Underrated woods.

[Beau]

Be interested in seeing work you have done in underrated or out of favour woods.

Got asked to make this dresser out of Tulip that the client had planked themselves. My first reaction was to try and talk the client out of it saying it was an ugly wood and too soft but they were insistent. Only ever used it for painted work and never considered ever using it were it was left bare for all to see but dutifully did what the customer wanted. I have to admit to liking the results and found the grain quite attractive. Admittedly it is soft for a hardwood but probably as tough as softwood furniture which many fill their homes with.

 

[Zeddedhed]

I use a fair bit of tulipwood (mainly for internal door linings/casings) and I am quite often surprised by how varied the grain can be, both in terms of colour, shade and pattern. I've had boards that contain the typical ultra pale creamy white that most people associate with Tulipwood, along with vivid green, purple and often black, all in the same board.

That looks like a nicely executed piece of furniture, but I'm not sure the strong but irregular contrast in grain is to my taste.

If and when I make pieces from Tulip wood that are not going to be painted I tend to stick to the 'plain grain'. It can very easily be mistaken for Maple (by the layman that is)