The Beauty of Padauk

Padauk (Latin: Pterocarpus soyauxii) comes from central and tropical West Africa from South Western Nigeria all the way to Zaire. It also grows in Malaysia. The trees are known as Burma Padauk, Andaman (it grows in the Andaman Islands) and African Padauk.

Padauk’s Aren’t Climbing Trees!

The trees may reach a height of between 100 and 130 feet with a trunk diameter ranging from 24 inches to 60 inches. The boles are straight and without subsidiary branches up to around 70 feet – not ideal climbing trees! They are sometimes referred to as Camwood Trees, Barwood or African Coralwood. Padauk flowers are a gorgeous bright yellow, carry a light perfume and cluster on the branches like Lilac.

The Buddhist Myanmar lunar month, ‘Tagu’, will traditionally fall in April, the month of the Myanmar New Year. At this time of year the Padauk tree symbolizes the hopes and wishes of the New Year as it brings in the Thingyan Festival and the tree represents strength and durability to the Myanmar people.

Padauk is stunningly beautiful with its vivid red lustre and darker hues that darken even more with age, to a purplish brown. Harder than oak, it is tough, tactile, resistant to termites and responsive to light. Ideal for cabinet making and popular with luthiers and makers of musical instruments such as flutes, it is sturdy yet color rich and will not warp. A guitar made from Padauk will produce exceptional tone.
As beautiful as Padauk is when freshly timbered, it improves with age and darkens, taking on an appearance reminiscent of aged Rosewood. Flooring made of Padauk has a warm glow and an attractive reddish appearance, similar to Cherrywood.

The heart of newly cut Padauk is bright orange in color but of course darkens to a less garish hue and can even turn almost black. One of the best features of Padauk is that its color is dramatically beautiful and may be left unstained to acquire its own unique personality. Oil finishes can accelerate the wood’s natural ageing process. Furniture manufactured with Padauk is solid, heavy and long lasting.
This is a prince among woods for carving with its vibrant finish but can misbehave in the hands of a novice – the sap and sawdust are both irritants with a pungent odor and care should be taken when carving the wood in its raw state as a splinter from Padauk will infect and burn persistently for some time. It is important to use tools that are ultra sharp as the wood is exceptionally hard and resistant.
An item manufactured with Padauk will last for many years with proper care: kitchen products such as natural wood salad services and chopping woods may be sterilized easily without losing their aesthetic beauty. As the wood ages it acquires an attractive patina. It polishes well. Padauk products in the home tend to last forever…
Photograph credits:
http://www.sykestimber.co.uk/timber/Padauk.html
http://www.flooringhardwood.com/html/padouk.html
http://nmmflowerslovers.blogspot.com/2009/04/padauk-flowers.html

Padauk – a Long Lasting Favorite

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The Lyptus Alternative

Lyptus wood is derived from a hybrid of Eucalyptus strains: Eucalyptus Grandis and Eucalyptus Urophylla. The trees are grown on Brazilian plantations, and may be harvested over a shorter time scale than other hardwoods and are favoured as environmentally friendly.

The Lyptus trees are ready for harvest in about fifteen years compared to the seventy years required to mature Mahogany, and the stumps of cut trees sprout saplings naturally – it’s not difficult to see why cultivation of Lyptus is actively encouraged!

Lyptus has a close and straight grain

It is moderately coarse and it is harder than Oak. It is frequently compared to Maple in its qualities, which makes it an ideal material for manufacturing kitchenware and internal cabinetry. A set of Lyptus kitchen cabinets would be durable and would also polish to a fine finish. Lyptus is less costly than Oak, Teak or Maple and is receptive to staining and polishing with its uniform grain. It works well and looks great with a light wax.
Buying Lyptus is an adventure in color as it tends to vary from darker shades similar to Hickory and a lighter color similar to Birch and Ash. However, light will darken the pigments of the wood over time and produce a deep hue. Lyptus is heavy – heavier than just about any other hardwood. The wood responds well to hand working but can splinter when worked under a machine.
As a plantation grown wood, Lyptus does not deplete forests that are regarded as valuable shelters for biodiversity. And Lyptus’ fast rate of growth guarantees supply at a reasonable cost. The planting environment allows for precise soil, spacing and other eco factors to provide the highest standard of wood from the smallest area possible. It is structurally sound and is therefore a suitable raw material for cutting boards, chopping blocks and sturdy kitchenware.

