If you’ve never worked with high grade hardwood, you’ll be in for a treat. Unlike most soft woods which rip and tear when cut due to their fibrous and coarse structure, hardwood cuts cleanly and easily, resulting in much sharper corners, edges and slicker surfaces. The joints are tighter, stronger, and the entire piece of furniture is much sturdier. Hardwoods cut better because most tool geometry was designed for them. In contrast, when used with softwoods, modern power tools feel a little sloppy and leave a less than optimal finish. A whole different behavior out of the same tools depending on the type of wood being machined. Same thing with hand tools, the cuts are cleaner, sharper and more controlled in hardwoods.. If you can build something out of a softwood, and make it look good, the you’ll have no trouble with hardwood, and in most cases it will be much easier to make the piece look better. Sounds counterintuitive, but it true. Give it a try, you’ll like it.