Padauk Wood Uses, Types, Properties, Advantages, and Disadvantages
What is padauk wood?
Padauk is 3 of several species in the genus Pterocarpus.
Some padauk woods are African, Andaman, and Burma Padauk. All three have a different appearance, different properties, but the use is the same.
African and Andaman Padauk tend to have red and orange colors in their heartwood appearance. At the same time, the Burmese heartwood is only reddish-brown.
All types of padauk wood have excellent resistance to rot. It can be judged durable to very durable. African and Andaman are easy to work with.
The properties of the padauk wood
The color of the Padauk African heartwood varies, a combination of red, orange, and brown. This wood also has straight grain, coarse texture, and is durable in resistance to rot.
Andaman heartwood color is not much different from that of the African, but the grains of this wood are interlocked, and the wood has a rough texture.
In durability, Andaman is considered very durable against decay. While the Burmese Padauk has heartwood of pale golden yellow to reddish-brown. Resistant, grain, and texture the same as before.
Padauk wood advantages and disadvantages
Appearance: The appearance of the three types of padauk wood is quite different, although they have some similarities in color.
African Padauk tends to be red and orange, although there are other colors.
Its wood is coarse texture but has straight grains, and some are interlocked.
The Andaman colors are not much different from the Africans.
It’s just that this wood has interlocking grains. Next up is Burmese, which tends to be reddish-brown to yellow and has interlaced grains as well. The wood may darken after some work.
Durability: Overall, the resistance of padauk wood to rot is very good. Andaman and Burmese are considered very durable against decay.
While the African Padauk is considered durable to very durable. There is no shortage of resistance to rot, as well as resistance to insect attack.
Because all Padauk also has resistance to termites and other insects.
It seems that this is indeed a very good wood, including for outdoor and long-term use. So, you don’t have to worry about damage from rot or insects.
Pricing: Padauk wood is not cheap wood, but it’s not very expensive either. African Padauk prices are in the moderately priced range.
Meanwhile, Andaman and Burma Padauk may be in the mid to upper range. We think the price is worth it for this wood, even very worth it.
Because some properties such as very durable against decay is a very high value, and not all wood has it.
The wood appearance is also quite attractive, so you can make the room more beautiful.
Workability: Andaman and African Padauk are easy to work with. It seems that there will be no significant problems in the working process.
However, unlike the two kinds of wood, the Burmese Padauk can be difficult to work. That’s because of its higher density, and interlocking grains.
However, all three can be glues, turns, and finishes well. We don’t know about the silica content in this wood.
It seems that it doesn’t have or only a little. For this reason, we assume that Padauk has no or only a little blunting effect on the cutter.
Padauk wood for veneer
You can use all types of Padauk as a veneer. I think African and Andaman would be great for this, as they both have a different color than most woods, which is a pretty obvious red.
It would be great to make some home furniture or other things look different. You can make it yourself or order it.
Its quality is unquestionable because Padauk has several properties that made it chosen, including durability. Would you please look for other information to find out more?
Padauk wood for flooring
If you use padauk wood, it looks like your floor will look different than usual.
The red or reddish color of padauk wood can make your floor look beautiful and unusual. The highly figured and grain of Padauk also add a high artistic value to the floor.
This wood also has a good natural luster, and that’s pretty good. It seems like buying in bulk is required for flooring.
We recommend that you use the African Padauk because the color looks more striking than the others.
Padauk wood for turned objects
We’ve seen some turned objects made from African Padauk, and they’re really beautiful. The red of the wood looks striking and it looks like it’s very red.
Therefore, turning the Padauk to produce turned objects is the right choice.
Don’t forget to make decorative items of high artistic value. We don’t know the results of turned objects from the other two Padauk. But it looks like it would be great.
After all, the color of the Andamans is similar to that of the African Padauk, but the Burmese are quite different.
Padauk wood for musical instruments
We don’t know for sure what kind of musical instrument is commonly made from Padauk. But after looking at several sources, it seems the guitar is the answer.
Padauk’s natural red will produce a guitar with these colors naturally without painting.
It was very beautiful, as it was decorated with a display of irregular figures and grains.
It seems like making a padauk wood guitar, especially African Padauk. We don’t know yet whether the sound quality is on par with spruce, rosewood, mahogany or not.
Padauk wood for furniture
The use of furniture seems to be questionable in every wood being described. And we answer that this wood is commonly used for furniture.
It looks like it would be great to have red furniture, and the great thing is that it’s a natural color.
Maybe you will feel that the interior of your house is very diverse, although we think it isn’t good if you put it close to brown furniture.
Padauk will be furniture of good quality and has excellent resistance to rot and insects.
Padauk wood for tool handles
The last common use of Padauk wood is tool handles. This may be less important, but we decided to cover it. It’s a wood of unusual color and has good quality.
It seems like the Padauk tool handles will feel comfortable and reliable. Padauk will also give it a different color than the other tool handles, usually brown or black.
It seems like the tools will be easy to fit on the padauk handles, as they have sufficient density, especially Burma, which is higher density.
Types of the padauk wood
African Padauk (Pterocarpus soyauxii)
African Padauk, also known as Vermillion, is a type of Padauk with distribution in Central and tropical west Africa.
This tree is 100-130 feet tall with a trunk diameter of 2-4 feet. It’s a wood with a pretty striking red tint, though there are a few other colors.
African Padauk is also known to be durable to very durable in its resistance to rot. This wood is in the moderately priced range.
Andaman Padauk Pterocarpus Dalbergioides)
Andaman Padauk is wood with distribution only in the Andaman Islands. The tree is 80-120 feet tall, with a 2-4 feet trunk diameter.
Andaman heartwood color is similar to African, although there may be some differences. This wood is considered very durable against decay, so it is good for long-term use.
Andaman padauk also has insect resistance, which makes it more of good quality. The wood price may be in the mid to upper range.
Burma Padauk (Pterocarpus macrocarpus)
The last type is Padauk, with a different color from the previous one.
It’s a tree with both Myanmar and Thailand distribution.
The Burmese Padauk tree is only up to 80 feet tall. Not only very durable against decay but also resistant to attack by termites and other insects.
That’s why you can choose it for some large wooden objects. Prices for Burmese Padauk are likely to be in the mid to upper range.
