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This South American species is closely related to the domestic Osage Orange.The lumber it yields is typically a bit cleaner with less defects.It is pretty hard and dense making it tough on tools, but it turns and finishes well.

boxmaking, cabinetry, carving, crafting, inlay, specialty items

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Ebony - Brown

Brown Ebony is not a true Ebony and it is slightly odd that this species derives its name from a genus generally known for its black coloring.¬† Like true ebonies though, Brown Ebony is very dense and hard to work.This South American species is popular for turning, musical instruments and decorative pieces.

carving, furniture, inlay, turnings

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Maple - Spalted

Spalted Maple doesn't denote a species, but can be any member of the Acer genus that has black lines and/or streaks in the lumber caused by slight decay and a fungus in the wood. With a bit of luck the prettier pieces can present with beautiful random streaks and lines.

cabinetry, carving, flooring, furniture, specialty items, turnings, veneer

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Sipo

Sipo Mahogany (commonly referred to as either just "Sipo" or "Utile") is an African wood that is considered to be the closest, aesthetically, to Genuine Mahogany (although not a true "Swietenia"). It's interlocked grains are akin to other African woods and generally produce a characteristic contrasting light-dark / two-toned sort of appearance, when quartersawn -- which can be visually stunning in the case of more chatoyant boards. The fact that the wood is considerably easier to work, with less tearout, than African Mahogany and possesses a hardness that places Sipo between it (African Mahogany) and Genuine Mahogany has seen it transcend from relative obscurity to become a quite popular and highly regarded "mahogany substitute" wood, presently.

Aesthetically, the wood is similar, also, to its African first cousin, Sapele (with both being species of the Entandrophragma genus) -- although Sipo is more pourous, and has richer color.

boatbuilding, cabinetry, carving, furniture, turnings, veneer

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Sneezewood

Ptaeroxylon Obliquum, from which Sneezewood is derived, is a deciduous evergreen tree or shrub. The lumber it yields has a heartwood which is generally comprised of light to medium golden brown hues (although the brownish hues can sometimes be dark, toward the tree's center). Grains are generally either straight or wavy, although they can be interlocked. The wood is quite dense, which makes it somewhat difficult to work, but renders excellent dimensional stability when dried.

It turns and finishes well, although gluing can be problematic, due to the natural oil content of the wood.

carving, construction, furniture, specialty items, turnings, utility lumber

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Tamboti

Tamboti is a beautiful African hardwood which is derived from the Spirostachys Africana tree -- a medium-sized, semi-deciduous to deciduous, fruit producing tree. The heartwood is brown to dark brown, with darker markings and streaks, clearly demarcated from the whitish to pale yellow sapwood. Its grains are usually straight to slightly wavy, with a fine, even texture. The wood has a beautiful banded figure and a satin-like lustre, with an oily surface. Known for its durability, dimensional stability and exceptional rot and insect resistance, Tamboti is a hard, heavy wood -- and one which remains in steady demand throughout regions of its natural range, despite its somewhat challenging working properties.

Between the tree's natural oils and latex production, resawing the wood tends to gum up saw blades. Difficulties aside, the wood turns and finishes well, and its density and pleasant aesthetics make it popular with wood carvers, as well.

boatbuilding, cabinetry, carving, construction, flooring, furniture, specialty items, turnings

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Teak - Burmese

Genuine Teak is one of the world's most well-known and coveted woods. Its heartwood is light-medium to medium brown, with a tint that can range from muted gold to a pale red. (Its color darkens as it ages.) Sapwood colors are a pale white, off-white or a pale yellowish brown. But it is the wood's great toughness, rot resistance and durability -- versus some rather bland aesthetics -- which make it so popular.

Its grains are typically straight (although sometimes wavy, or even interlocked) with a high natual oil content. This generally makes for favorable working characteristics, although the wood does possess a high silica content.

boatbuilding, carving, construction, flooring, furniture, turnings, veneer

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Teak - Zambezi

While not a true (Tectona genus) teak, Zambezi Teak shares a similar stability, durability and rot resistance. The heartwood is a reddish-brown color, with prominent, irregular black lines and flecks. The sapwood is a pale muted pink and is clearly demarcated. In contrast to its "Genuine" counterpart, Zambezi Teak is an extremely dense hardwood. Despite its generally straight or slightly interlocked, finely-textured grains, this density makes the wood very difficult to work.

