redwood

open main page for all woods open page 2 for articles

NOTE: there is rarely any "standard" or "typical" look for a wood so take what's in this table with a grain of salt
the REST of the pictures on this page will give you a better overall feel for this wood

redwood / Sequoia sempervirens
also includes Sequoiadendron giganteum
and Metasequoia glyptostroboides
all of the family Cupressaceae (formerly Taxodiaceae)
3" x 3" flat cut, 3" x 3" quartersawn, 1" wide end grain, and a 1/4" x 1/4" end grain closeup.

This softwood does not have resin canals, the growth rings are very distinct and the transition from the light earlywood to the dark latewood is abrupt. Rays are often visible at 10X.

Generally, in the USA, Sequoia sempervirens is called redwood and Sequoiadendron giganteum is called giant sequoia. Metasequoia glyptostroboides is an obscure Chinese wood (common name "dawn redwood" in the USA) that was thought to be extinct but was rediscovered in the 1940's --- as far as USA craftspeople are concerned, it's a mosly non-entity due to lack of availability even though it has been imported to the USA and grows here in a few places (e.g. California and Pennsylvania). I include it here both for completeness sake since it IS considered a true redwood.

my samples:
NOTE: these pics were all taken in very bright incandescent lighting ("soft white" at 2700K)
colors will vary under other lighting conditions

sample plank and end grain of redwood / Sequoia washingtoninana --- judging from the extremely low ring count, I'd say this was a VERY fast-growing tree! Compare this to the ring count in the redwood piece directly below. (Sequoia washingtoninana is a synonym for Sequoiadendron giganteum)

end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

sample plank and end grain sold to me as redwood / Sequoia sempervirens --- compare the ring count in this piece with that in the piece directly above and keep in mind that this one does NOT have high-count rings; it's something like 15 rings/inch --- the piece above is something like 2 rings per inch. The color on these pics is slightly too orange; they should be a dull red-brown

end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank of old growth redwood / Sequoia sempervirens --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by Mark Peet whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site. Note that the first face was sanded to 240 grit and the second face was not and this accounts for minor differences in color between the two and the better resolution of the detail characteristics as seen in the first one.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank of coast redwood / Sequoia sempervirens --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank of giant sequoia / Sequoiandendron giganteum --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

both sides of a sample plank of giant sequoia / Sequoiadendron giganteum --- Check out the wide-spaced growth rings on this piece above (4/inch) compared to the old-growth sample in the next set down the page (about 30/inch)

end grain and end grain closeup (but of the other end of the sample) of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank of old growth giant sequoia / Sequoiandendron giganteum --- HUGE enlargements are present.

end grain and HIGH GRIT END GRAIN CLOSEUP of the piece directly above

both sides of a sample plank of old growth giant sequoia / Sequoiadendron giganteum --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site. Check out the tight growth rings on this piece of old growth wood (about 30/inch) compared to the very wide-spaced rings on the piece directly above (4/inch)

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above along with a side grain closeup of a perfectly quartersawn surface, emphasizing that there are no visible rays or ray flakes (pretty clear even though the side surface was not well sanded). The end grain shows a nice example of indented grain.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

both sides of a small plank given to me as giant sequoia --- HUGE enlargements are present. Check out the VERY widely space growth rings (about 1/inch) compared to the sample above this

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above --- HUGE enlargements are present for both.

first face and the end grain of a sample of redwood / Sequoia sempervirens. This part of a collection which is discussed here: COLLECTION A

the second face, before and after sanding, showing how the patina from aging is only surface deep.

end grain closeup and END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above.

both sides of a sample of redwood / Sequoia sempervirens. This part of a collection which is discussed here: COLLECTION A and is one of the few pieces from that collection that were too skinny to do end grain pics.

first face and the end grain of a sample of California redwood / Sequoia sempervirens --- This part of a collection which is discussed here: COLLECTION C

the second face, before and after slicing off 1/8" showing how the patina from aging is only surface deep.

end grain closeup and END GRAIN UPDATE of the piece directly above

the pieces in this section were all provided by Rex Scates, whom I thank for the contribution to the site

stump chunk and end grain closeup

END GRAIN UPDATE of the piece directly above

limb sections and a small chunk and an end grain closeup from the small chunk

limb section and end grain closeup

a sanded down piece (and its end grain closeup) I had to cut off of a VERY old redwood deck (I'm figuring at least 40 years) to improve access to stuff behind the rail. I had meant to leave one side unsanded but I messed up and started sanding it before I realized what I was doing, so below is a pic of the railing where it was cut off.

