Wenge
Cabinet shop owners are now showing samples of this superb species to more customers and getting excellent feedback. In smaller projects, you'll find that wenge is excellent for contrast against medium tone woods such as oak, cherry, koa, and more. When you find good quality wenge veneer, it is because a veneer mill properly "cooked" the log prior to slicing it. This species is among the most difficult logs to slice. The wenge tree grows to 90 feet high and have a diameter of more than 36 inches. Wenge is in relatively short supply but the price has remained affordable.Common Name: | Wenge, Mibotu, Bokonge, Palissandre du Congo | |
Scientific Name: | Millettia laurentii | |
Family: | Leguminosae | |
Color: | Dark brown with very dark (almost black) veining | |
Origin: | Zaire, Gabon, Cameroon, Tanzania | |
Hardness: | Hard | |
Texture: | Coarse, open pore | |
Finishing: | Readily accepts non-water-based stains and can be top-coated with oil based polyurethane, lacquer, and tung oil. Oil based finishes take longer to dry. Water based finishes are often problematic due to the oily/resinous nature of the wood. |
Walnut burl is a classic beauty. It is used on everything from fine furniture to automobiles. The rich brown color is frequently accented with a light coat of penetrating stain which brings out the figure. Walnut is one of only a handful of species that lightens with exposure to UV light. Vintage walnut furniture pieces are usually very warm in color. The lightening process can take months, years, and even decades to achieve.
Walnut burl is a classic beauty. It is used on everything from fine furniture to automobiles. The rich brown color is frequently accented with a light coat of penetrating stain which brings out the figure. Walnut is one of only a handful of species that lightens with exposure to UV light. Vintage walnut furniture pieces are usually very warm in color. The lightening process can take months, years, and even decades to achieve.
Walnut burl is a classic beauty. It is used on everything from fine furniture to automobiles. The rich brown color is frequently accented with a light coat of penetrating stain which brings out the figure. Walnut is one of only a handful of species that lightens with exposure to UV light. Vintage walnut furniture pieces are usually very warm in color. The lightening process can take months, years, and even decades to achieve.
European walnut is blanket name that covers a wide variety of walnut lumber and veneer from Europe. The most common woods found under this category are French, Italian, Circassian, and Russian walnut. The finest European walnut burl veneer comes from trees which are hand-dug from the ground (the burl growth is commonly found at or below the ground level).
Tamo ash is one of the most highly figured veneers available. It has a rolling figure similar to "quilt" but the shimmer is much stronger. This figure is often called "peanut" which is does not effectively describe the beauty of this veneer. Even in pictures, the iridescence does not fully show. Customers have described it as "3D" and compared it to water cascading over glass. Lesser figured tamo ash is used today as construction lumber in Japan!
Sapele is a member of the mahogany family and like mahogany, this deciduous species grows quite large...up to 150 feet tall. Quartersawn sapele veneer is very even in color and grain. The highly sought-after pommele ("pom-el-LAY") sapele is stunning. Pommele sapele resembles rain drops cascading down a pane of glass. True quilted sapele is also in high demand because of its intense 3-D grain orientation.
Redwood is a close cousin of the famous sequoia tree of California. Certainly the most prized growth/grain in redwood is burl which generally grows underground and must be excavated with specialized machinery. Typically used on automotive dashboards and small case goods, redwood burl has a pleasant color and shimmer when top coated with lacquer or oil-based polyurethane. It is such a beautiful wood, that it is hard to believe it's not an imported burl species!
This striking display of color is remarkable among our veneer inventory. Our resources tell us that Olive Ash is not a true botanical species, but instead is simply an occurrence (within the European Ash family) where the heart of the tree grows abnormally causing alternating colors in the annual growth rings. This "beauty of the forest" is excellent for door panels, carcass work, and small furniture pieces.