The wood has a high silica content, as well -- so resawing the wood can quickly dull and gum up blades.

carving, flooring, musical Instruments, specialty items, turnings, veneer

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Walnut - African

African Walnut is derived from the Lovoa Trichilioides tree -- a monoecious, evergreen that is indigenous to Central and Southern Africa's tropical regions. Its heartwood color can vary anywhere from a golden brown to a reddish brown, often with darker streaks and/or portions. Over time, its color will darken to deeper brown tones. The sapwood is narrow, grey to beige in color, and clearly demarcated from the heartwood. Despite it not being a true walnut (of the Juglans genus), it shares many of the basic characteristics.

African Walnut's grains are typically straight or slightly interlocked -- yielding good working properties -- with a fine to medium, consistent texture and a fine natural luster. Finding figured pieces is not uncommon. It turns, glues and finishes well. The wood is considered moderately durable.

boatbuilding, cabinetry, carving, flooring, furniture, gun stocks, joinery, paneling, specialty items, turnings, veneer

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Yellowheart

Yellowheart is a neo-satine wood whose color can range from pale yellow to bright yellow to varying shades of gold. Sapwood is lighter and pale, but not always easily discerned from pale-colored heartwood. Its grains are typically straight, but can also by wavy and/or interlocked. Its typically fine (sometimes medium or in between), consistent texture takes on a luxurious look, revealing a deep natural luster, when sanded.

As far as working characteristics are concerned, Yellowheart is generally very cooperative for a fairly dense and durable wood. (Although sharp blades may be necessary with some interlocked-grain boards.) It glues and finishes very well. The wood holds its color well: slowly darkening, to a degree, as it ages, often giving it an even more striking appearance.

boatbuilding, cabinetry, carving, flooring, furniture, handles, inlay, musical Instruments, trim, turnings, veneer

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Pear - Swiss

Historically, an important domestic hardwood throughout Europe, Swiss Pear is known for its fine, straight grains and smooth, consistent texture, as well as its pink coloration (which naturally ranges from pale to light to medium). Once cut, the wood's hues intensify as it oxidizes. Swiss Pear is commonly steamed, to provide a more smooth, consistent pink color, and to relieve stress within the wood, so it dries flat.

Its easy, cooperative working properties combined with its consistent texture and color make it loved by craftsmen, carvers and turners, alike. It is highly regarded all over Europe, and considered by many to be the region's finest hardwood, boasting properties similar to rosewood.

cabinetry, carving, furniture, inlay, millwork, musical Instruments, turnings, veneer

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Pernambuco

Pernambuco is renown for its use in the making of violin bows. But after being first discovered in 1500 by Portugese explorers, the trees and its wood become highly coveted and traded throughout Europe for the red dye it produced. Considered a valuable commodity, it was the preferred red dye of luxury textile manufacturers. Its heartwood varies from a muted yellow-orange to orange to red or reddish-brown, and it slowly darkens with age. Grains are generally straight, though sometimes interlocked. Despite its great density, it has excellent working properties and, with its fine texture, finishes nicely, boasting an impressive natural luster.

carving, inlay, musical Instruments, turnings, veneer

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Purpleheart

Renowned for its vibrant purple hues, Purpleheart is not only visually striking but also one of the toughest woods in the world. Known for its exceptional stiffness and hardness, Purpleheart boasts an impressive strength-to-weight ratio, making it one of the most durable hardwoods available. Its natural water resistance, combined with its durability, has made it a popular choice for outdoor applications, such as decking and even truck bed flooring.

The wood typically features a straight or wavy grain, though some pieces may show more irregular patterns. Its texture ranges from fine to medium, and it has a natural luster that emerges beautifully when finely sanded. Purpleheart works well with sharp tools, making it suitable for turning, carving, and other detailed work. It also glues and finishes nicely, but sharp blades are essential for optimal results.

When first cut, Purpleheart has a dull brown color with faint purple tones. However, within minutes, it transitions into a range of rich purple hues, influenced by factors like species and growth environment. With continued exposure to UV rays, the color gradually darkens to a deeper brown with purple undertones. This color shift can be slowed with a finish that includes UV inhibitors, preserving the wood’s vibrant purple appearance.

Despite its generally cooperative workability, Purpleheart’s hardness and density can cause challenges if tools are dull. When resawing with a dull blade, the wood may overheat and release a black, tar-like resin that requires careful sanding to remove.

