is amboynya and narra burl the same wood??
- Thread starter bbb
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Amboyna refers to a family of burls, including Narra. If you want Narra specifically, you have to get Narra burl. If you don't care, you can ask for Amboyna and you will most often get a Narra burl. There are at least a couple more I've seen sold as "Amboyna", but I'll be doggoned if I can think of one right now.
Wood-Database to the rescue!
http://www.wood-database.com/lumber-identification/hardwoods/amboyna/
Burma Padauk is what I was thinking of. It can have a wonderful burl too, and it's not always obvious when you look at it what's what....but if you're working it by hand, the Burma can be quite hard (not that burls are generally easy to work by hand, anyhow).
http://www.wood-database.com/lumber-identification/hardwoods/amboyna/
Burma Padauk is what I was thinking of. It can have a wonderful burl too, and it's not always obvious when you look at it what's what....but if you're working it by hand, the Burma can be quite hard (not that burls are generally easy to work by hand, anyhow).
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Amboyna refers to a family of burls, including Narra. If you want Narra specifically, you have to get Narra burl. If you don't care, you can ask for Amboyna and you will most often get a Narra burl. There are at least a couple more I've seen sold as "Amboyna", but I'll be doggoned if I can think of one right now.
Wood-Database to the rescue!
http://www.wood-database.com/lumber-identification/hardwoods/amboyna/
Burma Padauk is what I was thinking of. It can have a wonderful burl too, and it's not always obvious when you look at it what's what....but if you're working it by hand, the Burma can be quite hard (not that burls are generally easy to work by hand, anyhow).
thanks for your reply and link.....:thumbup:
thanks for the reply.....:thumbup:
I relate it to maple. You have half a dozen varieties of marketable maple, but they are only sold as hard or soft maple. Further yet, if it's curly figured then it may be marketed as "tiger", "fiddleback", "curly", etc, regardless of species. Birds eye is generally considered "birds eye maple" but only if it's hard maple. Anytime one of the other species gets that figure, it is specified as say, "birds eye red maple".
Similar thing going on with this family of trees. Any of the burl figured stuff is called "amboyna". Generally it's narra, but it's not specifically labelled when it's not.
Similar thing going on with this family of trees. Any of the burl figured stuff is called "amboyna". Generally it's narra, but it's not specifically labelled when it's not.
There is nothing like a highly figured piece of Amboyna; no comparison ever to a low figured piece of Amboyna.
Does the hard, Burma burl machine better than the more common Narra? I know I definitely prefer the Narra for my guitar work, because that's a lot of working by hand. I'm guessing that maybe the harder stuff machines really well, or does it just get splintery and tear out? I guess it doesn't really matter because you just make whatever you have work, but I'm curious.
Thanks!
Why do you prefer the burl from Narra? Do you know when looking at Amboyna which specific Pterocarpus it is?
Being Narra is more yellow and Padauk more reddish orange, I always wondered if golden amboyna was Narra and red amboyna was Padauk. I figure it can't be that easy though, especially give there are other Pterocarpus species that might burl.
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Actually, I think it's the Burma Padauk that normally ends up being more golden if I remember correctly. I really don't work with it very much at all, and I don't think I even have any in my shop at the moment. For sure, African Padauk is that bright red when it's first cut, and then it mellows and darkens over time. I think that's what people normally think about when they think of Padauk. Narra is more brownish if I remember.
But either way, the Narra is softer. The Burma can be hard as a rock, so working it by hand isn't the easiest. That said, if it's a burl that's just a rule of thumb and none of it works well by hand anyhow. I can't tell just looking at it. If I go to work it and it's very hard, I guess it's Burma. There are exotic wood suppliers, however, that deal with this stuff and can sell you anything you want. That's where I got mine, though I sold them off long ago. Sometimes, they buy an entire tree and you can get the entire tree sawn as flitches, and all the burls that go with it. If someone ever calls me to do the trim work on a LearJet, and pays for all the materials up front, I may consider doing that!
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http://www.wood-database.com/lumber-identification/hardwoods/narra/
The page for narra is a bit more clear. It specifically indicates that the burl from a narra tree is called amboyna. While other burl species may also be called amboyna, the name is designated for narra burl.
Having worked with both fairly extensively, I have zero doubt they are the same. I have not worked with the "golden amboyna" so I cannot comment beyond that it reminds me more of afzelia than amboyna. Amboyna and narra both have a distinct spicy odor & if left unsealed the fresh cut surfaces will grow a white, hazy, mildew/mold within an hour. I have never seen any other wood do that.
The page for narra is a bit more clear. It specifically indicates that the burl from a narra tree is called amboyna. While other burl species may also be called amboyna, the name is designated for narra burl.
Having worked with both fairly extensively, I have zero doubt they are the same. I have not worked with the "golden amboyna" so I cannot comment beyond that it reminds me more of afzelia than amboyna. Amboyna and narra both have a distinct spicy odor & if left unsealed the fresh cut surfaces will grow a white, hazy, mildew/mold within an hour. I have never seen any other wood do that.
There is yellow Narra and there is red Narra. Yellow Narra burl (Amboyna) is much lighter in weight than the red Narra burl (Amboyna). Burl from Padauk is not Amboyna burl. Those who sell other wood species burls as Amboyna are either lazy and do not know what they have or trying to cheat you since Amboyna is probably higher priced than what they are really selling.
Can't say I have seen or heard of yellow narra. Wouldn't surprise me but I haven't heard of it until you mentioned it. I am well aware of mis-marketing, though. It's really too common & the dealers don't get called out on it.
Maybe Yellow Narra is is another name for what you were calling Golden Amboyna. The gold stuff I have had all had much denser eyes and figure than the red and was the cleaner material also.
What you buy as golden narra and yellow narra are the same thing. Golden (yellow) Amboyna comes from Papau New Guinea but is the same species only smaller and lighter color than the Amboyna that comes from S.E.Asia.
Amboyna Burl Pterocarpus indicus
Narra Pterocarpus indicus