Name/Origin of
Exotic Wood |
Photo(s) Click to enlarge
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Additional Details |
African Blackwood
Dalbergia melanoxylon
South Africa
More Info |
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- Shades of deep brown to
black
- Hard &dense
- Turning, carving, musical
instruments, handles, inlay
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Average Specific Gravity: 1.2
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Afzelia Burl
Afzelia africana
Southern Africa, South East Asia |
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- Orange-ish to Reddish brown
- Hard & Dense
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Interlocked Grain
- Turns & Finishes Well
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Specific Gravity: .60 - .80
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Amboyna Burl
Pterocarpus
indicus Myanmar, Laos
More Info |
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- Golden yellow to deep red
- Turning, carving, furniture, pool-cue butts, musical instruments, handles
- Average Specific Gravity: 0.66
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Curly/fiddlebacked
grain pattern
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Creamy
white to light tan
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Hard & dense
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Turning, carving, furniture,
floors
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Average Specific Gravity: 0.51
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Australian Brown Mallee Burl
Eucalyptus spp.
Australia |
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Turning. finishes well
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Hard and dense
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Often with natural edge
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Average Specific Gravity: 0.68
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Australian Myrtle
Nothofagus cunninghamii
Australia and Tasmania |
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Turning,
carving, cabinets, furniture, flooring
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Hard & dense
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polishes nicely
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Average Specific Gravity: 0.58
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Birdseye Maple
Acer saccharum
U.S. and Canada
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Consists of small "eyes"
in figure
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Hard & dense
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Turning, carving, musical
instruments, fine furniture
- Average Specific Gravity: 0.52
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Gabon
Black Ebony
Indian
Black Ebony
Diospyros
crassiflora,
Diospyros ebenum Gabon
and India
More Info |
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Very hard & dense
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Turning, carving, inlay,
musical instruments, handles
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Average Specific Gravity: 1.03
(Gabon), 0.84
(Indian)
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Black
Palm
Borassus
flabellifer
Myanmar
More Info |
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Multicolored/streaky
grain/figure
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Hard & dense
- Difficult to work
- Turning, inlay, utensil
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Average Specific Gravity: 0.68
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Black-and-White Ebony
Diospyros embryopteris
Myanmar, Laos |
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Distinct black/white streaks
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Rare species
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Hard & dense
- Turning, inlay
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Bocote
Cordia elaeagnoides
Mexico
More Info |
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Multicolored
wavy stripes/figure
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Hard & dense
- Turnery, boxes, furniture,
decking
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Average Specific Gravity: 0.85
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Bolivian Rosewood
Machaerium
scleroxylon
Bolivia |
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- Also known as Pau Ferro
- Light to
medium brown or purple grain
- Turning, carving, handles
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Average Specific Gravity: 0.85
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Brown
Ebony
Caesalpinia paraguariensis
Argentina |
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- Hard & dense
- Turning, carving, handles
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Average Specific Gravity: 1.19
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Bubinga
Guibourtia spp.
Cameroon, Gabon
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- Light
reddish-brown
- Turnery, carving, fine
furniture, handles, musical instruments
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Average Specific Gravity: 0.88
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Colored Buckeye Burl
Aeculus octandra
United States |
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- For experienced wood turners
- May contain embedded debris
- Sun baked in metal
containers to produce Blackened/spalted colors
- Average Specific Gravity: 0.47
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Burmese Blackwood
Dalbergia
cultrata
Myanmar, Laos,
Thailand |
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- Brown to black
- Turning, carving
- Polishes nicely
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Average Specific Gravity: 0.76
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Burmese Rosewood
Dalbergia
oliveri
Myanmar |
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- Burgundy to light brown
- Hard and dense
- Turning, carving,
furniture, instruments, cabinets, handles
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Average Specific Gravity: 0.78
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Canarywood
Centrolobium spp.
Brazil |
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- Yellow and
orange/red streaks
- Hard & strong
- Turning, furniture,
cabinets
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Average Specific Gravity: 0.65
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Caribbean Rosewood
Metopium brownei
Mexico |
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- Also known as Chechen
- Hard & dense
- Turning, handles, flooring,
furniture
- Takes lacquer finish well
- Dust can cause respiratory problems
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Average Specific Gravity: 0.63
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Cocobolo
Dalbergia retusa
Mexico
More Info |
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- Multi-colored appearance
- Contains natural
waterproofing oils
- Hard, dense & durable
- Wood oils and dust can cause skin
and lung irritation -so proper
precautions should be taken-
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Average Specific Gravity: 0.89
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Coffee Burl
coffea arabica
Indonesia
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- Yellow-White Burl
- Turns Well (Work Slowly!)
- Finishes Well
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Average Specific Gravity: .52 -
.75
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Curly Bubinga
Guibourtia spp.
Cameroon, Gabon |
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Reddish brown with lighter red to purple veins
- Finishes & works well
- Hard & durable
- Average Specific Gravity:
0.72
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Curly Maple
Acer saccharum
U.S. and Canada
More Info |
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Features a
striking pattern of wavy lines
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Turning, carving, furniture, handles, musical instruments
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Light cream to reddish tan
- Turns & finishes
well
- Average Specific Gravity:
0.72
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East Indian Rosewood
Dalbergia latifolia
India
More Info |
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Hard & dense tonewood
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dark rose/brown with purplish-black
- Turning, carving,
furniture, instruments
- Hard, heavy, dense, and
strong
- Average Specific Gravity:
0.85
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Granadillo
Platymiscium yucatanum
Mexico |
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- Heavy, hard, dense, and
durable
- Work, turns & finishes well
- Turning, furniture,
cabinetry,
- Average Specific Gravity:
0.79
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Hawaiian Koa
Acacia koa
U.S. (Hawaii) |
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- Turning, instruments,
handles, gunstocks, furniture
- Strong & durable
- Works & finishes well
- Average Specific Gravity:
0.67
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Honduran Rosewood
Dalbergia stevensonii
Belize |
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- Dense and durable
- Turning, instruments,
handles, furniture
- Turns and finishes well
- Average Specific Gravity:
0.96
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Honey
Mesquite
Prosopis alba
Argentina |
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Hard & dense
- Turning, handles, furniture
- Average Specific Gravity:
0.76
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Katalox
Swartzia cubensis
Mexico |
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Medium to dark reddish brown
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Hard & dense
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Turning, carving, handles,
cabinets
- Average Specific Gravity:
0.92
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Kingwood
Dalbergia cearensis
Brazil |
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Two tone grain
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Hard & dense
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Turning, carving, furniture,
cabinets, handles, inlay
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Dust may cause allergic
reactions
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Average Specific Gravity: 1.20
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Leopardwood
Panopsis rubellens
Brazil |
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Lace wood ace-like figure
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Fairly course texture
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Medium hard
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Works & finishes well
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Lignum Vitae
Bulnesia sarmientoi
Argentina
More Info |
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Hard & dense wood
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Works & polishes well
due to its natural oils
- Average Specific Gravity:
1.10
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Louro Preto
Nectandra mollis
Brazil |
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Two-tone contrasting grain
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Hard & durable
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Works & finishes well
- Average Specific Gravity:
0.70
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Page 2 (M-Z) |