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above and the railing where the piece was cut off

I noticed that the piece directly above is almost perfectly quartersawn so I sanded the face down to 400 grit and here's face grain closeup. The second enlargement best shows the details. I expected tiny ray flakes but as you can see, that's not what shows up.

dawn redwood

sample plank and end grain of dawn redwood / Metasequoia glyptostroboides. The face shot is slightly too red; the end grain shot shows the true color.

end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank of dawn redwood / Metasequoia glyptostroboides --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

dawn redwood plank loaned to me by Mark Peet whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site. Huge enlargements are present. I cut a couple of IWCS samples out of this and Mark contributed one to the site. See below. On this piece, the first side is still rough but I sanded the second side to 400 grit.

end grain of the piece directly above

both sides the first sample plank of dawn redwood made from the plank above --- HUGE enlargements are present.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides the second sample plank of dawn redwood made from the plank above --- HUGE enlargements are present.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above
end dawn redwood

both sides of a sample plank of curly redwood / Sequoia sempervirens --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was contributed to the site by Eric Krum whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.

end grains of both ends

end grain closeup and END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

a small stick and end grain and then the end grain shot with the wood moistened with water

both sides, and end grain shot and a side grain shot, all of a nice plank donated by Jim Glynn, whom I thank for his continuing generous donations to the site. The color on the first two shots is completely accurate; the end grain and side grain shots are off a little in that I removed just a hair too much red when doing the color correction. Both levels of enlargement are there for all of these pics.

end grain closeup of the piece directly above --- opposite end from the one shown above. I have no idea why some of the grain lines are very dark compared to the others

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above --- I'm not clear about the orientation on this shot, but it's definitely from that piece of wood.

same plank as directly above but moistened with water. Now here's a wood where a finishing agent clearly makes a significant improvement in the color and overall beauty of the wood. The curl is MUCH more obvious in the wet pics. I have no explanation at all for why the end grain, showing the growth rings, absorbed the water completely in some sections and almost not at all in others. This is not a case of my having allowed the water to start to dry off before taking the pic, it was simply that no amount f rubbing would get the water to sink in to those areas. The most likely explanation is that there is some sort of resin in the wood in these areas.

both sides of a very small piece of curly redwood. The curl is better than what shows up in these dry pics

the same piece as above but moistened with water and turned at an angle to best show the curl

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

face and side grain of a curly redwood plank. This piece will look MUCH more striking with a finishing agent applied. HUGE enlargements are present.

end grain and end grain closeup of the plank directly above

moistened quilted redwood pairs --- pics contributed by Todd Levy --- thanks Todd. Although not good book-matches, these are beautiful sets and shows up much better in the enlargements.

both sides of a sample plank of redwood burl / Sequoia sempervirens --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a redwood burl sample plank; the difference in color is because the first pic is of a 320-grit sanded face and the 2nd is of a 120-grit sanded face. HUGE enlargements are present. This piece was represented to me as "2nd growth redwood"

the end grain of the piece directly above

face grain closeup and HIGH GRIT END GRAIN CLOSEUP of the piece directly above

quartersawn book matched redwood thinwood for a guitar being built by my friend John Cooper. Both levels of enlargement are present.

long veneer sheet and closeup. The closeup has an optical inteference pattern that gives the wood an unrealistic grain wave that disappears in the enlargement, but the color is quite accurate; this is a lovely smooth red.

a long veneer sheet and a couple of closeups --- the somewhat muddy color is quite accurate

vavona burl veneer (see discussion below with the web pics near the bottom of the page)

redwood burl veneer sheet and two closeups

redwood burl veneer

bookmatched pair of redwood burl veneer sheets --- pics contributed by Danny Tjan, whom I thank for these and other contributions to the site. Both levels of enlargement are present.

curly piece --- not a good quality representation of curly redwood; I bought this as junk, pretty much, and that's about what it is. It's about 8" x 16"

curly veneer --- I got this in a box of mixed thick veneer cut-offs from a jewelry box maker who tells me that this used to be readily available commercially but is no longer. I've seen a couple of web pics of items made from this kind of veneer and they are stunning. The fellow who sold me this lot says the results are "eye poping" and I believe it.

