That's a pretty broad question "various woods","characteristics", "common uses" and "which is best for a particular project" - and you want a "list"? Bruce Hoadley has a pretty fat book that has most of what you may be asking for. But there's a a lot of "characteristics" for wood - specific gravity, radial and tangential expansion / contraction percentages, compression and tension strenghths, glue-ability, hardness, bendability, grain, durability, . . .
Can you be a bit more specific about some "particular project"s youhave in mind?
charlie b