Behind Exotica Woods • Workshop Journal
From the Artisan’s Hands to Yours.
This is not a generic lumber catalog. It is a working Quebec shop with real physical stock, documented one piece at a time — then placed directly in the hands of another maker.
How this workshop changed direction
Before the wood, this was a welding shop.
My father told me woodworking was not likely to be a dependable living, so I built a career in welding instead. Years later, a homemade maple-syrup setup sent me looking for firewood — and the wood I found changed the direction of the shop.
Read the full founder story →
I stopped seeing the material as fuel. I started identifying species, planing surfaces, measuring density and asking what another maker could build from it. That is where Exotica Woods began.
The workshop is the proof
What you see on the site begins as wood I can physically put my hands on.
Exotica Woods is built around a large physical inventory of hardwood in my workshop and storage spaces in Quebec. I sort it, inspect it, measure it, photograph it and prepare listings from the actual material in front of me.
That matters because wood is not a perfectly uniform manufactured product. Grain, color, density, figure, checks, sapwood and natural features can change from one piece to the next. When a listing represents a unique piece, the goal is simple: show enough real information for another maker to make an informed choice.
The website is also intentionally larger than a storefront. It connects the catalog to a wood encyclopedia, hardness references, workshop notes and project inspiration so someone can arrive knowing only that they like a piece of wood — and leave understanding much more about what it is and what it could become.
Artisan → maker
Direct does not mean anonymous.
The value of a small independent shop is not pretending to be a giant warehouse. It is being close to the material and close to the person buying it.
Select
I work from physical stock, not a generic supplier photo.
Inspect
Natural features and uncertainty stay visible instead of being hidden behind perfect marketing language.
Measure & photograph
Dimensions, weight and clear images are added when they help describe the actual piece.
From my workshop to yours
The material moves from a hands-on shop into another maker’s project — pen, handle, bowl, furniture, sculpture, resin work or something entirely new.
Wood science • Janka hardness
What does “hard” actually mean?
Janka hardness is resistance to indentation. A 0.444-inch (11.28 mm) steel ball is pressed into wood to half its diameter; the required force is recorded.
More force is required to dent the surface. That can matter for wear, handles, flooring and how resistant a surface feels to impact.
Janka is not the same as bending strength, stiffness, toughness or dimensional stability. A “harder” wood is not automatically better for every project.
Wood is biological material. Moisture, growth conditions, specimen orientation and natural variation affect measured properties. Reference values compare species; they do not certify an individual blank.
Verified comparison table
28 woods, from 400 to 4,390 lbf.
Hard maple is highlighted at 1,450 lbf because it is a familiar Canadian benchmark. Every row below names the source used for the reference value; grouped trade names such as Meranti represent published group averages, not a promise that every board will test identically.
| Wood | Typical region | Janka | vs. hard maple | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OkoumeAucoumea klaineana | Central Africa | 400 lbf | 28% | Wood Database ↗ |
| Light Red MerantiShorea spp. | Southeast Asia | 550 lbf | 38% | Wood Database ↗ |
| Black LimbaTerminalia superba | West Africa | 670 lbf | 46% | Wood Database ↗ |
| Yellow MerantiShorea spp. | Southeast Asia | 700 lbf | 48% | Wood Database ↗ |
| Dark Red MerantiShorea spp. | Southeast Asia | 800 lbf | 55% | Wood Database ↗ |
| LacewoodPanopsis spp. | South America | 840 lbf | 58% | Wood Database ↗ |
| African Mahogany / KhayaKhaya spp. | Tropical Africa | 850 lbf | 59% | Wood Database ↗ |
| African WalnutLovoa trichilioides | West Africa | 940 lbf | 65% | Wood Database ↗ |
| Rubberwood / HeveaHevea brasiliensis | Tropical Asia plantations | 960 lbf | 66% | Wood Database ↗ |
| Black WalnutJuglans nigra | Eastern North America | 1,010 lbf | 70% | USDA / Wood Database ↗ |
| White MerantiShorea spp. | Southeast Asia | 1,050 lbf | 72% | Wood Database ↗ |
| IrokoMilicia spp. | Tropical Africa | 1,190 lbf | 82% | Wood Database ↗ |
| Yellow BirchBetula alleghaniensis | Northeastern North America | 1,260 lbf | 87% | Wood Database ↗ |
| MovinguiDistemonanthus benthamianus | West Africa | 1,280 lbf | 88% | Wood Database ↗ |
| White OakQuercus alba | Eastern North America | 1,350 lbf | 93% | Wood Database ↗ |
| SapeleEntandrophragma cylindricum | Tropical Africa | 1,360 lbf | 94% | Wood Database ↗ |
| Keruing / ApitongDipterocarpus spp. | Southeast Asia | 1,390 lbf | 96% | Wood Database ↗ |
| Hard Maple / Sugar MapleAcer saccharum | Canada & northeastern North America | 1,450 lbf | 100% | USDA / Wood Database ↗ |
| CanarywoodCentrolobium spp. | Central & South America | 1,520 lbf | 105% | Wood Database ↗ |
| African PadaukPterocarpus soyauxii | Central & West Africa | 1,710 lbf | 118% | Wood Database ↗ |
| KempasKoompassia malaccensis | Malaysia & Indonesia | 1,750 lbf | 121% | Wood Database ↗ |
| ZebrawoodMicroberlinia brazzavillensis | West Africa | 1,830 lbf | 126% | Wood Database ↗ |
| Osage OrangeMaclura pomifera | North America | 2,620 lbf | 181% | Wood Database ↗ |
| Pink IvoryBerchemia zeyheri | Southern Africa | 3,230 lbf | 223% | Wood Database ↗ |
| African BlackwoodDalbergia melanoxylon | Central & Southern Africa | 3,670 lbf | 253% | Wood Database ↗ |
| SnakewoodBrosimum guianense | Northeastern South America | 3,800 lbf | 262% | Wood Database ↗ |
| Argentine Lignum VitaePlectrocarpa sarmientoi | Gran Chaco, South America | 3,870 lbf | 267% | Wood Database ↗ |
| Genuine Lignum VitaeGuaiacum spp. | Central America & northern South America | 4,390 lbf | 303% | Wood Database ↗ |
The table is educational. Values are published species references, not measurements taken from individual Exotica Woods pieces. Trade and conservation rules are species- and origin-specific and must be checked separately when relevant.
How to use hardness in a real project
Do not buy a species from one number alone.
For turning
Hardness affects cutting pressure and tool wear, but grain direction, brittleness, oil content and stability can matter just as much.
For knife handles
Density and dent resistance are useful, but comfort, stability, finish, grain orientation and reliable attachment matter too.
For furniture
Janka can help predict surface dent resistance. Movement, stiffness, joinery behavior and board quality remain separate questions.
For carving
A very high Janka number can make hand carving more demanding. Softer species may be preferable for deep detail or learning.
Sources & methodology
The numbers should be checkable.
Useful even when you are not shopping
Send the guide to another wood nerd.
If someone likes turning, carving, furniture, knife making or simply learning species, this page and the Maker Project Lab are designed to be shared.
From knowledge to project
Now see what the wood can become.
Pens, bowls, knife handles, small furniture, epoxy, carving, marquetry and more — with suggested tools and wood traits for every path.
Looking for something specific?
The website is only part of the physical inventory.
Tell me the species, dimensions, quantity or project. If suitable material is already in the workshop, it can be checked, photographed and measured.