Amaranth (purpleheart)
Hard, heavy. Purple when oxidised, needs to be sealed. Fill grain with sealer before final sanding for best colour, otherwise grain shows up dull grey which kills it a little. Its also a good idea to let it stand for a month or two in its final shape to allow the color to set before finishing.

African Blackwood
Often mistaken for ebony but harder and finishes to a higher gloss. Grain size is tiny.

Bubinga
Similar to purpleheart but with less saturated colour and a slight redish streak.

Cocobolo
Hard, heavy. Rich deep burgundy red when oxidised

Ebony, Gaboon
Hard, heavy, black. Work slowly, don't overheat.

Ironwood
Similar to Lignum Vitae for density and hardness. Its other name is Olneya tesota. A favored handle material used by knifemakers for many years. Dark brown with a golden chatoyance in the better pieces. No sealer required though a light seal will retard oxidation. The best Ironwood comes from the deserts of the southern USA and Mexico.

Lignum vitae
Hardest and heaviest. Blond to brown in colour with occasional greenish oxidation. Sinks in water like a stone. Used in ship propeller shaft bearings.

Mahogany
Often overlooked as handle material but can be very rich with proper staining. Usful for matching table cutlery when the table is mahogany. Takes stain very nicely especially the redish tones. Sealer required.

Maple
Birdseye/burley/curley. Dye or stain for best colour and contrast. Ideally should be stabilised or at the very least sealed.

Padauk
Hard, heavy. Orange with chatoyant areas when properly finished. Oxidizes over time to deeper red. Stunning colour. No figure.

Amboine
Hard, heavy. Orange with chatoyant areas when properly finished. Oxidizes over time to deeper red. Good colour. Its padauk with burl, amazing stuff.

Rosewood
Nothing is quite like genuine Rosewood for color. Unfortunately the real thing is rare and hard to find. Much of what proports to be Rosewood today is really just another variety of Cocobolo. Look for the deepest richest(almost black)burgundy color you ever saw in a dense hard resinous wood and you have probably found the real Mc Coy.

Wenge
Brown with black streaks, bleach for more contrast, better sealed than sorry. Dry and somewhat splintery, light streaks are soft and dark streaks are hard. For best effect wenge should be bleached to raise the contrast.