Characteristics:  Padauk is an exotic and imported hardwood that comes in both in a strip or a mottled effect.  An eye catching wood, the color varies from a rich crimson or brick red, to reddish-purple streaks, to bright-orange.  It darkens over time to dark reddish-brown.  The interlocked grain produces the striped figure on quartered surfaces.  The texture is medium to coarse.

Common Uses:  Padauk is used for joinery - turnery - furniture - inlay - flooring - knife handles - veneer and tool handles. 

Working Properties:  The wood can be worked well with hand tools and can be machined to a fine surface finish.  The wood glues well.  Pre-bore for fasteners.  It polishes very well and an excellent finish is obtainable.  When worked, Padauk’s dust is fine and airborne.  Proper personal protective equipment is advised!

Common Name:  Padauk, Andaman (vermilion)

Tree is Native To: The Andaman Islands, a group of islands in the Bay of Bengal about 650 miles south east of Calcutta. 

Botanical Classification: Pterocarpus dalbergiodes 

Family: Leguminosae

Average Dried Weight: 42 lb/ft.

Average Specific Gravity: .65