stefkat wrote:Wand HelpHere are some popular woods, if you need help with your wand:
Alder – Alder is extremely rare, as many wandmakers will refuse to take wood from an alder. The ‘bleeding’, turning from white to red, is considered to be inauspicious. The few wands made of alder are often those with strongly opposing cores (such as doxy wings and phoenix feather), as the wood imposes balance.
Ash – Ash is slightly associated with the Dark Arts, as the ash tree is said to ‘strangle’ the plants around it. It does excel at Dark magic, but is also good for Transfiguration. They also tend to bond to good Diviners.
Beech – beech is a strong, neutral wood that has no particular strengths or weaknesses, with the exception of one small quirk- it tends to function less effectively underwater.
Birch – although it has a reputation for weakness, in actuality birch is one of the finest Light wandwoods in existence. It is associated with both driving out evil spirits (and thus will produce a strong Patronus) and with healing magic.
Cedar – Cedar is a rather docile wandwood with particular skill in protective spells. Cedar wand wielders often become potent Occlumens.
Cherry – A “happy”, willing wandwood, which will give consistent results at all magic save the Dark Arts. Cherry with phoenix feather is a particularly agreeable combination for a Light wizard without particularly prodigious magical talents.
Chestnut – Chestnut is quite good at Transfiguration, although it tends to sputter at Charms and DADA.
Dogwood - Dogwood is extremely hard and strong, and the wands made from it will have this resilience. It was once used for making daggers, and hence has a slight violent streak.
Elder – although it is rumored that the most powerful wand in existence was made of elder, it is not a particularly common wandwood, if only because when elder wands backfire, they often kills the wandmaker or wielder.
Fir – Fir is not a common wandwood because of its undesirable physical properties, but is occasionally seen in outdoorsy wands.
Hazel – Hazel is quiet and versatile, giving subtle boosts to Charms and Transfiguration. It is another wand that denotes skill in Divination.
Hemlock – Hemlock is a ‘quick’ wandwood and allows for fast reactions, and makes an excellent potion stirrer besides.
Holly - the archetypal Light wandwood, Holly is renowned for its ability to repel dark spirits and demons. It may reduce your power in hexes, but the boost you get to DADA may just balance it out.
Mahogany – Mahogany is a good all-around wood, not particularly powerful in any one situation, but a good solid overall wood.
Maple – Maple is a good, sturdy wood, and a bit more magical than oak. It’s rather versatile.
Oak – Oak is a strong, reliable wandwood that helps with DADA and Transfiguration. However, its sturdiness means that it may take longer to learn new spells.
Pine – A quiet wood, not powerful, not weak. It is a softwood, and thus has a bit more yield, making it more inclined to a quick-learning but less powerful wand. It is, however, excellent for Divination.
Poplar – Although poplar is a light wood, it is sometimes found in the wands of Dark Wizards, who find its properties of being extremely similar to human bone desirable.
Redwood – This wood excels at all wand-based magic, but it rarely bonds to witches and wizards who do well in the non-wand-based arts. Don’t expect this one to make a good potion stirrer!
Reed – Reed is always delicate, and a difficult wand to work with. However, its wisdom and intelligence make it sought-after by some. It is almost solely a Ravenclaw wandwood.
Rowan – Rowan gives a definite boost to Charms and Transfiguration, but is one of the most willing and reliable all-around wandwoods. It was commonly used for a bow-making wood, and carries this significance into being a good dueling wood.
Spruce – Spruce is a good, reliable, standard wandwood. You can’t go wrong with it.
Sycamore – A relatively new wandwood, many of sycamore’s properties are as yet unknown. However, it excels at divining, and would help with Divination, Arithmancy, and Ancient Runes.
Vinewood – Vinewood is flexible, which one might think would denote a yielding wood. However, it tends to be extremely erratic, and it is a strong wizard or witch who overcomes the insecurities the wood holds to become successful with it.
Walnut – A beautiful, strong, and versatile wood. Unlike black walnut, it has no slant towards Light or Dark.
Willow – Willow is known as “the tree of enchantment”, and is hence quite favored for Charms. It also enhances healing magic, and is overall a willing, feminine wandwood.
Yew – Yew is a powerful wandwood. Due to its poisonous sap, it has Dark leanings, and is particularly good at Transfiguration.
Here are some cores:Common:
Dragon heartstring(s)
Dragon heartstring is a powerful wand with a lot of magical “heft”. It is not the core you want for subtlety, but for sheer power it is definitely the best. Although it is the most common core among Dark Wizards, Dark Wizards are most certainly not their most common users. Dragon heartstrings are by far the most common wand core amongst Slytherins, but their power often bonds to Gryffindors and Ravenclaws as well. However, they tend to overwhelm the archetypal Hufflepuff personality.
Phoenix tail feather(s)
Phoenix tail feather is a popular wand core due to its versatility and power. Its main strength lies in Defense Against the Dark Arts, although its adaptability can wrench it to hexes and jinxes if need be. As with the dragon heartstring core, the phoenix core is common amongst Light Wizards, but its users are not necessarily Light Wizards. This core may specifically impede Dark spells, so it is not common amongst Slytherins. However, it is by far the most common Gryffindor wand core, and is not unusual amongst Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs.
Unicorn hair(s)
Unicorn hair is a more subtle wand, but it is quite compatible with Charms and Transfiguration. It is also hands-down the best core for healing, as it picks up some of the healing capabilities of unicorn blood. Unicorn hair has a reputation of picking gentler or more cerebral users, so it is common amongst Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws. More laid-back Gryffindors and subtler Slytherins may find themselves with a Unicorn hair wand.
Occasionally a wand will be made with more than one of a particular core, or with a combination of two cores.
Length:
Between 7 and 15 inches. Length is mostly a matter of preference, although you will rarely see a 7-inch wand bond to someone who will grow to a large stature.
Flexibility:
The flexibility of a wand is generally a measurement of its willingness to work for its chosen Witch or Wizard. A witch with a whippy wand might learn spells faster than a wizard with a rigid wand, but the wizard with a rigid wand will have more spell strength once he finally masters it. Rigid and inflexible wands are the hardest to master, but dependent on their core and wood, can be the most powerful. There is also an element of material inherent- it is rare to find a whippy mahogany wand or a stiff reed wand.
The scale, from speed to strength:
whippy < easiest to learn and cast, least powerful
swishy
flexible
springy
sturdy
inflexible
rigid < hardest to learn and cast, most powerful
All info was found at/For more woods and Cores go to:
http://wizardingrealm.net/index.php?showtopic=7791 
