For over 15 years, C. P. Johnson has been one of the leading suppliers of tiger (curly) maple lumber in the country, servicing furniture makers throughout New England & the Mid-Atlantic.  The curly soft maple we provide is 100% red maple, with none of the inferior silver maple common in the midwest.  Sourcing this specie primarily from the Northern Appalachian region, we have personally (and literally) handled  hundreds of thousands of board feet of curly wood over the years, making us uniquely qualified in the area of figured maple lumber.

 We can provide wholesale quantities of architectural grade curly for flooring or panelling as well as orders customized to furniture or kitchen cabinetmaker’s  specific requirements.  We stock a variety of lengths and thicknesses of 4/4,  5/4,  6/4, 8/4, 10/4,  12/4  & 16/4.  A good selection of matched log sets are usually available in 4/4.

Yellow poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera) is one of the largest and most common trees in the woods east of the Mississippi.  It sees extensive  commercial use in this country and is widely exported around the world.  When quartersawn, importantly, it becomes extremely stable, making it ideal for certain millwork and furniture applications.    This premium material  is great in applications benefitting from  increased stability   ( painted cabinetry, interior passage doors, etc…) or just when you want the best!  We have this superb timber in 4/4, 5/4, 6/4, 7/4  & 8/4.

Black walnut  (Juglans nigra) is a beautiful wood, considered America’s premier furniture timber since Colonial days.  Its currently enjoying a wave of renewed popularity, not just in the U.S. but all over the world;  and therein lies the problem.  There just are not enough trees to supply the world-wide demand for walnut lumber, veneer & sawlogs.  This strong demand, & the nature of the timber resource,  translates into lower -quality  lumber than is seen in other,  more plentiful species.   In fact, walnut (along with its cousin butternut),  has its own unique grading rules that allow more defects than those  governing other species.  Customers often tell us that  – because of the waste factor – they purchase twice as much lumber as they normally would when doing a project in walnut.   Not so with walnut from C P Johnson:  Our  lumber is graded according to standard NHLA red oak rules, with minimal sapwood allowed.

We go to great lengths to source a superior grade of this wonderful furniture wood.  Our unsteamed lumber is not only prettier, but more cost-effective when compared with the typical commodity FAS walnut sold by our competitors.   Our lumber will have:

– Fewer defects

– Less sapwood

– More usable wood

Like most things in life, good cherry lumber is where you find it, and I’ve seen nice cherry boards from a number of different states. The best, however, comes from Pennsylvania, & more specifically the North/Central part of the state.  Industry insiders like to say  from the region north of I-80 with an 814 telephone area code.  Trees from this area grow more slowly, yielding lumber with  a finer texture, minimal black gum streaks, & with a beautiful, intangible quality to the grain.  In short, it’s just prettier.  Of course, this is where most of our cherry is procured.  We proudly offer this premium material in 4/4 thru 16/4 with wide boards, matched sets and figured boards in stock.