I'm buying furniture pieces. I like dark wood. Where does Rosewood fit in terms of quality wood?

Question

Is there such thing as a quality wood scale?

Answer 1

These days the quality of various hardwood has been replaced by price and rarety. Heavy world deforestation and over harvesting of domestic hardwoods has put a severe shortage in the traditional and exotic furniture grade hardwoods. The only hardwood and used quite extensively due to adequate supply is oak. You see them used on almost all mid priced all wood furniture but its coarse grain pattern is not suitable for fine furniture. If you like dark wood, Rosewood is fine. I wood also suggest walnut, mahagony and cherry (stained dark). Be Iprepared to pay a premium if you want all wood furniture. You can save money by buying a real wood veneer laminated furniture but it's not the same. As far as quality scale, I'm afraid it's tied to the cost per linear foot. Factors that makes it a quality wood is rarity, clarity (no insect damage), cut (quarter cut lumber is more prized since they are very stable over time but yield lower lumber per log), aged to proper moisture content (ideal moisture content is about 15%) and finally grain pattern. Unusual or beautiful grain pattern is prized no matter what the wood species is. Thus level of quality equates to true value price I'm afraid. We own Albright-Zimmerman firniture and were relative expensive made of birch. Craftsmanship is impeccable and the quality of wood will be hard to find these days. We bought it about 30 years ago.

lightpulse

Answer 2

Its a dense, Hard wood which would be good for furniture, But make sure it is real wood not cheap wood stained to look like rosewood.

stay with domestic hardwoods if you are unsure, Oak, Maple, Cherry, walnut. Avoid soft woods like pine or Doug Fir

Answer 3

Well, from watching hgtv, rosewood is one of the more sought after woods. I think it is a beautiful wood. And yes there is a scale for wood.

Answer 4

There is a hardness scale for wood. In theory the harder the wood is the better it would hold up. The harder the wood is the harder it would be for the furniture maker to work with. Probably carries a price to match?

See link below with the janka wood hardness scale.

Answer 5

yes its called hardwoods ask at a cabinet makers shop or at the library heres a hint the harder the wood the more expensive and the more durable the pieces teak, ironwood ,mahogany ,red oak, hickory,--- mediums redwood,,cherry any fruit wood ,, osage cypress,, light oak ,,cedar redwoods, rock maple ,, soft woods are pine poplar balsa ask at the local lumbar yards call and ask at the depot about the stronger woods for furnature they may have a book at the library on cabintt or furnature building it would supply this list of woods for each purpose