Padouk
Padouk wood is sourced in tropical West and Central Africa and is also known as (African) coral wood. Padouk is one of the most colorful and technically high-quality woods in Africa and is highly sought after. African padouk is also called muninga.
The wood is hard and dense, yet also resistant to bending, pressure, and weathering, as well as fungus and insects. Padouk is very resistant to aging and is therefore often used as construction timber. A striking feature of padouk is the coral red-orange to copper color of the wood. The sapwood is light, almost yellowish. This contrasts strongly with the red heartwood. The wood is not UV-resistant and must be stored covered.Its properties and color make it a popular wood for interior design, flooring, inlays, instruments, and furniture and luxury items in general. As a solid wood, padauk is also used for tool handles and paddles/oars, and is a popular wood due to its weather resistance and durability.
Padouk can be worked well with all tools without causing them to become blunt. Drying should be slow, but is then problem-free.
To preserve the intense color of the veneer, padouk should definitely be treated with a UV-resistant varnish!
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Translated from German to English via AI (DeepL).
Sources:
Fritz Kohl, 2012, „Furniere“, Seite 201Begemann, Helmut F., 1962, Lexikon der Nutzhölzer, Seite 559
https://materialarchiv.ch/de/ma:material_1427?type=all&n=Grundlagen Letzter Zugriff 13.05.2025
Bilder: "Templin Furnier e.K."