Naturally Maroon Wood

[Mitchell Ristine]

Any ideas on the most naturally maroon wood?

[Ted Calver]

Purpleheart comes to mind, but over time it probably will fade to brown. Finding a stable maroon might be a problem.
https://www.wood-database.com/purpleheart/

[John K Jordan]

...fade to brown. Finding a stable maroon might be a problem.

Natural is nice. Long lasting color might be nicer. Interesting reading: https://www.wood-database.com/wood-articles/preventing-color-changes-in-exotic-woods/ The bottom line, use dye.

JKJ

[Mel Fulks]

I've seen some old hoarded mahogany that was maroon on the out side and all the way through. The Swetenia mahogany is often brown all through it. Not sure which type I was seeing.

[Mitchell Ristine]

The bottom line, use dye.

Cannot. For a cutting board.

[Yonak Hawkins]

Maybe eastern red cedar ?

[John K Jordan]

Maybe eastern red cedar ?

Much of the ERC I saw is a brilliant color but looses it quickly. Prob too soft for a cutting board as well.

JKJ

[James Dudley]

The right cut of Sapele or Bubinga can keep a lot of reddish color, though I'm not sure I'd call it "maroon" necessarily. But definitely towards red on the color spectrum, not brown. Some Sapele is a bit more brown, but I've used pieces that stayed quite red.

[Greg Parrish]

I’ve got some very deep colored bubinga that takes on a brownish maroon color when mineral oil applied. Hard to see it in pictures but in good light it has a red undertone still. For comparison that is bubinga, cherry and walnut mixed.

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You can can get a sense of how red it started here. Third from right next to the walnut.
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[joe milana]

Go with the purple heart & tell them to enjoy it while they can. I just saw a 5 y/o cutting board that still looked kinda purpley. I bet a sanding would freshen it up. By the time it goes brown, they'll be over it.

[Earl McLain]

How about bloodwood? I've worked only a few pieces but with boiled linseed oil it was a deep maroon. Makore also comes to mind, but is a little too orange. Now...I have some small chunks of pre-1970 rosewood that finish to a very deep maroon, but i'd sure hate to scar them up with a knife--far too beautiful for that purpose in my mind.
earl

[Bill Dufour]

Redwood?
Bill D.

[Tom Trees]

Some examples of reclaimed meranti I have, the likes of bed headboards have a maroon colour to them.
This is a stain but it takes it well, they must have had a very common stain back in the day because I've seen a good few different items the same.
Unfortunately, I'm unsure if it takes about 40 years to achieve?
My guess is... it is this colour from the get-go, but I have absolutely no knowledge about finishing whatsoever.

I don't know if I have planed the finish off these boards, If I have any stuff I will post a piccy in a few hours.
Tom

Tom

Sorry missed that its for a cutting board :o

[Jamie Buxton]

Redwood is very soft. It would not work for a cutting board.

[Wade Lippman]

Brown red oak. I've only seen it once, so good luck finding it, but it is maroon and stable. I used it for my first son's college diploma.

[Wayne Lomman]

Jarrah, New South Wales blue gum, river red gum, Red mahogany, brush box, Tasmanian myrtle, and a whole range of Eastern Australian hardwoods collectively sold as Forest Red. The colours are often call red but that is just the general average. These are mostly eucalypt species although the myrtle is actually Antarctic Beech and the colour varies depending on which end of Tasmania it was sourced from. All are hard, tough, heavy and last forever as cutting boards. Expect to use carbide machine tooling as HSS will dull in an incredibly short space of time. Cheers

[Jim Finn]

Bubinga is what I would opt for.

[Bill Dufour]

Jarrah, New South Wales blue gum, river red gum, Red mahogany, brush box, Tasmanian myrtle, and a whole range of Eastern Australian hardwoods collectively sold as Forest Red. The colours are often call red but that is just the general average. These are mostly eucalypt species although the myrtle is actually Antarctic Beech and the colour varies depending on which end of Tasmania it was sourced from. All are hard, tough, heavy and last forever as cutting boards. Expect to use carbide machine tooling as HSS will dull in an incredibly short space of time. Cheers
That red wood color must be different from the blue gum and red gum trees we have in California. They have just a light colored wood I suppose the red gum has a slight pink tint to it. about 90% of the ecalypts introduced to California are blue gum which has gone native here. red gum is used for street trees I have not seen it in the wild at all.
Bill D.

video of first blue gum in California. tallest hardwood trees in the USA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwV_nlNoO2c

[John K Jordan]

Bubinga is what I would opt for.

Yes, some Bubinga might be just the ticket. Some has more color than others. I like the color of this handle I made from Bubinga, although it's not as "maroon" as some others I've seen although the color in person is more red than the photo shows. (Much of it is more towards brown.)

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Don't know if anyone mentioned it in this thread, but Red Heart and some pieces of Bloodwood may have the desired color. Remember that the color of almost any species can vary widely. Look at some of the photos on http://hobbithouseinc.com/personal/woodpics/

JKJ

[Prashun Patel]

Two choices IMHO:

Sapelle or Cherry.

Cherry will take time to get maroon (more of a rust).

[Wayne Lomman]

Red gum should be a deep rich red that turns maroon with exposure to light. However, plantation grown timber will not look like this. The blue gum you have is Tasmanian blue gum which is light brown. NSW blue gum is entirely different as it is rich red to maroon in colour. You would need to purchase any of the species I listed from an importer to get decent timber. I can buy any US species if I so choose. I would assume you can do the same with Australian species? Cheers

[Bill Dufour]

Red gum should be a deep rich red that turns maroon with exposure to light. However, plantation grown timber will not look like this. The blue gum you have is Tasmanian blue gum which is light brown. NSW blue gum is entirely different as it is rich red to maroon in colour. You would need to purchase any of the species I listed from an importer to get decent timber. I can buy any US species if I so choose. I would assume you can do the same with Australian species? Cheers
I heard that the idea of planting eucalyptus in California was that it would be furniture wood. But they got the wrong kind and all it is good for is firewood. It splits and twists on the stump, more so when cut.
Bill D.

[Bill Orbine]

Somebody said bloodwood. That was my first thought.

[Dan Hahr]

What about padauk?
Dan

[Wayne Lomman]

And you have inherited the bush fires that go with eucalypt forest...

[Ben Zara]

Bubinga probably your best bet. Just hunt for a lighter colored piece.

[Jim Tobias]

Padauk(after being finished with oil finish) will turn a dark, deep reddish(Maroon) color with exposure to sunlight.

Jim