Satinwood – East Indian

East Indian (or Ceylon) Satinwood is a truly exquisite tropical hardwood. Its heartwood ranges from light to medium golden yellow, typically. Sapwood generally is white/off white and paler than the heartwood, though not always clearly demarcated. Premium-grade examples can be seen with a mottled or rippled grain pattern — resembling ripples in satin fabric, and, thus, lending to its name “Satinwood;” such examples may possess a chatoyance ranging from subtle to the dramatic.
Grains can be straight, but are more typically interlocked. Although — due to its density, hardness and generally interlocked grains — it can be difficult to work, it turns, glues and finishes superbly; featuring a smooth, luxurious texture and a shimmering natural luster.
In comparison with other exotic woods, Ceylon Satinwood has remained in short supply to the US market. Its exportation from the region remains restricted. That said, this is actually of little concern to the tree farmers of East India, as the wood is highly coveted throughout the Indian Plate portion of Southern Asia.
Finding long boards of it can be quite difficult and pieces of craft-sized dimensions are more commonly found in the US. Other than the supply issue, a root cause for this is the fact that trees reach full maturity at a height of only 40 to 50 feet, with miniscule trunk diameters of just 1 to 1-1/2 feet. Long boards are always in short supply and sell at a premium, when found.
Not listed in the CITES Appendices, but categorized as “Vulnerable” on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Why We Love This Wood
Chatoyance.... on a silky, satin sheen backdrop.... simply gorgeous!
Client Creations
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Vital Statistics
Main Color Group | Yellow / White |
Grain Pattern | Even |
Avg Dry Weight - LB/BF | 5.1 |
Avg Dry Weight - KG/M3 | 975 |
Janka Hardness - LBF | 2620 |
Janka Hardness - N | 11650 |
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6/4 Lumber
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Satinwood – East Indian
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$40.72
Small knots
$2.00 – $60.00
Our East Indian Satinwood turning blanks come in range of sizes and are excellent quality lumber.
The sizes are all rough-guides, but are basically accurate.
If you have very strict size criteria, please just drop us an email to confirm they will meet your expectations.
The photographs are representative of the stock you will receive. You won’t necessarily receive surfaced blanks.
$55.00
East Indian Satinwood turning blanks
- 5 x East Indian Satinwood: 12 x 2 x 2
- 2 x East Indian Satinwood: 12 x 1 x 1
Any woodturners delight…!
Please note: we surfaced one edge on the samples to show how they will look. You won’t necessarily received surfaced blanks.
$30.00
East Indian Satinwood Fingerboard
21″ x 3″ x 0.30″ (minimum)
Manufactured with luthiers in mind, but excellent blanks for box-making and other smaller items
Photographs are representative of what you will receive
If you have a strict dimensional requirement, please contact us to confirm we select the correct dimensions for you.
Other Species
Gorgeous colors and grain patterns have resulted in the exploitation of this beautiful species for use in production of “Hongmu” furniture. It looks similar in appearance to Kiaat/Muninga, another member of the Pterocarpus genus. We only have a few hundred BF of this endangered species left and don’t expect to get any more when it runs out.
boxmaking, cabinetry, inlay, knife handles, specialty items
This South American species is closely related to the domestic Osage Orange.
The lumber it yields is typically a bit cleaner with less defects.
It is pretty hard and dense making it tough on tools, but it turns and finishes well.
boxmaking, cabinetry, carving, crafting, inlay, specialty items
Spalted Tamarind comes from South East Asia. The decay/spalting gives the wood awesome spiderweb type patterns that add character and excitement to its appearance. The spalting is most prevalent in the sapwood which is prone to attack from bugs and fungus which cause it.
It is moderately difficult to work, but turns and finishes well. Sometimes the rot is more endemic than is obvious from looking at the surface of the lumber result in some wastage (lost pieces).
Take care to use good dust collection and a dust mask, as the fungal spores add more to the air than dust alone.
boxmaking, inlay, specialty items, turnings
This vibrant Central American wood can features primary colors ranging from orange to golden brown (with gold, red and sometimes even green accent coloration). It is thought to be the closest relative to Brazilwood (famous for its use in stringed-instrument bows), and Chakte Viga shares many of the same acoustic properties. Grains are straight, but sometimes interlocked — otherwise, this wood works easily, and finishes well. It has a fine texture and excellent natural luster. Sap is a pale off-white to pale yellow.
Chakte Viga is a wood that has been starting to emerge from relative obscurity over the last decade or so, being one of the lesser-known and -demanded woods from the tropical Central America region. We feel it has a huge untapped potential as a guitar tonewood, as well as in fine furniture production in the US. The wood has some very subtle aesthetics, sometimes exhibiting a 3D-like shimmering chatoyance after being finished with clear lacquer.
fine furniture, furniture, inlay, turnings
Longhi is an African wood with similar working properties to its more well-known cousin, Anegre. Its color varies from a greyish-white to beige to pinkish-brown color, which slightly darkens with age and UV-ray exposure. Its generally light appearance makes sapwood difficult to distinguish. Its grains are typical straight (though occasionally interlocked) and its texture ranges between fine and medium-fine. It can sometimes possess mottled or subtle tiger-striped figuring.
The wood must be carefully dried, as it is susceptible to fungus. It is considered to be moderately durable, and moderately stable. Longhi has a solid strength-to-weight ratio, which makes it a popular choice for flooring and decking.
cabinetry, decking, flooring, furniture
Heartwood can vary from pale yellow to a light, muted reddish brown; sapwood is grayish-white. There are many species of Birch, worldwide; it is one of the most popular woods, ironically, for both veneer and utility applications. Figured pieces are the more desirable for veneer, with wide, dramatic curly figuring (similar to Cherry) decorating the surface.
American Birch works easily — it turns, glues and finishes well — although most boards have very little natural luster. It’s a versatile wood that can be used for a number of different applications, but it needs to be protected, as the wood will decay when exposed to the elements. (… and if left unprotected will rot.)
boxmaking, cabinetry, crafting, flooring, furniture