Although Purpleheart grows across a wide range in Central and South America with 23 recognized species, its popularity in recent years has led to overharvesting in some areas, putting pressure on certain populations. Conservation efforts are important to ensure the sustainable use of this remarkable wood.

boatbuilding, cabinetry, carving, decking, flooring, furniture, inlay, specialty items, turnings, veneer

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Rosewood - Madagascan

Madagascar Rosewood is a very popular wood with both acoustic and electric guitar luthiers (especially the former), as well as furniture craftsmen, despite being a wood that has been difficult to acquire in the US for the bulk of this new millennium. Depending on the specific species, heartwood colors can range anywhere from a pale yellowish-brown to orangish-red to deep burgundy to a chocolate brown, typically highlighted by bold black ink lines and secondary hues. Its straight grains and medium texture generally make for excellent working properties, despite its considerable hardness and density; its cuts, turns and finishes beautifully, with a nice natural luster.

The wood typically has a high natural oil content, which can make gluing challenging.

boatbuilding, cabinetry, carving, flooring, furniture, inlay, specialty items, trim, turnings, veneer

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Pau Marfim

Pau Marfim is a dense, fine textured, mostly straight grained hardwood which is generally a creamy white colorm but it can vary from a lemon color to a pale yellowish-brown, also. There is very little contrast between its sapwood and heartwood, although the heartwood can be decorated with darker streaks, occasionally. It is an extremely tough, durable wood, which has seen it utilized as a popular substitute for maple and birch and makes it an ideal choice for anything from flooring to tool handles.

The wood turns excellently, and it is easy to nail, crew or glue. It polishes to a smooth, fine finish, and is considered to be a very dimensionally stable wood.

cabinetry, canoes, carving, flooring, furniture, handles, oars, paneling, specialty items, turnings, veneer

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Pau Rosa

Pau Rosa is a very beautiful tropical wood. Depending on the specific region of the trees' growth, colors can vary from a medium chocolate brown to an almost Padauk-like red or orange, or even a mixture of such colors which can also include yellows and purples (also like Padauk). It is a very dense wood, with grains which are typically wavy or interlocked, and moderately course. Despite its density, it is considered relatively easy to work and turns, glues and finishes well.

Drying the wood is a slow, burdenous process. Like many woods which are comparably hard, logs and boards have a tendency to crack while drying, although Pau Rosa is considered very durable and dimensionally stable, there after.

carpentry, carving, furniture, specialty items, turnings, veneer

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Mahogany - Brazilian

Known in the US primarily as "Genuine Mahogany," Swietenia Macrophylla, its scientific name, is what most in the exotic lumber industry consider to be the true species when referring to "Mahogany." Historically, it has been a very economically important wood throughout the Latin America region. Its color can range from a pale pink to a light to medium reddish-brown, and it is renowned for its chatoyance. Grains vary; although generally straight, they can be interlocked, irregular or wavy, also. Its texture is fine and uniform, with a rich natural luster.

Lumber which originates from the wood's indigenous natural regions is considered to be significantly more durable and stable than its plantation-grown counterparts.

Once a mainstay in the cabinetry, furniture and guitar building industries, here in the US, Genuine Mahogany has become increasingly more difficult to source since its inclusion in CITES' Appendix II, in 2003. It is still imported, although a significantly high percentage are of plantation-grown origin -- which is less desirable and considered to be of inferior quality to that grown in native habitats.

While the net effect of all this has been to create a 'mahogany substitute' segment of the exotic wood import industry -- bringing woods such as Sapele and African Mahogany more into favor -- the demand for Genuine Mahogany hasn't waned.

boatbuilding, cabinetry, carving, furniture, turnings, veneer

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Maple - Hard

Maple is the only American wood species harvested primarily for its sapwood, rather than heartwood. Since the beginning of mass commercial production of the electric guitar, in the early 1950's, Hard Maple has remained a pivotal lumber in the industry. It comes in a variety of figures -- including Birdseye and Tiger Maple figurings -- and its soft pale white to pale yellow complexion is sometimes augmented by light blue, red or pinkish tints and highlights, with a marvelous luster and often a luxurious sheen.

