What Wood Smells the Best to You?

[Kent Reisdorph]

Which wood do you like the smell of the most? I'm pretty fond of cherry. I have some sassafras but I haven't used it enough to comment on the spicy smell.

 

[Dan Stromberg]

Definitely olivewood, hands down.

 

[Gary T Egbert]

I agree with the olive wood and safarass and I also add green apple wood

 

[Steve Mallinson]

I’m a fan of cedar.

 

[Dwight R Rutherford]

How about Camphor?

 

[hockenbery]

My favorite changes depending
Rosewood. Cherry. Camphor. Are reliably pleasant

 

[Richard Coers]

How about Camphor?

You might want to read that article in Fine Woodworking about the toxicity of camphor.

 

[Chad Holt]

Ash! I know, that's a strange answer. I think it has to do with the way your mind can assign memories with a particular smell. Turning Ash is a pleasant smell that triggers pleasant memories.

 

[Marc Banka]

I enjoy White Oak for the spice.

 

[John Hicks]

Chocolate

 

[robo hippy]

I have yet to get my hands on some cacao wood..... I do like the smell of cherry. Myrtle/california bay laurel can have a sweet spicy smell. Good fresh maple smells kind of yeasty. Sassafras can be overpowering, but the smell goes away quickly. Turned some butternut once and it smelled like vinegar. Kind of like cookies, I don't really have a favorite, except for fresh out of the oven....

robo hippy

 

[Kevin Jesequel]

I have to agree with Robo. A couple more that I like are lignum vitae - smells sweet and peppery and chestnut - smells like sweet and sour sauce.

 

[Jim McLain]

I too like camphor but my favorite is Alligator Juniper.

 

[Aaron Harris]

Eastern red cedar and green cherry here. Sweetgum has a pleasant astringent smell too. For the exotics, rosewood.

 

[Tim Connell]

Fresh cut honey locust. Pleasant spicy smell that reminds me of mulling spices.

 

[Asher Langton]

I made a small bowl out of a block of mesquite a while back and it smelled like BBQ.

 

[Gabriel Hoff]

Masur Birch definitely...

 

[Wayne Anderson]

Cherry ! Has a sweet smell to me.

 

[Earl McLain]

Lots of good ones mentioned, but i am in love with...Thuya Burl. Musky, sweet, middle Eastern exotic. Conjures images of Arabian nights and feasting.

 

[Adrian Wilson]

Never turned it but, but hands down Brazilian rosewood.

 

[Michael Anderson]

That's a tough one. Very fresh Black Oak has the smell of peaches. I recently turned some spalted mango that smelled a bit like...mango. Black Cherry has a very nice smell, like others have mentioned. Camphor is pleasant albeit strong, as is fatwood (very resinous Pine). I like the smell of aromatic cedar, but it gets to be a bit overpowering for me. Patagonian Rosewood is very floral and pleasant.

 

[Paul May]

White ash has a smell that reminds me of orange pekoe tea. Cherry is always pleasant and I really don't mind walnut. I think bocote smells like pickles and I like pickles. Alaskan Cedar is great for about ten minutes then it gets overwhelming.

 

[Brian Gustin]

White Ash, Cherry, Apple, Eastern Red Cedar - In that order, for me.

 

[Dan Blankenberg]

sycamore and cherry for me. Strongly dislike black walnut but do enjoy butternut.

 

[Kurt Manley]

Tamarack smells wonderful to me - I think this may be called Larch in other areas but I'm not certain on this.

 

[Kent Jaffrey]

Rosewood either Indian or Cocobolo

 

[Frank English]

Yellow and red cedar plus juniper.

 

[Don Wattenhofer]

Lilac has a smell similar to camphor when fresh cut.

 

[Darryl Fective]

I enjoy White Oak for the spice.

I haven't turned olivewood, camphor, or some of the other woods mentioned, but I love the smell of white oak. It reminds me of the brandy barrels my dad used to get at work. He was a chemist for Parke Davis (now Pfizer) and they used brandy in their cough syrups. Employees could buy the empty barrels for just a small shipping fee. One time, he lucked out and got a barrel that still had almost 10 gallons still in it.

 

[JeffSmith]

Plum - the root burl smells just like the fruit.

 

[Scott Kershaw]

Apricot and peach

 

[Emiliano Achaval]

I love the smell of fresh Koa. I associate the smell with money in the bank.

 

[Phil Hamel]

The few pieces of Etimoe that I turned had a nice musky, earthy tone. I have a couple pieces of apple that smell good too. Powered helmet stops most of the smells so hard to enjoy.

 

[Bill Boehme]

Birch -- The aroma takes me back to seventy-something years ago to a time before Tinker Toys became mere plastic imitations of the real deal.

 

[Bryan Field]

I'm a big fan of Olive wood, but, as a frequent pen turner, I find Ebonite, (OK,not a wood!), really interesting (probably not very healthy though!)

 

[David Morgan]

Birch

I'm with you. We have a lot of cherry birch and when you're turning it or chipping the branches it smells great.

 

[Karl Hansen]

I have to agree with Olive wood. I like the smell of the aromatic Cedar but it really get me sneezing.

 

[Daniel Henry]

Sycamore!

 

[Allen Howell]

Indian Rosewood followed by Camphor and then Eastern Red Cedar, before I recently turned Orange wood.

 

[Ric Williams]

Ash! I know, that's a strange answer. I think it has to do with the way your mind can assign memories with a particular smell. Turning Ash is a pleasant smell that triggers pleasant memories.

I feel the same way about walnut. I spent a lot of time in the basement with my dad, watching him make custom gun stocks. He had a way of covertly teaching me stuff by example and any useful skills I have are thanks to him. The first time I turned some walnut, I had tears in my eyes because it took me back to those days as soon as I smelled it. He died way too early and I still miss him.

I also like the smell of cherry and red oak, which is good because we have acres of woods behind us with a lot of both, so I have more than I could ever use just from harvesting downed trees. I've turned a few pieces of catalpa that has a curious aroma that reminds me of burlap, that I find pleasant.