Woodturning Blanks

A large tree up to 50m in height, diameter is usually in excess of 1.0m. Heartwood is light red-brown veined with pink or red stripes, Sapwood is lighter being usually off-white. Interlocked grain with fine even texture. Air dries well, but sensitive to direct sunlight when seasoning. Kiln dries well with the very minimim of degrade. Saws well, tends to tear on quarter sawn surfaces when planing. Turns reasonably well and takes an excellent finish. A very stable wood making it a good cabinet making timber. Used also for handles, veneers and turnery.

A medium to fairly large tree attaining a height of 35m with a diameter of 1.0m. Heartwood is a vivid red when freshly cut, toning down to a medium to dark puple-brown on exposure, often with fine black lines. Sapwood is wide and greyish-white giving a distinctive contrast to the heartwood. Dries fairly rapidly with little degrade, kiln dries well. Straight to somewhat interlocked grain, coarse texture. Saws and machines well despite being hard and cuts well on the lathe. Tends to be dusty, finishes very well. Used for high class joinery, cabinet making and furniture.

A large tree attaining 45m in height, with a diameter 1.0 to 1.5m. Heartwood is reddish-brown often streaked with dark brown. Straight to interlocked grain, medium texture. Should be dried slowly to avoid surface checking (tends to warp during seasoning). Stable once dry, the timber should saw well although planing can be slightly difficult due to the interlocked grain and should be done with a reduced cutting angle. Used for high class furniture, cabinet making. Well figured logs are often veneered. An excellent turnery wood.

A medium sized tree with fluted trunk attaining a height of 20m to 30m and a diameter of 0.5m. Heartwood varies from bright orange to deep red with attractive variegated stripes of yellow, orange and black, darkening on exposure. Irregular and variable grain with a fine texture. Capable of an excellent finish. Drying is slow and care must be taken to avoid splits and surface checking. Very stable once dry. Used for turnery and small cabinet work (though its sometimes difficult to glue), woodwind instruments (not suitable for the mouthpiece), wooden jewellery and decorative work.

A very large tree attaining a height of 45m with a diameter of 2m. Heartwood is light golden-yellow with streaks and veining being dark brown to almost black, with a zebra-stripe appearance on quarter sawn surfaces. Pitch pockets often present. The sapwood is wide, being grey-white in colour often with darker markings. Interlocked or wavy grain, coarse texture. Dries slowly with a marked tendency to surface chek and end split in seasoning. Difficult to machine due to interlocked grain. Used for cabinet work and turnery.

Found growing in Brazil the wood is a bright lemon-yellow colour when freshly cut, turning to a golden yellow on exposure. The timber has a straight to wavy grain and works very easily, taking a good finish. It stains and polishes well.