Oak is a popular wood choice for furniture, cabinets and flooring.
Oak and Brazilian cherry are abundantly harvested hardwoods used in furniture making, cabinetry and flooring. Woodworkers have used both red and white oak throughout history and they are very familiar in appearance. Brazilian cherry is a darker, finer grained wood prized for its rich color and hardness and resistance to damage. While these woods are attractive, the density and hardness of both extract a cost on cutting tools and they require extra attention during assembly.
Brazilian Cherry
Brazilian cherry, also known as Jatoba, is a tropical hardwood harvested throughout Central and South America. Despite its name, it is not a true cherry tree. It has that name because the lumber from these trees is prized for its rich orange to rust color and figured grain, similar to North American black cherry. With exposure to light and air, the wood will quickly oxidize to a deep red color even darker than that of its namesake.
Working with Brazilian Cherry
The hardness of Brazilian cherry that makes it an ideal flooring surface also makes it a challenge to work with. You need to sharpen cutting and shaping tools before making any cuts and, if the project is large enough, you will need to plan on restoring the edges of the tools midway through the work as the dense and interlocking grain will quickly dull the edges of all tools. You can use screw fasteners effectively but nailing will require pre-drilling and a powerful nail gun.
Oak
Red and white oak are common domestic hardwoods in North America. Both have a highly pronounced grain, with red oak having much larger pores that leave a lot of texture on finished surfaces. The wood takes color well but woodworkers often leave the golden to reddish hue of the untinted lumber visible through an oil or polyurethane finish. Exposure and light make the natural colors richer but do not create the transformation seen on the Jatoba.
Working with Oak
Oak works well with power and hand tools. Cutting tools will exhibit a moderate amount of dulling from the hardness of the wood but not to the degree seen with Brazilian cherry. All types of fasteners work well with oak but it is necessary to pre-drill holes because of the tendency of the wood to crack along grain lines under this stress.
Considerations
Brazilian cherry and oak are attractive woods to consider for most applications. Aside from the color differences, there is a major difference in the relative hardness of the woods. On the industry standard Janka hardness scale, red oak receives a rating of 1,290. The Brazilian Cherry has a measurement of 2,350. The amount of abrasion and contact the final application will receive will help to determine which of the two woods is the best choice.
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