Name/Origin of
Exotic Wood |
Photo |
Finished Product Photo (if available) |
Additional Details |
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African Blackwood
Botanical
Name:
Dalbergia melanoxylon
Country of Origin:
South Africa |
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Heartwood is brown to purplish-black
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Black-streaked figure
- Very
hard and heavy wood
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Some Common Uses:
Turnery, carving, musical instruments |
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Amboyna Burl
Botanical
Name:
Pterocarpus
indicus
Countries of Origin:
Myanmar, Laos |
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- Varies
in color from yellow to golden brown to red
- Fragrant
aroma
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Swirl-pattern figure
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Considered excellent for both turning and finishing
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Some Common Uses:
Turnery, furniture, pool-cue butts, musical instruments, various
types of handles |
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Asian Satinwood (Pyinma)
Botanical Name:
Lagerstroemia spp.
Countries of Origin:
Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar |
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Distinguished by its
striking curly/fiddlebacked
grain pattern
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Heartwood ranges from creamy
white to light gray
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Moderately hard; resistant to
wearing and marring
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Machines well
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Takes a high polish
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Some Common Uses: Turnery,
carving, furniture, flooring, boat building |
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Australian Brown Mallee Burl
Botanical Name:
Eucalyptus viridis
Country of Origin:
Australia |
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Special permission is required
from the Australian government to harvest this wood
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Hard and dense
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Often features a natural edge
(all of our pieces do)
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Finishes very well
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Some Common Uses: Turnery |
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Australian Myrtle
Botanical Name: Nothofagus cunninghamii
Countries of Origin:
Australia and Tasmania |
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Also called Myrtle Beech
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Trees are host to an
orange-yellow fungus that produces sweet and edible clusters (about
the size of small apples)
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Known for having high bending
strength
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Takes a high polish
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Some Common Uses: Turnery,
carving, cabinets, furniture, flooring |
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Birdseye Maple
Botanical Name:
Acer saccharum
Countries of Origin:
U.S. and Canada
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Figure consists of small "eyes"
(thus, the name)
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Requires working with sharp tools
to prevent grain tearout
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Stains and polishes well
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Very durable
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Some Common Uses: Turnery,
carving, musical instruments, fine furniture, cabinets |
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Black Ebony (Gabon)
Black Ebony (Indian)
Botanical Name: Diospyros
crassiflora,
Diospyros ebenum
Countries of Origin: Gabon
(Africa) and India |
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Heartwood is jet black, sometimes
with a wavy grain
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Gabon black ebony is said to be
the blackest wood in the world
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Very hard, dense, and heavy wood
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Somewhat difficult to work with, requiring sharp tools
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Some Common Uses: Turnery, carving,
inlay work, musical instruments, piano keys |
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Black
Palm
Botanical Name:
Borassus
flabellifer
Country of Origin:
Myanmar
(Southeast Asia) |
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Stringy grain
with multicolored, streak-like figure
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Dense hardwood
- Somewhat difficult to work with, requiring sharp tools
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Some Common Uses: Turnery, inlay work, cooking spoons and other
utensils, chopsticks |
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Black-and-White Ebony
Botanical Name:
Diospyros embryopteris
Countries of Origin:
Myanmar, Laos
(Southeast Asia) |
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Features distinct black streaks
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Rare species of ebony
- Turns and finishes well
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Some Common Uses: Turnery |
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Bocote
Botanical Name:
Cordia spp.
Country of Origin:
Mexico |
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Figure
consists of multicolored, wavy stripes, which range from mustard
yellow to dark brown
- Can
sometimes be sliced into highly decorative veneers for paneling
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Some Common Uses: Turnery,
boxes, furniture, boat decking |
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Bolivian Rosewood
Botanical Name:
Machaerium
scleroxylon
Country of Origin:
Bolivia |
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- Also known as Pau Ferro
- Sometimes used as a
substitute for Brazilian rosewood
- Heartwood is light to
medium brown or purple with dark growth lines
- Finishes well
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Some Common Uses: Turnery, musical
instruments, handles, furniture, inlay work, veneer |
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Brown
Ebony
Botanical Name:
Caesalpina paraguariensis
Country of Origin:
Argentina |
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- Features 3D-ish figure in
edge-grained portions
- Very dense hardwood
- Stable wood that works and
polishes well
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Some Common Uses: Turnery, carving,
handles, veneer |
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Bubinga
Botanical Name:
Guibourtia spp.
Countries of Origin:
Cameroon, Gabon (Africa) |
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- Also known as African
rosewood
- Heartwood is light
reddish-brown
- Turns and polishes well
- Imported Bubinga logs are
huge, weighing up to 10 tons
- Logs with very irregular
grain are cut into veneers called Kevasingo
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Some Common Uses: Turnery,
carving, fine furniture, handles, musical instruments |
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Buckeye Burl (Colored)
Botanical Name:
Aeculus octandra
Country of Origin:
United States |
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- Recommended for experienced
woodturners only, due to embedded debris and fragility
- Blackened and sometimes
spalted as a result of being sun baked in metal containers
- Very light weight and dry
- Typically features a
multitude of colors and Swiss cheese-like pockets
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Some Common Uses: Turnery, handles,
inlay, guitars |
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Burmese Blackwood
Botanical Name:
Dalbergia
cultrata
Countries of Origin:
Myanmar (formerly Burma), Laos,
Thailand |
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- Despite its name, the color
of this wood varies from shades of brown to black
- Turns and carves well
- Takes a nice polish
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Some Common Uses: Turnery,
carving, furniture |
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Burmese Rosewood
Botanical Name:
Dalbergia
olivera
Country of Origin:
Myanmar (formerly Burma) |
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- Heartwood has
variegated colors, from burgundy to light brown
- Hard and dense
- Maintains its color well
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Some Common Uses: Turnery,
carving, furniture, musical instruments, cabinets, walking sticks |
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Canarywood
Botanical Name:
Centrolobium spp.
