The African mahogany is used since the end of nineteenth century in order to make good the lack of mahogany coming from America. Different from the last, they are, however, very close about the botany. In fact, it's five species which are amalgamated under the name of African mahogany.

This is a pale pink to red wood whose colour is homogeneous enough. Its grain is fine. Its intertwined veins create some tripes. It's a light wood.

It's easy to dry and stable to the use. Its solidity is mean but the heart of some big trunks is very frail sometimes. It resists fairly enough to the fungical attacks. This is a wood which is pleasant to work and that polishes oneself easily. In addition, the African mahogany is light and durable.

This wood is used for all kinds of use : copy of ancient furniture, decorative veneerings, doors, shipbuilding.

The mahogany is the first wood which was used. The one of Cuba was introduced in Europe by the Spanish as far back as the end of sixteenth century. Today, this wood is become rare and this name defines particurlarly the woods coming from Brasil, Perou... and others countries of America.

This mahogany is more copper coloured than the African mahogany and darkens rapidly with the air. It can have some irregular veins, what very beautiful effects constitute.

It always regards like the most beautiful of mahogany and it's used for the high quality furniture. It can be carved and engraved very delicately.

The trees named Padauk come from the western Africa and, more particularly from Cameroon and Nigeria. However, the Andaman islands export them too. As for Burman, it supplied them in the past. There are middle high trees.

The African Padauk has a nice dark red colour which darkens to the air. Its texture is rough enough and sometimes presents a contre-fil. Its seasoning is slow.

Its uses are varied : veneering for the creation of decorative surfaces, for instance, making of mosaic wood floors with alternance of lighter woods.

When they are dry, the Padauks have an excellente stability at the use. They are very tough, particularly the one from Andaman islands whose qualities are superior at the ones of oak.

There are dense woods which take a beautiful polishing. They are resistant against the rotting.

The Padauk, which regroups under this name the Padauk from India, Burman, the Philippines and the Amboine *, has a tint going to light brown to dark red according to the species and the trees themselves. The Amboine* is a curled Padauk which grows into the eastern of India.

Its texture is fine. It has a great power to resist to the insects without previous treatment. Its seasoning is easy but it has a tendency to crack. Its working is a little bit arduous because of its hardness.

It's used for different uses like decorative veneering for the cabinet making, the making of sleepers for the railways. The gnarls of Asian Padauk are known under the name of "gnarl of Amboine* ".

* I'm very sorry, I don't know the exact english name of this wood, then I would prefer keep the french term. You can send my an e-mail to inform me ! Thank you !

This tree grows in the north of south América, particularly in Guyana and Brasil. In reality, this name of purpleheart is generic because it defines twenty or so species of trees, high of 30 to 45 meters with a diameter of 1 meter minimum.

Its colour is red-purple and becomes darker with the time. Its grain can be fine to moderately thick. The veins are intertwined or rather right, they can even be undulating. It's a dense durable wood which takes a beautiful polish.

It dries well but slowly with few modifications. It's stable to the use and very solid. Its great specific weight makes it a difficult wood to saw, what explains that it blunts the used tools to work it. The varnishing is easy but the colour can fade with the time.

It's used with moderation for the decorative effects owing to the fact that its high color. It's useful more particularly to the making of little turned objects and veneering for the marquetry. Its great resistance enables it to be a wood used for building (bridges, piles, vats for chemical, floors being able to support important weights).

It's a very decorative tree, searched from the very beginning. It has a little or middle size. This name of rosewood is generic and regroups several species present somewhere in the world. The exportation countries are principally India and Brasil but one can also talk about Madagascar, Honduras and some other countries of central America.

Its colour is variable according to the specimens. It goes from purple-brown to black-purple for the Indian rosewood, to the brown-yellow veined of purplish-blue brown for the Sisso rosewood, and from the red-brown to the brown-purple for the Rio rosewood.

This wood isn't difficult to season, it can be worked easily even if it needs the greatest care because of its specific weight. However, it blunts the sharp of tools. Generally, the gluing is satisfactory.

When it's going to be cut, its heart exhales a pleasant smell of rose during its working.

Its finishing doesn't present difficulties and its varnishing is easy. The wax finishing also gives a beautiful polishing but it's necessary to fill up the pores previously.

It's very appreciate by the cabinet makers. Used like veneering, it's also used like solid wood to realize various objects : desk sets, pedestals, handles of knives, music instruments... It's also used for the making of turning woodwork objects.