Mediterranean wood with a distinctive, lively grain in light to golden-brown tones. Thanks to its dense structure and pleasant feel, this fine wood is ideal for kitchen utensils, decorative objects, handles and smaller turned work. It polishes well and gives finished pieces a warm, natural appearance.
A special category among fine woods is burl wood. This wood is formed by wild, knot-like growths on tree trunks or roots, known as burls. Originally caused mostly by injury, fungal attack or genetic irregularities, they create a highly intergrown, irregular structure inside the wood. The result is an exceptionally decorative, lively grain that makes every piece unique. Thanks to its beauty and density, burl wood is excellent for exclusive bowls, knife handles, turned objects and jewellery.
Whether domestic or exotic, each of these fine wood species has its own character and inspires high-quality craftsmanship. Fine woods should be selected not only for their appearance, but always also for their suitability for the intended application.
Fine wood assortments for creative projects
We offer thematically arranged sets for different applications:
Australian Hardwood Woodturning Assortment
Mixed selection of waxed bowl blanks made from Australian hardwoods such as Red Mallee, Lace Sheoak and Jarrah — harvested from ancient trees under strict licensing conditions and featuring spectacular figure.
Domestic Wood Pen Blank Assortment
Two pieces each of ten domestic woods such as oak, ash, smoked oak and elm — for fountain pens, ballpoint pens and small turned objects.
Limewood boards
Soft, fine-pored and easy to work — perfect for carving, chip carving and toy making.
European Woodturning Assortment
Six cross-grain turning blanks made from walnut, cherry, poplar burl, robinia, maple and mulberry — ideal for shallow bowls.
Boxwood Assortment
Air-dried for three years, fine-textured and free of cracks — ideal for fine carving work, handles and small mechanical parts.
Please note: As these are natural products, grain, colour and dimensions may vary slightly.
Fine wood grades and sorting
Our woods are divided into quality grades:
- First grade: Evenly figured, free of cracks and dimensionally stable — for fine, visible applications.
- Second grade: With minor visual imperfections, but technically sound — ideal for rustic or less exposed projects.
- Offcuts: Smaller-format cut-offs, often with particularly lively figure — suitable for marquetry, handles and turning work.
For easier orientation, our fine woods are sorted by quality grade. First grade refers to selected pieces with the most even possible figure, fine structure, high dimensional stability and excellent tonal properties. These woods are generally free from cracks, discolouration or irregularities and are particularly suitable for visible, finely crafted projects such as writing instruments, decorative objects, knife handles or high-quality turned work.
Second grade refers to pieces with minor visual or structural imperfections that are still technically sound — for example small cracks, knot traces or colour variations. They are ideal for less exposed applications where character is more important than perfection.
Offcuts are cut-offs from regular production — often smaller formats or sections with distinctive figure. They offer an affordable way to experiment with fine woods, for example for marquetry, small carvings, handles or sample pieces. Thanks to their variety, they are especially popular with hobby woodturners and model makers.
Recommended sizes for different applications
How large should fine wood pieces be, at minimum, to suit your projects?
- Writing instruments & small objects: from 20 × 20 × 150 mm
- Bowls & boxes (cross-grain): from 60 × 60 mm cross-section
- Carving blanks: from 40 × 80 × 200 mm
- Boxwood & special formats: round stock Ø 50–65 mm also available
This makes it easy to find the right fine wood in our range — whether as an individual piece or in a set, in a wide variety of dimensions and price categories. High-quality, responsibly sourced and ready for your next craft project.
