How to Identify Wood in Furniture

Struggling to Identify Wood in Furniture?

If stain behaves strangely, grain looks unfamiliar, or you are guessing what wood you are working with, this guide shows you how to recognise wood with confidence on real furniture.

Stacked pages view of the Know Your Wood furniture wood identification guide showing it as a detailed printable PDF reference

If this sounds familiar, this guide is for you

  • Stain looks blotchy and you don’t know why
  • You cannot tell solid wood from veneer confidently
  • The grain looks like oak but doesn’t behave like oak
  • You rely on guesswork when choosing finishes

What’s inside the guide

  • 150+ pages of step by step wood ID
  • 15 common furniture woods explained
  • Grain, end grain, and refinishing behaviour
  • Printable PDF for your workshop
Front cover of the Know Your Wood guide showing a vintage cabinet and the subtitle about identifying 15 common furniture woods

How This Guide Helps You Identify Wood Confidently

Recognise wood in real furniture


Learn how to identify wood by grain pattern, colour, texture, and small visual clues that most people overlook. This is about recognising wood on actual pieces, not textbook samples.

Understand How Each Wood Behaves

See how different woods respond to stain, bleach, sanding, and topcoats. You stop guessing why a finish looks wrong and start understanding what the wood is doing.

Using End Grain as your Secret Weapon

Learn how end grain reveals what species you are working with and how to read pore structure, growth rings, and rays with confidence.

Look Inside the Guide

Ready to stop guessing your wood type?

Instant download. Yours to keep.