Redwood

GENUS: SEQUOIA

"The redwoods, once seen, leave a mark or create a vision that stays with you always. No one has ever successfully painted or photographed a redwood tree. The feeling they produce is not transferable. From them comes silence and awe. It's not only their unbelievable stature, nor the color which seems to shift and vary under your eyes, no, they are not like any trees we know, they are ambassadors from another time."  -John Steinbeck

Characteristics

Color / Appearance

Heartwood color can range from a light pinkish brown to a deep reddish brown. Sapwood is a pale white/yellow. Curly figure or redwood burl (sometimes referred as "lace" or by the name Vavona) are occasionally seen.

Grain / Texture

Generally straight, though figured pieces may be wavy or irregular. Coarse texture and low natural luster. 

Workability

Typically easy to work with hand tools or machinery, but planer tearout can occur on figured pieces with curly, wavy, or irregular grain. Glues and finishes well. 

Common Uses

Veneer, construction lumber, beams, posts, decking, exterior furniture, and trim. Burls and other forms of figured redwood are also used in turning, musical instruments, and other small specialty items. 

Characteristics used by permission from The Wood Database