Mappa burl has wonderful color combination that often varies from light tan to a beautiful gold with dark red/brown burl pockets. Mappa veneer also has a very unique aroma which is striking similar to the smell of leather. Originally from Western Europe, mappa is the only species of poplar that develops this rare type of burl formation. Mappa burl veneers typically require a grain filler to level-out the voids in the burl pockets.
Quilt figure is the most sought-after grain types found in maple and is typically used on high-end projects such as guitars, automotive dashboards, and the finest of fine furniture. Trees containing usable quilted figue are exceedingly rare partly because this is one grain type which can be seen simply by looking at the bark. Undulatng and uninteriupted waves/lumps on the bark typically indicate a quilted tree or log.
Curly maple is known by many names including "flame", "tiger", and "fiddleback" maple. The figure, which occurs in less than 1 in 25 logs, contains cross-grain shimmering ripples where cell orientation is balanced but uneven. The real beauty of a great curly maple veneer can be seen without any special finish. A penetrating oil finish is usually enough to bring out the chatoyance though some prefer to use a dye stain to further enhance the grain.
Often considered the holy grail of fine woods, maple burls are wart-like growths typically growing on the lower part of the tree. Burls are believed to be caused by disease or damage to the tree during its early years. Every tree contains "dormant buds" which have all of the genetic information that a tree needs to grow a new tree. When the tree is damaged, these dormant buds are called to action and create a chaotic grain pattern that effectively patches the damage. A burl is often just nature's way of making a band-aid.
Often considered the holy grail of fine woods, maple burls are wart-like growths typically growing on the lower part of the tree. Burls are believed to be caused by disease or damage to the tree during its early years. Every tree contains "dormant buds" which have all of the genetic information that a tree needs to grow a new tree. When the tree is damaged, these dormant buds are called to action and create a chaotic grain pattern that effectively patches the damage. A burl is often just nature's way of making a band-aid.
Bird's eye figure occurs most commonly in hard maple. The stunning look of small, repetitive, and undulating "eyes" across the grain make this one of the most consumer-demanded maples. Though many theories exist, science has not yet proven what causes this figure. Unlike other maple grains, bird's eye figure can be very difficult to spot in a log unless the bark and cambium layer are removed.
Ambrosia maple has a unique and stunning pattern in the grain which is caused by the Ambrosia beetle which bores small homes into the tree and introduces two different fungi. The first fungus (called Ambrosia fungus) lines the walls of the tunnel bored by the bug and becomes its food. The second fungus is what creates the amazing colors in the grain.
Madrone is mostly offered in straight grain and burl figure types. The burl grows on the root of the tree and is harvested by removing the tree and roots from the ground. Parts of the burl growth are typically visible from above ground at the base of the tree. The burls figure is usually tight and even and the color is generally consistent across the sheet. Madrone burl veneer has a soft and tactile texture. The highest grade madrone burl veneers are used in everything from keepsake boxes to fine automobiles.
Koa is one of the forest's most prized gems. Koa is a fast growing tree native to Hawaii and is protected by the government and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). Currently, the only logs that are commercially harvested for lumber and veneer are those which have fallen through acts of God. The tree ordinarily grows to 50 feet tall but larger specimens have been found. The veneer is often known for the curly figure which is present in much of the koa that is harvested today.
The burl form of eucalyptus is not the traditional protuberence you would expect to see growing from a tree. Instead, the "burl" is formed inside the trunk. The eucalyptus tree (an evergreen) was introduced into California in 1856 and into Hawaii in about 1865 however commercial propogation of this species is generally limited to species from Australia and New Zealand. Despite this, the highest curly figured eucalyptus veneers are currently being grown in and exported from Spain.
This may be the rarest veneer in the world. The log buyer at the factory said he had never seen a tree like this during his many years in the veneer industry. In fact, he didn’t want to give it up but he graciously agreed to let us bring back a few bundles. It is believed that this veneer came from the Limbe coast in Cameroon, Africa. The reps at the mill are unsure whether this highly-figured veneer is a unique species of etimoe or simply a very rare occurrence of growth caused by fungi or odd soil conditions.