Ash () This wood is as American as apple pie. It is a medium dense, hard wood with distinctive open pored grain patterns similar to oak. Ash is a creamy white light colored wood that is easy to work and makes a pretty flute.

African Blackwood (Dalbergia melanoxylon) This wood comes from Southern African and Tasmania. It is used extensively in the manufacture of musical instruments such as clarinets. Efforts are made to ensure a continuing supply of this important wood through reforestation and timber plantation management. Blackwood is a dark black color with some dark brown grain. It is relative hard and dense and finishes will. It is very expensive so I use it only for small accents in my Signature and Collectors flutes.

African Walnut () This is a nice, dense, close grained hardwood with muted red/brown colors. Grain pattern is more wavy than straight but subtle. When finished it has a lovely luster. Easy to work with and makes an attractive flute

Bloodwood (Brosimum paraense) Also called Satine, bloodwood, as the name infers has a deep red rose color of outstanding beauty. The color does darken somewhat with age, but not noticeably. Bloodwood is a very dense, heavy wood with a tight and straight grain. It is a wood that polishes out to a fine deep finish. When combined with other woods it makes an outstandingly beautiful flute.

Bubinga (Gubortia demeusii) Often called African rosewood bubinga has deep red/brown colors and a wavy grain pattern high lighted by dark streaks with purple overtones. This wood darkens somewhat with age. Bubinga is a very hard, dense wood that takes a beautiful finish.

Birds Eye Maple This is not a separate species but an unexplained aberration in the grain pattern of ordinary hard maple (Acer saccharum) that produces small eye like grain structures scattered through out the wood. Its occurrence is quite rare and consequently the wood is expensive. All types of maple are hard dense light white to cream colored woods. It makes a very attractive flute in combination with other woods.

Beech ( ) Beech is a medium dense even grained domestic hardwood. It has a tight grain and its color ranges from tan to medium brown. It is distinguished by tiny, evenly and closely spaced dashes of brown color (called ray flecks) distributed throughout the wood.

Cherry () American black cherry is a medium density wood with a close tight grain with beautiful pink/brown colors that darken with age to a rich russet brown. It has modulated tones of light reflective grain. Cherry is one of my favorite flute woods.

Canary wood (Liriodendron tulipifera) This tree is in the Magnolia family and is also called the tulip tree. It grows in Eastern North America. It is a medium density distinctively grained wood in mixed muted reds and yellows. A very attractive flute wood

Cocobolo (Dalbergia retusa) Sometimes called Mexican rosewood cocobolo has deep rich orange reds with black and yellow striping in a very distinctive grain pattern. It is considered one of the most beautiful rosewoods in the world. Cocobolo is a very dense, heavy and tight grained wood. The few small pieces that I get I use for the ends of my Collectors and Signature flutes.

Curly maple (Acer saccharum) Maple is a hard dense, hard, American wood. Curly maple is an aberration of common maple that has a distinctive light reflective wavy grain pattern of outstanding beauty. You can gaze at the changing patterns of light reflected through the wood as you turn it in the light. Makes a beautiful flute.

Jarrah () Jarrah is in the eucalyptus family of woods from Australia. It is a dense, close and even grained, slightly coarse wood. The grain patterns are a subtle mixture of dark browns to blacks. No striking grain pattern but an attractive wood that finishes well.

Jatoba (Hymenaea courbaril) Often referred to as Brazilian cherry because of its color (though it is not in the cherry family). The colors of this hard, dense somewhat coarse grained wood range from medium brown to rich orange/reds. I usually choose pieces that have fine black lines running through the wood. A very attractive wood that makes good flutes.

Lacewood (Roopola brasillensis) A soft to medium dense wood of light to medium brown color. It is known for its fascinating lace like grain pattern that is distributed evenly throughout the wood. Makes a beautiful flute in combination with other woods. Lacewood comes from Australia.

Padauk (Pterocarpus soyauxii) This is a bright orange wood from South Africa. The orange color darkens with age to an attractive burnt umber. It is a dense but not heavy wood with wavy grain. Padauk is not an easy wood to work with but it's worth the effort.

Pau Amarello or yellow heart () This is another of the many woods that come from South America. This is a medium dense wood with an even, barely distinguishable grain pattern. It is a pale yellow to mustard color that does not change with time. Looks good when used sparingly for its distinctive color.

Purple heart (Peltogyne paniculata) This is a very common hardwood from Central and South America known for its amazing purple color. It has a hard coarse grain with little grain pattern. The color darkens with age. Like yellow heart it is good for accents.

Pecan (Carya illmoensis) These trees grow in the lower Mississippi valley. Pecan is in the hickory family. It is a hard, dense somewhat coarse grained wood with champagne/ beige colors. It's a little difficult to work with because the grain tends to splinter and tear. It makes a nice flute.

Santos Mahogany (Myroxylon balsamum) This mahogany is one of my favorite woods. More expensive than the others but worth it. It grows from Central America to Argentina. This is a beautiful, medium density mahogany with reddish brown colors that darken to a beautiful deep red. The figured grain can be straight or wavy with medium to high luster. A very beautiful flute wood.

Walnut () The most sought after of American hardwoods. Black walnut is a medium dense wood with close pores and tight grain. It is dark brown with blackish/ purple overtones. Not a flashy wood but good looking when contrasted with other woods.

Wenge (Millettia laurentii) This is an exotic wood from Africa. It is a very striking, mostly black wood with fine grey/brown streaks. Its coarse texture and open grain makes it difficult to achieve a good flat finish.

Zebrawood (Microberlina brazzavillensis) This is a coarse textured African wood known for its distinct zebra like stripes of alternating black/brown and cream/tan colors. Makes a wonderfully showy flute.