Caught short of stock for your project? Another distinctive physical feature includes the bark which is light brown to reddish brown in color and is often marked with various spots of colors. For more related content, subscribe to our newsletter! I would go with birch - similar grain, similar hardness, color is close though the alder may be a little darker. Alder, a relative of birch, is almost white when freshly cut, but quickly changes with exposure to air, becoming light brown with a yellow or reddish tinge. Red lauan (Philippine mahogany) finished to look like Honduras Mahogany. Professional woodworkers, furniture restorers, and furniture manufacturers have long known the value of look-alikes--often less expensive woods that they can stain and finish to resemble more costly ones. Furniture factories also commonly follow wood-substitution practices, turning to such species as alder, hackberry, soft maple, and selected imported woods for frames, legs, trim, and other secondary parts. As it is common with other trees thriving near rivers and lakes, typical black alder maintains its leaves longer than trees in drylands. Identified as a popular finish hardwood, alder wood is one of the softest hardwoods on the market after, of course, pine and poplar wood. As these trees mature, they develop tapered trunks which grow up to form a huge, round crown. The end result is always highly valued as it has superb finishing, making the product supremely modern and impressive. Having the botanical name Alnus cordata, the Italian alder is a deciduous tree, belonging to the Birch family. Each was sprayed with a finish coat of lacquer. In addition to cabinets, alder wood is also used for the construction of windows, doors, trims, and beam wraps. In guitars, poplar comes with a similar tone to alder as well. Unlike cherry wood, red finishing of alder wood doesn’t darken as it ages, proving to be long-lasting and durable for good. Nearly identical in grain and natural color, the lauan and the genuine mahogany each received a coat of Dark Wine Cherry aniline dye, a shellac coat, and a clear, spray-lacquer finish. Can't find the wood you need for a missing part? The leaves of the green alder tree boast indisputable benefits as well. If the roots are established, they can tolerate a little drought. Alder wood is not restricted to one type, luckily, for interested customers, this versatile wood can be found in various forms. Scientifically known as “Alnus rubra”, red alder is native to western North America which includes famous regions like Alaska, Washington, Oregon, California, Montana, and British Columbia. The seaside alder is cultivated in moist soil with full or partial sun exposure. Unlike other alder trees, this type of alder is not cultivated for its wood. The wood samples were then stained (we used water-soluble aniline dyes) and clear-finished with lacquer to resemble other often more expensive woods, as shown in the photographs. That may require some tinting and experimentation before you get the color of the imitator exactly right. This is the reason why most cabinet builders avoid using alder wood and those who use it, only do so for its wonderful visual effects. Want to save some bucks on wood? The tree is known for its beautiful yellow-hued flowers with nesting birds. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Extensive staining, sealing, glazing, and toning techniques finish these species so that they look the same as the cherry, mahogany, or walnut used on the major parts. Owing to its malleable texture, the wood is commonly known as a semi-hardwood. Related: Types of Ebony Wood | Types of Teak Wood | Types of Tiger Wood | Types of Hickory Wood. Closely related to the red alder, the white alder is again a medium-sized tree with strong, gray bark which becomes scaly as it ages. The lower section of the tree tends to be as good as its upper part. White ash finished to look like red oak. To demonstrate what happens when you substitute one wood for another, we prepared samples of several common woods. For example, the ashes of the burnt tree leaves can be served as a tooth cleaner. The bark is smooth, grayish green with lenticels. The finish coat for each look-alike sample was lacquer. Like the typical alder tree, Nepalese alder wood is considerably soft and hence used for making light boxes or any other small constructions. are found in the Betulaceae (birch family). You often can substitute a look-alike wood for more than one wood species, such as alder for walnut or cherry, red gum for walnut or mahogany, and yellow poplar for a variety of woods. Almost all of them are deciduous. The finish coat was spray lacquer. The white ash received a second coat to further enhance the grain. With its fine grain, pinkish color, and figure features, the red alder sample came pretty close to matching black cherry when each received one coat of Dark Wine Cherry aniline dye. The wood is easy to cut and shape with hands as well as machine tools. In other words, it is brawny and hard to destroy. If the look-alike wood is lighter in color, use two coats of color to darken it, but only one coat on the wood being imitated. As the name implies, the tree is distinctly known for having glossy green leaves with a light green under surface. On the other hand, the bark of this type of alder is used for dyeing and tanning as it is packed with 16 to 20% of tannic acid. When mixed with iron sulfate, the bark forms an intense black dye, a better alternative of galls and sumach. Alder Smoke – delicate, earthy and a hint of sweetness Alder wood has a great flavor profile. Because it's nearly impossible to make wood with one type of grain look like one with another type, select a look-alike wood with the same general grain features as the one you want to imitate. The sound is better, however, when it comes to the upper mid-range. No chestnut, no problem. The tree has the ability to withstand several types of soil and can easily be cultivated in moist regions. While green alder trees are native to the mountains of southeast Europe and the Alps, they are commonly cultivated near lakes, streams, coasts, and rivers in Canada, Alaska, and Northern Siberia. A. As we found out in one instance, the darker, more coarse-grained wood of the two species should get a sealer coat of thinned shellac before coloring so that it won't continually get darker. If you want to make the most of the wood and leaves of the green alder, you can cultivate your very own green alder tree. However, by first sealing the red alder with shellac, then dyeing it, the result was even closer. These leaves are also heated for skin treatment and some life-altering illnesses. Installing metal shelf standards used to be rough on my fingers and my patience. Like black alder trees, the flowers this tree bear are catkin which emerges in the spring season.