Country of Origin: Brazil |
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- Heartwood is yellow and
orange, sometimes with rich red streaks
- Grain varies from straight
to irregular
- Hard, heavy, and strong;
very durable
- Distinctive smell when cut
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Some Common Uses: Turnery,
furniture, cabinets, veneer, ship components |
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Caribbean Rosewood
Botanical Name:
Metopium brownei
Country of Origin: Mexico |
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- Also known as Chechen and
Black Poisonwood
- Hard, dense, and tightly
grained
- Takes lacquer finishes
well, but responds poorly to polyurethane
- Dust created by cutting or
sanding can cause respiratory problems; proper precautions should
be taken
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Some Common Uses: Turnery,
cabinets, furniture, flooring, veneer |
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Cocobolo
Botanical Name:
Dalbergia retusa
Country of Origin:
Mexico |
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- Natural oils in the wood
make it practically waterproof (thereby making it a prized wood
for knife handles)
- Very durable
- Needle-like crystals
embedded in the wood can cause skin irritation in some people;
other people are allergic to the wood's dust, so proper
precautions should be taken
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Some Common Uses: Turnery, handles,
inlay, veneer, chess pieces |
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Curly Bubinga
Botanical Name:
Guibourtia spp.
Countries of Origin:
Cameroon, Gabon (Africa) |
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Heartwood is reddish brown,
usually with lighter red to purple veins
- The wood's fine pores often
contain a reddish gum, which can make drying, carving, or gluing
difficult
- Cuts and finishes well;
works well with hand tools, despite its hardness
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Some Common Uses: Turnery, carving,
handles, furniture, musical instruments, veneer |
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Curly Maple
Botanical Name:
Acer saccharum
Country of Origin:
U.S., Pacific Northwest |
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Figure
consists of crisscrossing "curly" lines and streaks
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Heartwood is a light cream color
- Turns
well
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Some Common Uses: Turnery, furniture, handles, drum sticks,
musical instruments |
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East Indian Rosewood
Botanical Name:
Dalbergia latifolia
Country of Origin:
India |
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Heartwood is a purple/brownish color
- Figure
consists of darker colored streaks
- Grain is
typically interlocked
- Heavy
and strong
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Some Common Uses: Turnery,
furniture, musical instruments |
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Hawaiian Koa
Botanical Name:
Acacia koa
Country of Origin: U.S. |
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Found exclusively on the Hawaiian
Islands
- Excellent for musical
instruments because of high resonant properties
- Moderately heavy
- Works and finishes well
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Some Common Uses: Bowls, boxes,
musical instruments, knife handles, gunstocks, furniture, veneer |
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Honduran Rosewood
Botanical Name:
Dalbergia stevensonii
Country of Origin: Belize |
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- Species is endemic to
Belize
- When freshly cut, sapwood
emits an apple-like scent
- Denser and tougher than
Brazilian Rosewood
- Turns and finishes well
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Some Common Uses: Turnery,
musical instruments, handles, furniture, cabinets |
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Honey
Mesquite
Botanical Name:
Prosopis alba
Country of Origin: Argentina |
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Spiral to interlocked grain often
creates a 3D-ish appearance
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Very dense
- Honey-like scent
- Widely used in Argentina
for furniture making and fine carpentry; especially prized for its
low volumetric shrinkage
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Some Common Uses: Turnery, furniture,
flooring |
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Katalox
Botanical Name:
Swartzia cubensis
Country of Origin: Mexico |
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Heartwood is dark brown, reddish
brown, or almost black in color
- Very dense
- Somewhat difficult to work
with
- Blackish pieces are
sometimes used as a substitute for Ebony
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Some Common Uses: Turnery,
carving, handles, cabinets, veneer |
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Kingwood
Botanical Name:
Dalbergia cearensis
Country of Origin: Brazil |
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French kings in centuries past
reportedly favored this wood for their furniture; thus the name
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Very hard and heavy
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Polishes well
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Some people are allergic to the
wood's dust, so proper precautions should be taken
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Some Common Uses: Turnery, fine furniture, inlay work |
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Leopardwood
Botanical Name:
Panopsis rubellens
Country of Origin: Brazil |
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Figure features lace-like pattern
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Fairly course texture
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Moderately hard
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Works and finishes well
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Some Common Uses: Fine furniture,
boxes, inlay work |
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Lignum Vitae (Argentine)
Botanical Name:
Bulnesia sarmientoi
Country of Origin:
Argentina |
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"Lignum Vitae" means "Tree of
Life" in Latin; also called "Palo Santo" ("Saint Wood") in Argentina
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Very hard and dense wood
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Despite its density, cuts well
due to the oils and resins it contains
- Polishes well
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Some Common Uses: Turnery, handles,
drumsticks |
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Louro Preto
Botanical Name:
Nectandra mollis
Country of Origin: Brazil |
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Features a contrasting, often
wild, grain
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Sometimes used as a substitute
for the more expensive Brazilian Rosewood
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Very hard wood
- Good finishing qualities
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Some Common Uses: Turnery,
flooring, furniture, veneer |
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Page 2 (Woods M-Z) |