WOOD SPECIES: African Padauk, Padauk
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Pterocarpus soyauxii
OTHER COMMON NAMES: Padauk, African Padauk, Mbe, Mbil, Mututi, Ngula, Bosulu
TYPICAL USES: African Padauk lends itself well to veneer and flooring applications, cabinetmaking and furniture, as well as musical instrument turnery.
SOURCES: Africa (Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Nigeria, Zaire)
AVG BENDING STRENGTH: 16,000 psi
SPECIFIC GRAVITY: 0.61
AVG. WEIGHT: 46 lbs/cu.ft.
SAPWOOD COLOR: African Padauk sapwood is near white when cut, but darkens significantly upon exposure, if left untreated.
HEARTWOOD COLOR: Padauk’s heartwood is a bright reddish-orange color, darkening somewhat over time.
GRAIN: Typically straight grain, somewhat interlocked.
TEXTURE: Medium to somewhat course texture with fairly large pores.
LUSTER: African Padauk most frequently exhibits a natural sheen.
MOVEMENT: Very little movement, excellent dimensional stability.
DURABILITY: Padauk’s heartwood displays exceptional resistance to decay and insects. The sapwood is moderately decay and insect resistant.
BLUNTING EFFECT: Works well, although a slight blunting effect may be noticed on cutting tools.
CUTTING RESISTANCE: African Padauk lumber cuts vey well. A slower feed rate and carbide-tipped blades are recommended.
PLANING: Planes to a very smooth surface. Care should be taken with quarter sawn stock in order to minimize tearing.
TURNING: Padauk exhibits excellent turning properties.
BORING: Very good drilling and boring properties.
GLUING: Excellent response to most gluing applications.
NAILING: Padauk lumber typically holds nails well. Care should be taken with smaller stock to avoid splitting.
SCREWING: Holds screws well. Pre-boring recommended, especially for smaller stock.
POLISHING: Polishes well to a high finish.
STAINING: Water-based finishes are recommended in order to minimize bleeding.
STEAM BENDING: Not suitable for steam bending applications.
