Thread: What type of wood is this

any picture of the tree with bark and leaves? hahahahaha

Was it milled out of domestic timber or is it imported lumber?

It sure looks a lot like some flavor of "African mahogany"...

Top pic looks like kwila.

A bit more background would be helpful but from the photos it looks like a merbau decking board. Merbau is a tropical hardwood and is the most common generic hardwood at the big hardware chains.


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I got a bunch of scrapwood of gumtree for a project and that was mixed in with it so i dont really have any more info


Wood working is one third planning, one third execution and one third figuring out how to cover up the mistake you just made during the execution

I'd have to say merbau from what I can see. Though the sapwood doesn't look quite right.

Merbau gets my vote, but the sap wood is something that I have never seen.

+1 for Merbau.

The sapwood is normally a creamy colour, but that may be faded/stained and will clean up lighter. Then again, there's always variety in colour.

Here's a pic of some Merbau on my offcut rack to give you an idea. (Most of it is spalted, hence the fine black lines. That's not typical, but it's why I kept it.)

Cheers is merbau good for wood working projects like for a bedside table or something like that


Wood working is one third planning, one third execution and one third figuring out how to cover up the mistake you just made during the execution

I have seen very nice furniture made out of it, but I wouldn't recommend it unless you already have some familiarity with Merbau or naturally oily timbers.

Between the open pores and it's tendency to leech tannins, Merbau requires more care before you'll get acceptable results.

Nothing particularly special or difficult, but you need to wipe down the surfaces with something like acetone to remove the oils before gluing. I recommend the same when applying a finishing, except you also need a good grain filler.

All that seems abit complicated for me i might get more experience with wood working before i try merbau


Wood working is one third planning, one third execution and one third figuring out how to cover up the mistake you just made during the execution

Merbau aka Kwila.