The exotic wood topic for today is Padauk Lumber. Padauk (Pterocarpus soyauxii) is a member of the Leguminosae family; as such it can come from different parts of the world including The Andaman Islands, Burma, Thailand and Central & West Tropical Africa. The heartwood of Padauk appears as a vibrant red color with occasional streaks of brown or purple. The texture of the wood is slightly coarse with a straight to interlocking grain pattern. Padauk has good steam bending qualities and works easily with both hand and machine tools. We always like to recommend carbide machine cutting tools and good sharp hand tools when working any of our exotic woods. Padauk lumber can be glued easily; it accepts screws well and can be finished to an excellent polished patina. Some of Hardwoods Inc customers have indicated a need to add U.V. inhibitors to their finishes to help maintain that vivid red color. Our customers are using Padauk lumber for fancy turnings, custom cabinetry, fine furniture pieces, inlay work, knife scales and anyplace a brilliant exotic wood is necessary. We invite you to visit us at Hardwoods Inc Exotic & Domestic Lumber in Frederick MD to see Padauk and all of our exotic hardwoods, plywoods and veneers. And thank you for visiting the official blog of Hardwoods Inc.
