Pale woods with their beautiful natural markings, colours and texture it’s not hard to see why lighter coloured woods are becoming more and more desirable to work with!
If you’re looking for a highly-functional species suitable for working or turning into almost any piece, have a look at our lighter woods. Not only for aesthetic reasons but our pale woods are able to be machined, glued, fixed and finished without any difficulty, making them perfect for whatever project you have in mind — furniture making, joinery, home improvements, crafts and more!
We have a fantastic choice for lighter woods available onsite and online;
Sycamore -
Colour: Pale lustred colouring that darkens to a golden colour over time.
The striking characteristics of this timber is its light colouring and lustrous grain pattern. Sycamore is usually straight grained but wavy or "rippled" grain can be found caused by varying grain direction. Sycamore has a subtle figure, with visible growth rings but few other distinguishing features, the sap and heartwood are of the same colour and visual qualities - though almost orange or brown, marbling and flaming/spalting colour variations can often be found, similar to those in Beech.
As for workability, it cuts and planes well with hand or machine tools, it has good bending strength so is good for steaming and it takes stains and finishes well. Popular for; Fine furniture, cabinetry, guitar/instrument making, wood turning, wood carving, inlaying, box making, serving platters, timber framing, sills, and many other uses.
Ash -
Colour: Highly grained, pale creamy wood with usually no distinction between the heart and sap wood though figure can be characterised by contrasting early and late growth. Olive grey to vivid colouring can also be present through the heartwood.
Ash is a popular species. Producing premium-quality timber with excellent colouring. Good workability — machining, fixing, gluing and finishing at ease it has excellent strength and density, making it a perfect contender for a range of interior projects, including flooring, table tops, furniture and skirting, because of this Ash is favoured not only for it's looks but it's incredible strength, it is tougher than most other woods, it is often described as being as tough as Oak, though this does not extend to outdoors as Ash has low tolerance for ground contact.
Ash can be split, and has fantastic bending qualities. Ash is easy to work with, with moderate blunting on tools, sawing, cutting, peeling and turning is unproblematic. Ash finishes and stains well.
Beech -
Colour: Pale brownish pink with some reddish heart with uniform appearance.
Beech produce timber with a stunning pale colour and fine, even texture. Not only does it look the part, especially if the grain is adorned with unique spalting detail, but it also performs in every way you’d want from an interior timber — dense, hard-wearing and long-lasting with very good workability. Beech timber is clean and odourless making it ideally suited for use in areas of food preparation and children’s toys. Traditionally it has been used to make tableware, plates and bowls and is currently popular for worktops, butchers blocks, kitchen cabinets, table/works tops, toys, furniture, flooring, wood panelling, turning and crafts.
Beech is easily worked in any direction, even across or at any angle to the grain. This is due to its even growth and lack of large pores or rays. It is also very stable once seasoned, ideal for steam bending and takes a stain well.
Lime -
Colour: Lime wood is a pale, even creamy/yellow colour with a straight grain and even texture.
Lime wood is one of the easiest woods to work with when carving. Despite being a hardwood, it easily takes in details as it is soft and crisp to carve. With straight grain and an even texture, this makes it suitable for both small and large pieces, for either carving or whittling.
Sharp cutters are preferable when shaping or planning to avoid fuzzy surfaces. Glues well. Lime wood presents a beautiful finish. Often recommended for beginners.
Lime is light to medium-weight, soft and tough and very rarely warps. It has a fine and dense structure, it has low stiffness and shock resistance and doesn't split very easily - with medium bending and crushing strength. When dry the wood is stable it can be worked easily in all directions.
Maple -
Colour: Nearly white to off-white cream
As well as a beautiful pale-white colour, it affords impeccable scratch resistance and hardness, suiting it to very high-impact areas of the home - and if proof was needed - Maple has been previously used as flooring in bowling alleys.
Maple has a very straight grain and close, fine texture, making it a woodworker’s dream. Popular uses include flooring, high-end furniture, joinery and kitchen accessories.
(Please note we only have limited amounts of Maple available online and from our Timber-shop onsite. For larger projects see our Sycamore or Ash supply.)
Pale woods also contrast beautifully with our darker woods.
Visit and view our full stock range available from our Timber-shop and rough sawn stores onsite at Inzievar Woods KY12-8HB Monday to Thursday 8am to 4pm and the 1st Saturday of the month 9am to 2pm. View our online stock selection here - www.scottishwood.co.uk/shop