The Wood Book pics

flat cut, quartersawn, end grain
redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) from The Wood Book --- both levels of enlargement are present for all 3 views

flat cut, quartersawn, end grain
redwood (Sequoiadendron giganteum, reported in the Wood Book under an old name of Sequoia giganteum and also listed as big tree, giant redwood and redwood of the mountains) from The Wood Book --- both levels of enlargement are present for all 3 views

web pics:

not for nothing is the giant sequoia called the GIANT sequoia

an illustration of why this wood is called "giant redwood" and "giant sequoia". I remember driving (well, riding actually) through/under one of these about 60 years ago and being very impressed.

heartwood, first grade and 2nd grade

heartwood, construction grade and lower grade

clear with sapwood and 2nd grade with sapwood

construction grade and lowest grade (both with sapwood)

end grain

redwood slabs, all from the same vendor

log slabs

flat cut planks

quartersawn planks

misc redwood planks and turning stock

planks with a colors that are just moronic

very large plank (that's a person at the left)

this was listed as a redwood plank but neither the color nor the grain looks like redwood to me

old growth slab

slabs --- some of these have a mild curl but none of them were listed as curly, which is nice because it means the vendors were honest and not given to exaggeration.

figured redwood plank pair

listed as "flamed" plank

turning stock

veneer

quartersawn veneer that shows ray flakes really nicely in the 2nd enlargement

quilted veneer

three sets of burls all from the same vendor

misc burl pieces

these scales were listed as redwood burl but they are so unlike any normal redwood burl that I think it much more likely that they are simply pieces from an area at the outer portion of the bole that had a lot of small branches growing out.

bowl blanks listed as Coastal redwood / Sequoia sempervirens burl

contributed by Daniel Dill whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site, this is a pic of a set of "carmalized" vavona burl pieces. Carmilazation is the common name for what happens when a fire melts the sap in the tree and causes a chemical change. I've never worked with any such wood myself so can't comment on how it differs from regular redwood burl, but I have seen it several times on the internet.

burl piece with a color that is just silly

this was listed as "lace burl" but I think that's just a made-up marketing term and this is just normal redwood burl (vavona)

burl turning stock and closeup

redwood root burl, about 7" across at the bottom

curly burl

burl slabs

curly planks

curly plank pairs

curly veneer

curly bowl blanks

old growth curly

planks listed by the vendor as salvaged old growth figured redwood --- both levels of enlargement are present

fiddleback veneer

turning sticks made from redwood burl

small bookmatched sections of burl

burl veneer

bookmatched burl veneer

bookmatched burl veneer pieces

listed as "lace" burl veneer, and since it's from the BogusColorVendor, the color is very suspect

curly (probably moistened) --- some vendors would list these as quilted, although curly seems to be the favored term with redwood

curly planks not moistened

curly planks and turning stock --- from my experience (see my own sample at the top of the page), I'd say all of these have been moistened for the pics.

curly plank and closeup, moistened for the pic

closeup of a quartersawn curly plank

curly planks with color that is just silly

curly slabs

bowl blanks of curly redwood

curly redwood turning stock

listed as "quilted curly", although it seems to me it should just be one or the other (and in these cases, probably "quilted", not just "curly") --- but whatever you call it, it's really pretty wood !

a piece of curly redwood, shown both dry and then wet

two different jewelry box tops of curly redwood, the first one finished and the second one still dry (in progress)

curly plank --- both sides and a closeup; these are from the BogusColorVendor so the red is probably exaggerated

book matched curly redwood sets

finished box side that was listed as "waterfall" redwood, but to me it's just mottled and is likely just a variation of curly redwood

listed as birdseye redwood

makers of cigar humidors seem particularly fond of the common name "vavona" for redwood burl. When I first started this site, I was not sure if that was a separate species or not but I now know that it is not, but that's why this set of pics is here --- these were all listed as "vavona".

solid "vavona" burls

veneer listed as vavona burl / Sequoi sempervirens

"vavona" burl veneers. The last one was listed as "rainbow", but I believe this to be a fabricated marketing term, not a recognized common name

a 4-way bookmatched vavona burl veneer set

guitar set made from sinker redwood

guitar sections, two burls and a two curly sheets; the color on the 2nd burl piece seems to me to be WAY too orange --- I thought I saw notes that these were for guitar backs and had them so listed, but luthier Rick Lee tells me that only a cretin would use such beautiful burls in particular for the BACK and that these are undoubtedly intended as FRONTS, not backs. My thanks for the correction.

guitar with curly redwood front, shot at a woodworking show. HUGE enlargments are present. This looked even better in person than it does in these pics.

guitar backs listed as curly California redwood / Sequoia sempervirons

burl bowl blank

a vase made from a redwood burl --- on the enlargement in particular, you can see the natural voids due to gum deposits.

burl platter --- really nice piece of wood went into this one; it's rare to find a piece this big with such a consistent burl pattern

curly redwood bowl and platter

bowl with knots and very low ring count

bowl made from redwood stump wood

bowl listed as dawn redwood

12" diameter redwood bowl by Steve Earis, big enlargements are available

curly redwood bowl

two views of a hollow form

two views of a redwood burl vase still on the lathe

burl hollow form

redwood section on a laminated bowl. The pic on the left is of the piece fresh off the lathe and the one on the right is after one coat of natural stain. This is a case where, I believe, the wood looks better WITHOUT the finishing agent.