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CURRENT WOOD SELECTION
FOR BLUSTER BAY PRODUCTS

Last updated: Sunday, January 15, 2012

See also our What's New page for a rosewoord in limited supply that are available for MINI END-FEED SHUTLES only.

Each wood description below corresponds with the picture above it.

Hickory is a common deciduous tree, with 12 varieties native to the United States, four found in Canada and four in Mexico. Hickory heartwood is tan or reddish brown while its outer sapwood is white to cream. Hickory wood is very hard, very stiff, very dense and very shock resistant. It is used for tool handles, bows, wheel spokes, carts, drumsticks, lacrosse stick handles, golf club shafts, the bottom of skis, walking sticks and paddles. Chips of hickory wood are frequently used for barbeque flavoring.

Black Cherry is a widely distributed hardwood of North America and one of the finest and most popular furniture woods available. The heartwood varies in color from tan to a reddish brown and darkens with time to a warm, rich, amber hue. The seasonal growth lines are wide and lazy, flowing in easy patters with subtle color changes from one band to the next. Cherry is moderately hard, has a very fine texture, and can be waxed and polished to a high luster.

Black Walnut is another widely distributed hardwood of North America. The color is uniformly dark rich brown. The grain is usually straight, but occasionally shows patterns of waves, ripples, or curls. Walnut is similar to cherry in both weight and feel. The two woods are excellent choices when considering a pair of matched shuttles of different colors. Walnut takes an excellent hard, smooth finish.

Curly Black Walnut. OUT OF STOCK

Maples grow extensively throughout North America The grain is usually straight, but occasionally develops curls and waves (tiger maple or curly maple), or patterns of small tight swirls (birdseye maple). The wood is creamy white, very fine textured, and takes an exceptional glossy polish. We currently have a limited supply of highly figured curly maple, pictured above.

White Ash grows throughout eastern North America and is used extensively for sports equipment, tool handles, cabinets, and furniture. It is usually light tan but occasionally shows darker mottling and black streaks.  The wood is usually straight-grained with well-defined growth rings. The texture is somewhat coarse, but ash finishes smoothly, polishes to a fine luster, and gets ever smoother with use.

Purpleheart is a very hard, very heavy, very dense and durable wood from South America. When freshly cut the wood is a bright purple that will age to a deep maroon, sometimes almost black. The grain is fine and sometimes swirling. This wood finishes to an exceptionally smooth and glossy finish.

Sapele is indigeous to Nigeria and the Ivory Coast. This extremely lustrous, fine grained, light brown wood produces light-weight shuttles, as it is just a bit lighter than cherry. Sapele is comparable in weight and color to mahogany and is sometimes called African mahogany. Other common names include Sapelli, Penkwa and Undianuno. It will darken over time to a beautiful deep red-brown or purplish brown.

Brazilian Cherry or Jatoba is a tree common to the Caribbean, Central, and South America. It is not a cherry tree and it is in no way related to American Black Cherry. The wood is typically a tan or salmon color with black accent stripes that over time turns to a deep rich red color.It is very hard, somewhat irridescent and takes a high polish. Jatoba is frequently used for furniture and flooring.

OUT OF STOCK Amazique, also known as shedua, grows in tropical West Africa and is closely related to bubinga. The color of this wood varies through shades of golden brown, usually with black striping and a lustrous sheen. Due to its high resistance to abrasion, it is used extensively for custom flooring. It is hard and dense, similar in weight to bubinga, finishes very smoothly, and polishes to a high luster.

Bubinga, also known as African rosewood, grows to massive size in the tropical forests of Central and West Africa. This tree commonly yields boards over four feet wide. The wood is medium red-brown with veining of reds and sometimes purple. The grain is often irregular and shows a variety of attractive patterns. Bubinga is very hard, very dense, and has a fine texture that polishes to a high gloss.

OUT OF STOCK Wenge is from tropical Central and West Africa. It is very dark brown to almost black and laced with fine veins of lighter brown. Wenge is extremely hard, dense and abrasion resistant, and polishes to a high luster.

Leopardwood, also known as Brazilian lacewood, grows in South America. It is similar in appearance to Australian lacewood, though the two woods are not related. Leopardwood is light brown in color with a very dramatic figure that varies from a small lacelike pattern to broad splashy flakes. In spite of its flakey appearance, this wood finishes smoothly and takes a fine polish.

OUT OF STOCK Bloodwood, also known as satine, grows throughout Central and South America. The color of this very hard and dense wood is a deep, rich red. Unlike many other brightly-colored woods, which tend to darken considerably over time, the color of bloodwood is quite stable. Bloodwood is straight-grained with a very fine texture and takes a high lustrous finish.
Only Swedish-style shuttles and poke shuttles are available from Bloodwood; boat shuttles, end-feed shuttles and swifts are not available in this wood.

Relative Wood Weights

Woods are listed lightest to heaviest, top to bottom