AFRICAN MAHOGANY
Genus: Khaya
Principal lumber species: K. Ivorensis & K. Anthotheca
East Africa |
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General Characteristics: Moderate density & hardness. Polishes to a high luster. Texture even. Color medium reddish brown, darkens considerably with age.
African & American mahoganies are very closely related botanically and are similar in physical structure and appearance. African mahogany tends to be more prominently ribbon-figured.
A fine decorative wood.
AFRORMOSIA
Genus: Pericopsis
Principal lumber species: elata
West Africa |
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General Characteristics: Hard, heavy and strong, similar to teak in most technical properties, but not difficult to work and can be glued successfully employing ordinary techniques.
Afrormosia is similar to teak in color, texture and graining. A first class cabinet and furniture wood, it is not well known in the United States, but admired by all those who know it. Some of the “teak” furniture imported from Scandinavian countries is actually Afrormosia.
ALDER
Genus: Alnus
Principal lumber species: rubra
Other Common Names: Red Alder, Western Alder |
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Alder is one of the most common of the Pacific Coast commercial timbers. It is the only broadleaf tree with cones. Alder grows best in moist conditions at lower elevations throughout its range. The greatest volume occurs around Washington’s Puget Sound and in Northwest Oregon, where trees may reach heights of 120’ and diameters of 36”.
It's hardness and density is comparable to Appalachian soft maple with a fine-grain similar to cherry, birch and maple. Alder is a good utility furniture wood. This hardwood is used to make cabinets, fine furniture, furniture frames, pallets, plywood, veneer, specialty items and paper products. It is also considered a good turnery wood.
AVODIRE
Genus: Turraeanthus
Principal lumber species: Africana
The Ivory Coast |
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General Characteristics: Next to Satinwood, Avodire is credited as being the most beautiful of all blonde woods. Even the less decorative boards offer the attractive graining typical of fine tropical woods. Sands, glues and finishes easily.
This extraordinarily beautiful blonde furniture wood is found in limited quantities in the Ivory Coast area of West Africa. Color is very pale, varying from off-white to a creamy golden shade. Often highly mottle figured. Most logs today are used for veneers.
BUBINGA
Genus: Guibourtia
Principal lumber species: tessmannii
Cameroon, West Africa |
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General Characteristics: Hard and heavy with some of the characteristics of rosewood, to which it is said to be distantly related.
A fine cabinet wood closely related to benge (G. arnoldiana), another rare and beautiful wood and Shedua or Amazakoue (G. Ehie) from Africa’s Ivory Coast.
Over-all color, after some exposure, is a deep, opulent-looking red, sometimes displaying fine, evenly spaced lines of darker hue.
MORADILLO
Genus: Machaerium.
Species: acutifolium.
Other common names:
Bolivian Rosewood
Santos Rosewood
Morado |
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General Characteristics: Texture is fine to coarse with straight to irregular grain. Heartwood is brown to a dark violet-brown and is often streaked.
This beautiful rosewood look-alike is found throughout tropical American but is most abundant in Bolivia. Used for veneers, fine furniture and turnery. Has the scent and working properties of walnut. Takes a high polish.
PADAUK
Genus: Pterocarpus
Principal lumber species: soyauxii (African)
Central & Tropical West Africa |
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General Characteristics: Generally coarse texture with interlocking grain. Rosy to crimson red in color with contrasting streaks; the variety from Africa is almost entirely red.
Padauk (pronounced Pa duke) is commonly known as vermillion. It is one of the truly beautiful woods of the world.
SHEDUA
Genus: Guibourtia
Principal lumber species: ehie
Other Common Names: Amazakoue, Mozambique, Ovangkol
The Ivory Coast |
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General characteristics: Yellow-brown to dark brown heartwood with dark gray to black stripes. An attractive walnut-like figure and straight grain.
From the Ivory Coast, this member of the Bubinga family is a beautiful cabinet wood.
NORTH AMERICAN WALNUT
Genus: Juglans
Principal lumber species: nigra |
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General Characteristics: Moderately dense and hard. Strong in camparison to weight. Excellent machining properties. Superb finishing qualities. Texture fine and even. Polishes to high luster. Heartwood variegated dark, chocolate brown, sometimes with a purplish cast. Sapwood nearly white.
Walnut is the most valuable furniture and cabinet timber of the United States. It is scattered and in small groves over the entire United States east of the Great Plains, with the best growing in the Middle-West, the Mississippi and Ohio valleys, Tennessee and the lower Appalachian mountains.
Walnut is widely admired and there are few American homes which do not possess at least one article made of it. One of our best carving woods, and few woods respond more agreeably to both hand and machine tools. Durable, with a very high degree of dimensional stability.
Walnut is principally used in fine furniture, fixtures and cabinets, gun stocks, interior trim, radio and television cabinets, musical instrument cases and the like. Much is made into veneers for walnut faced plywood.
Walnut crotches and stumps close to the roots produce valuable, highly figured stock. Crotch and stump walnut is never seen as solid wood, but always in veneered panels. This is true also of burl walnut.
WENGE
Genus: Millettia
Principal lumber species: M. laurentii (Wenge)
M. stahlmanii (Panga Panga)
Zaire, Cameroon & Gabon |
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General Characteristics: Hard, dimensionally stable and durable. Machines, carves and finishes very satisfactorily. Heartwood is chocolate to almost black in color. Close inspection shows the wood is actually comprised of alternate layers of distinctive dark and light-colored tissue.
This species grows in many tropical countries but the only important lumber producing trees are found in Africa. Wenge is a product of West Africa (Zaire, Cameroon and Gabon).
Well known locally as a carving wood, and long prized on the continent as a cabinet wood. Wenge is used for fine furniture, interior and exterior joinery, paneling and turning. Regarded as a premier flooring wood as well.
