Gradient
Eight strips sweeping maple to ash to cherry to walnut — light to dark across the board.
Strip layout to scale, left edge to right edge — heartwood tones from the species data the 3D preview uses.
| Finished size | 12″ × 18″ × 1 1/2″ thick |
|---|---|
| Construction | Edge grain (one glue-up) |
| Strips | 8 |
| Species | Maple, hard (sugar), Ash, white, Cherry, black, Walnut, black |
| Difficulty | beginner |
| Est. lumber to buy | ≈ 3.3 board feet (incl. 15% waste) |
Opens this exact layout in the free designer — live 3D preview, printable cut list, and lumber cost at your prices. Edit anything.
About this pattern
A gradient board sweeps from light to dark across its width — here hard maple into white ash into cherry into black walnut, two 1 1/2″ strips of each. The effect depends entirely on tonal ordering, so lay the strips out dry and squint: each step should read darker than the last, with no light board breaking the sweep. Ash and maple sit close in tone; if your ash stock runs dark, pick lighter boards for it at the yard, or the first step of the gradient disappears.
This is an edge-grain glue-up with equal-width strips — a beginner-friendly build with a single rip setting and one glue-up. Alternate the growth-ring direction of adjacent strips so seasonal movement cancels instead of cupping the panel. Finish with an oil rather than leaving it raw: mineral oil deepens the cherry and walnut several shades and makes the gradient read far more dramatically than bare, sanded wood does.