If you’re interested in woodworking, but don’t want to buy a ton of tools or get your hands dirty, pyrography is a good way to go. If you don’t know pyrography is the art of wood burning. All you need to start is a wood burning tool (nothing very expensive) and a piece of poplar (one of the softer pieces of wood). It’s very easy to pick up, it’s just like a pencil! Just sketch on your design before hand, or you can free hand it. Just make sure you don’t touch the metal tip, it can easily burn you. Have fun!
Oak- Very sturdy, oak is useful for projects for the outdoors, such as deck chairs or picnic tables. It can be painted, stained, or neither and it is a medium brown color. Keep in mind that oak is a little more expensive than poplar and a lot heavier.
Maple- One of the hardest woods, it is pale wood with a beautiful grain. I have often used s for cutting and cheese boards. However, because it is so hard you shouldn’t use it for projects that involve carving or shaping the wood.
Walnut- Similar to Oak, but not as hard, it is more often used for indoor furniture and is a beautiful dark brown. I am currently using it for the base of my cheese board
Ebony- One of the most expensive woods, I would save it for very small projects or for accents. Its colors range from a very dark brown to black and is very heavy. I was going to use ebony for a small box, but opted instead for dyeing a piece of poplar black.
Bloodwood- My personal favorite, it is a beautiful red-orange perfect for accents or small projects. It is a more exotic wood and therefore more expensive, but I’ve used it a lot in my cutting boards and jewelry boxes.
I hope this is helpful when you start your next project and let me know if there are any other woods you want to know about! Something to keep in mind when choosing more exotic woods is to check if it is toxic or food safe if you are using it for cooking related projects or when working the wood. Here’s a link for wood toxicity: