Staghorn Sumac Bottlestopper

1.75 x 1.75 x 3

Staghorn Sumac is a unique and often overlooked North American turning wood prized for its distinctive yellow, olive-green, and russet-brown coloration, lightweight feel, fine texture, and attractive natural luster. Unlike many traditional hardwoods, Staghorn Sumac can display striking greenish-yellow heartwood with darker streaking, making it an especially interesting choice for small turning projects, pens, knife handles, decorative pieces, carvings, and other specialty woodworking projects.

The wood comes from a native North American shrub or small tree that typically grows in open fields, forest edges, roadsides, and other disturbed areas. Staghorn Sumac is recognizable by the reddish-brown, velvety hairs covering its young branches—resembling the velvet on a stag's antlers and giving the species its name.

For woodturners, Staghorn Sumac offers an unusual combination of light weight, vibrant natural color, fine texture, and high visual character. It is relatively soft compared with most commercial hardwoods, making it easy to shape with sharp tools. Because the wood can be somewhat brittle and prone to fraying, sharp turning tools and controlled cuts are recommended.

Botanical Information

Botanical Name: Rhus typhina L.

Family: Anacardiaceae

Genus: Rhus

Common Name: Staghorn Sumac

Common & Trade Names

Staghorn Sumac

Staghorn Sumach

Sumac

Hairy Sumac

Velvet Sumac

American Sumac

Virginia Sumac

Rhus hirta is an older name that may still appear in some references. Current botanical references recognize Rhus typhina as the species name.

Origin & Distribution

Staghorn Sumac is native to the eastern and central portions of North America. It commonly grows along forest edges, abandoned fields, roadsides, fence rows, railroad rights-of-way, and other open or disturbed areas. It is generally a fast-growing, relatively short-lived shrub or small tree and often spreads by root suckers, forming colonies.

Color & Appearance

One of the most distinctive characteristics of Staghorn Sumac is its unusual heartwood color.

Heartwood: Yellow, olive-green, greenish-yellow, and sometimes russet-brown with darker streaking.

Sapwood: Grayish-white to pale-colored and can contain yellow or green streaking.

The wood can have a naturally attractive luster and may develop an exceptionally interesting appearance when sanded and finished. Some Sumac wood can also fluoresce under ultraviolet light, adding another unusual characteristic for woodworkers and collectors.

Grain & Texture

Staghorn Sumac generally has a straight to interlocked grain with a fine to medium texture. The wood is ring-porous to semi-ring-porous, with visible growth-ring structure and a naturally smooth appearance when properly sanded.

The combination of unusual color, fine texture, and natural luster makes Staghorn Sumac particularly attractive for small specialty projects where the wood's character can be showcased.

Wood Characteristics

Approximate dried weight: 33 lbs/ft³ (530 kg/m³)

Specific gravity: Approximately 0.45 basic / 0.53 at 12% MC

Janka hardness: Approximately 680 lbf (3,030 N)

Staghorn Sumac is considered a lightweight, relatively soft wood compared with many commonly used hardwoods. Its lower density makes it easy to shape and comfortable to work with on smaller turning projects.

Stability

Sumac is reported to air-dry relatively easily without significant cracking or checking. As with any natural wood blank, proper drying and storage are important, particularly with smaller branches and irregularly shaped material.

Workability & Woodturning

Staghorn Sumac is generally easy to work with sharp woodworking and turning tools. Its relatively low hardness allows it to cut easily, but the wood can be somewhat brittle and prone to fraying or tearing, particularly when turning across difficult grain.

For the best results:

Use sharp turning tools.

Take lighter finishing cuts.

Support delicate areas when possible.

Sand progressively through the grits.

Consider stabilizing softer or more fragile blanks when appropriate.

A quality finish can bring out the wood's natural luster and unusual coloration.

Because of its unique colors and relatively small size, Staghorn Sumac is especially well suited to small turning projects rather than large structural applications.

Ideal Uses

Staghorn Sumac is an excellent specialty wood for:

Pen blanks

Custom pens

Woodturning

Knife handles

Knife scales

Bottle stoppers

Duck calls

Game calls

Small decorative turnings

Carvings

Jewelry and small craft projects

Collectible wood projects

Small boxes and containers

Specialty woodworking

Art and display pieces

Its unusual green, yellow, and brown coloration makes it especially attractive for one-of-a-kind pen blanks and small turned projects.

Health & Safety

Important: Staghorn Sumac should not be confused with Poison Sumac. Staghorn Sumac is a different species, Rhus typhina, and is not the same plant as Poison Sumac.

However, caution is still recommended when working with fresh Staghorn Sumac. Wood-identification information from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources notes that the fresh sap and wood of Sumac can cause dermatitis.

When cutting, turning, or sanding Staghorn Sumac:

Wear eye protection.

Use effective dust collection.

Avoid breathing airborne wood dust.

Wear appropriate respiratory protection when needed.

Wear gloves when handling freshly cut material if you are sensitive to plant saps.

Wash exposed skin after working with fresh material.

Avoid burning unknown Sumac material.

Do not confuse Staghorn Sumac with Poison Sumac. Poison Sumac is a different plant and is associated with urushiol, the same allergenic oil responsible for reactions from poison ivy and poison oak.

CITES / Conservation

Staghorn Sumac (Rhus typhina) is a common native North American species and is not generally treated as a CITES-regulated commercial timber species.

Why Choose Staghorn Sumac?

If you're looking for something different from the usual domestic hardwoods, Staghorn Sumac is an excellent specialty choice. Its unusual olive-green to yellow heartwood, darker streaking, lightweight characteristics, fine texture, and natural luster make it a fascinating wood for pen turning and other small-scale projects.

Every piece can display its own combination of color and grain, making Staghorn Sumac a great choice for woodworkers who want something genuinely different.

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