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Discover the natural beauty and enduring strength of hardwood. Perfect for furniture making, cabinetry, flooring, and custom woodworking projects, our hardwood selection includes a wide variety of species such as maple, ash, walnut, birch, cherry, and more. Whether you’re looking for rough-sawn lumber or live edge slabs, we carry top-quality hardwoods in a range of sizes and finishes to meet your needs. Each piece is carefully sourced for character, grain consistency, and long-lasting performance, ideal for both DIYers and professional craftsmen. As a proudly Canadian company with locally owned stores, Windsor Plywood specializes in hard-to-find wood products and offers expert, one-on-one service to help you bring your vision to life. Visit your local store to browse our full hardwood selection and get the guidance you need for your next project.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Osage orange and what are its main characteristics?
Osage orange (Maclura pomifera) is a North American hardwood with a vivid golden-yellow colour when freshly cut, one of the most striking natural wood colours available. It has exceptional hardness (Janka approximately 2040), outstanding rot resistance, and natural durability that rivals the most decay-resistant tropical hardwoods. Osage orange is native to a small region of North America but is cultivated widely as hedge rows and windbreaks across the Great Plains.
Does Osage orange maintain its yellow colour?
Freshly cut Osage orange is a vivid golden yellow, but it darkens significantly with light and UV exposure, transitioning through orange-brown to a medium brown over time. UV-inhibiting clear finishes slow this process. Many woodworkers appreciate the aged brown tone as well as the vivid initial colour. If preserving the yellow is important, UV-stable finishes applied immediately after machining are essential.
What is Osage orange used for?
Osage orange is used for decorative woodworking, turning projects, knife handles, archery bows (it is one of the best natural bow woods), furniture accents, and any application where a naturally rot-resistant, extremely hard wood is required. Its exceptional durability makes it suitable for outdoor structures where extreme longevity without treatment is desired.
Is Osage orange difficult to work?
Osage orange is very hard and dulls tools quickly. It cuts cleanly with sharp, carbide-tipped tools and turns well on the lathe. The hardness requires patience with hand tools. Pre-drilling is essential for all fastener applications. The natural oil content can slow finish adhesion — wipe with mineral spirits before finishing.
Does Windsor Plywood carry Osage orange lumber?
Windsor Plywood carries Osage orange as a specialty hardwood subject to current availability. As a relatively uncommon species in retail lumber, availability varies significantly by season and shipment. Contact your local Windsor Plywood branch to confirm current stock before specifying it for your project.