Lyptus is photosensitive and turns some stunning colors in its ageing process; pale blond to pink to reddish gold. It has become increasingly popular with architects over recent years due to its versatility that allows creativity without losing strength. In a contemporary design, Lyptus is often used for panelling with its pale pink hue that does not detract from a room’s natural light. It takes staining well which is why it is often used for kitchen cabinets.

Wood crafters are becoming increasingly aware of Lyptus as an eco-friendly alternative since it is grown in sustainable forests. Not only is it friendly to the environment, it is also a good deal cheaper than traditional timber and retains color better than Oak or Mahogany. It is often used with Maple to create a jigsaw or collage effect for kitchen counters.

Lyptus provides a wonderful medium for gift boxes such as trinket boxes and cigar cases; decorative art boxes and ornamental table decoration with carved fruit and flowers. Its natural weight makes carved products sturdy and durable. Wood carvers prefer the conservationist background of Lyptus to using less sustainable materials. Lyptus mosaics are becoming popular for table tops and feature stringing for the edging on musical instruments.
Photograph credits:
http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://www.awards
http://www.lyptus.com/
http://www.rixwoodwurx.com/index.asp?ItemID=55&mid=67&incid=31

Lyptus – a Wonderful Choice for Gifts

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Jatoba Wood

The Jatoba Tree (Latin: Hymenaea courbaril), sometimes confusingly referred to as the Brazilian Cherry Tree – confusing because it actually has nothing whatever to do with cherries or cherry trees!  This hardwood species may also be called a Brazilian Copal; South Amercan Locust; West Indian Locust Tree and even charmingly the Stinktoe Tree or Old Man’s Toe (the edible pulp carries an unpleasant odor!).   Jatoba Wood grows in South America, Mexico, Brazil and Peru.

The tree presents its leaves neatly in matched pairs, hence its Latin name derived from the word for ‘marriage’.

Jatoba Wood, when alive and growing, secretes a sticky, resinous gum that, if it is petrified over millions of years, becomes Amber – a treasured form of jewelry.  Insects or plants are sometimes trapped in the sticky resin behind its transparent and luminous coating.  The Amber makes stunning jewelry, especially when set in silver and gold.  Don’t worry, the Jatoba wood that I use in my cutting boards is kiln dried so there is no evidence of Amber.

Jatoba Wood is the source for Amber

An interesting fact about  Jatoba’s  fruit is that it is rich in nutrients and its resin, especially in its seeds,  are used extensively in the manufacturing of natural herbal remedies to treat respiratory problems.  Most of them remain untested by the FDA.

The bark has a spicy flavor and is used to make a popular energy drink.  Health stores in the US offer Jatoba based products and supplements as capsules claimed to promote liver function and aid digestion.

One of the World’s hardest woods, Jatoba measures 5.6 on the Brinell scale (used in materials science).  The Brinell scale measures the hardness of materials through the scale of penetration of an indenter loaded on a material test-piece.   Incredibly robust, the timber is a salmon or tan color with stripes that can develop a ripe red lustre over time.

Jatoba floors are wonderfully long lasting and age attractively.  The wood is so hard it is resistant even to those destructive, spiky heels on ladies’ shoes!  The coloring of this exotic hardwood is lustrous with deep reds and burgundies with an exotic appeal.  Jatoba carvings are everywhere in South America, especially Mexico where the wood is prized for its versatility and longevity.

One of the most common uses for Jatoba is in the manufacturing of staircases, probably due to its strength.  It is, in fact, notorious for blunting tools!  In appearance it is similar to teak and is also extremely heavy like teak, but is not particularly porous.  The wood tends to exhibit multiple personalities from one board to another and so is ideal for making items that require a striping effect, ranging in color from a light tan to a bright orange to almost black.  The sapwood is lighter – white or a pale pink, occasionally gray and does not age to a darker color.

Jatoba is used to create artistic products such as jewelry boxes, trinket boxes and humidors and is ideal for kitchen products, such as cutting boards, that require resilience as well as beauty.  Bricked Jatoba is often used for other kitchenware such as servers and salad bowls.

Image credits:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jatob%C3%A1
http://sporadesign.blogspot.com/2009/06/jatoba-tree-fruit-and-seed.html
http://www.broadrivergems.com/page3.htm
http://www.rixwoodwurx.com/index.asp?ItemID=55&mid=67&incid=31

Jatoba Wood – a Most Interesting Exotic!

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