Its excellent strength-to-weight ratio, handsome looks, easy workability and steady supply has cemented Maple as a part of both American industry and culture. Despite its ready availability, premium-grade boards always command high prices and remain in constant demand, worldwide.

cabinetry, carving, flooring, furniture, turnings, veneer

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Marblewood

Marblewood tree is known for the highly distinctive stripes, ranging in color from dark brown, to even purple or black. While the sapwood is usually bears the same distinctively pale yellow color as the heartwood, only the heartwood features the trademark striping, which makes the wood so appealing to turners. The striping is random and irregular; no two patterns are ever alike. The wood is heavy and dense, making it well suited for applications where strength and durability are key -- such as flooring and furniture.

The wood can prove difficult to work, on account of its density and sometimes interlocked graining. Marblewood is also known for its high natural resin content; proper, complete kiln drying is essential for applications which involve finishing.

cabinetry, carving, flooring, furniture, turnings, utility lumber, veneer

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Mopane Roots

Indigenous to the southern region of Africa, the Mopane tree is known for its butterfly-shaped leaves -- leaves which are initially a bright green color, later transforming into a cache of reds, oranges, and yellows, in the autumn season. The heartwood it produces is medium to darker brown in color, with a golden to reddish tint, often decorated with black streaks. It is very dense and extremely durable. It is also very resistance to infestation, which has seen it used for centuries in its native region in a variety of outdoor uses.

The wood is considered very difficult to work, as -- in addition to its great density -- its grain patterns are usually interlocked. It turns smoothly and (as would be expected) holds details very well, making it popular with turners and carvers who know of it.

We stock roots, but the details we provide are for the timber.

carving, construction, fencing, flooring, furniture, turnings, utility lumber

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Olive - Wild

For millenniums, Olivewood has remained a wood of great cultural and religious importance and significance, especially in the Middle East. The wood can, indeed, be exquisite in appearance: with its (typically) creamy, golden brown base, and darker streaks and highlights, often augmented by spectacular figuring and/or areas of magnificent burling.Grain patterns are usually either straight or wild, although they can sometimes be interlocked, as well. Although opinions differ, Olivewood is thought by many to be a very durable wood, although it can be susceptible to insect / bug infestation. The wood is considered to be a superb turner, and it generally works, glues and finishes well. Because the fruit of the Olive tree is olives, there is a limited supply of Olivewood that is made available to the US.For wood craftsmen of all niches, Olivewood is highly desired for its often spectacular aesthetics; being known for its gorgeous, often-twisting grain patterns and dramatic figuring. Defects are not uncommon, and can often present some challenges when working, but hard work and perseverance can produce extraordinary results; there's really no other wood quite like it.Found in the Mediterranean Basin -- from Portugal to the Levant, and the Arabian Peninsula -- and Southern Asia, as far east as China, the Olive tree grows as a small evergreen tree or shrub. It is also known to grow in the Canary Islands, Mauritius and Reunion. The species is / has been cultivated in many places; it's considered "naturalized" in the Mediterranean coast countries, as well as in Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Java (Indonesia), Norfolk Island, (the U.S. state) California, and Bermuda.Its trunk is generally twisted and/or gnarled, making long, defected free boards quite rare. When found, they command a premium price.

carving, furniture, specialty items, turnings, veneer

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Goncalo Alves

Goncalo Alves, often called “Tigerwood,” is a stunning hardwood prized for its vibrant orange hues and bold dark stripes. It’s a top choice for woodworkers and furniture makers who appreciate its strength, durability, and beautiful appearance. This wood is not only strong and capable of withstanding wear and tear, but it’s also a joy to work with. Despite its density, Goncalo Alves turns smoothly and finishes with an impressive shine. Just remember to take extra care when gluing due to its natural oils.

The wood’s unique patterns, which can range from straight to wavy or interlocked, along with its fine texture and natural sheen, make each piece stand out. You’ll find Goncalo Alves in high-end furniture, cabinets, and musical instruments like guitars, where its sound quality and affordability have made it increasingly popular. It’s also perfect for decorative items and intricate carvings, showcasing its beauty and versatility.

In short, if you’re looking for a wood that combines durability with a distinctive look, Goncalo Alves is an excellent choice. Its unique charm and reliable performance make it a favorite among craftsmen and designers.

Often quite dull, we are very proud to be able to offer such stripey stock available at the moment.

cabinetry, carving, flooring, furniture, lutherie, specialty items, turnings, veneer