The Apple tree (Malus domestica) is known to everybody for its fruits as well for its ancient symbolic value: an apple was the reason for mankinds expulsion from Paradise. Wild apple trees grow nearly all over the northern hemisphere with moderate climate, and mankind has cultivated innumerable species of these trees for their delicious fruits. The wood of apple trees is really hard and dense, it is very close-grained with a very fine, uniform texture, closely resembling cherry or pear wood. Apple trees have beautifully coloured wood, the sapwood being pale creamy contrasting against light reddish, greyish brown up to deep red or brown heartwood. This wood is often attractively streaked with darker and lighter bands of colour, sometimes even resembling olive wood. Due to its high density and toughness it was used for a lot of technical applications as gear and cog wheels, threaded spindles, weaving shuttles and other machine parts. Because of its quite attractive appearance it is used today for furniture, turned items and musical instruments. Apple wood is quite seldom commercially available in lumber form, if at all obtainable only in very small sizes - most of the apple logs are burnt for firewood when due to decay trees do not yield fruits any more.