Fruit Wood
It may come as no surprise to be told that fruit wood is in fact the wood which comes from trees which normally bear fruit. Fruit wood is popular throughout the world for making furniture although the warm and wet climate of Europe tends to produce more durable and strong wood than that which is grown in other continents where the climate does not help the condition of the wood.
Because there are a great number of trees which produce wood, there are obviously a large number of woods which then fall under the very broad term of ‘fruit wood'.
It is necessary therefore to explore the properties and benefits of each individual wood in order to better understand why it is such a valuable material in furniture manufacture.
Apple Wood
Apple trees tend to be between 3 and 12 metres tall and feature a tall stalk with a crown of leaves and twigs perched at the top (some would say, like a crown).
Apple wood tends to have two main functions. When burnt, it gives off a very pleasant aroma and is used for smoking foodstuffs such as bacon and fish. For our purposes though its twisted grains give it a very decorative feel and it is often used for finishing touches such as doors, handles and sculpture.
Rosewood
Rosewood is a general term which refers to any tree from the genera Tipuana, Pterocarpus, or Dalbergia, although there are many woods sold as being rosewood and are not "true" rosewoods. These are strong, heavy and capable of taking an excellent polish.
Because of the dark, rich appearance rosewood tends to be used in luxury flooring and furniture although it is very often seen in billiard cues, chess pieces and guitars.
Pear Wood
As might be expected, pear wood is the product of the pear tree. It is a tough and stable wood which has a huge variety of uses from the manufacture of musical instruments, firewood for smoking meat, and as measuring instruments.
Plum Wood
Plum wood features a cornucopia of colours from including yellow, pink, orange, red, purple, olive and grey among others. Because the trunk of the plum tree is so small, the wood of the tree often features knots and other defects which, depending upon the customer or manufacturer, can either be seen as a bonus of the wood or a reason to avoid using it.
