Product Review

African Padauk (Pterocarpus soyauxii) is native to central and tropical west Africa. It has medium to hard wood and color that can vary from a pale pinkish-orange to a deep brownish-red. Most pieces tend to start reddish-orange when freshly cut, darkening substantially over time to a reddish-purplish-brown. Padauk is easy to work, though it does have a moderate blunting effect on cutters. Tear-out may also occur during planing on quartersawn or interlocked grain. Padauk turns, glues, and finishes well. It's a popular hardwood among hobbyist woodworkers because of its unique color. Some common uses for Padauk include: veneer, flooring, turned objects, musical instruments, furniture, tool handles, and other small specialty wood objects. Larger blocks are sawn to +/- 1/4" of size listed, smaller blocks +/- 1/8". Spindle stock (1-1/2" - 2") dimensions are +/-1/8". Grain runs with the longest dimension.