Amboyna

Guitar
MFA# 1999.520

Description

The hard, patterned wood from any of several Pterocarpus trees (P. indicus, P. dalbergiodes, P.soyauxii, P.macrocarpus), that are native to southern Asia. Amboyna wood has a striped, curved or mottled grain that varies in color from pale yellow to a deep red. The medium texture polishes to a silky surface. It is used for veneer, inlay and decorative furniture. Amboyna burls are valued for veneers.

Synonyms and Related Terms

Pterocarpus; amboyna burl; amboina; padouk; padauk; angsena; angsama; narra

Amboyna burl table with boxwood inlay

Physical and Chemical Properties

• Specific gravity = 0.72-0.85 (air dry)
• Density = 35-53 ppcf

Additional Images

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  Amboyna burl (Pterocarpus spp. )

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  Narra (Pterocarpus Sp.)

Resources and Citations

• G.S.Brady, Materials Handbook, McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, 1971 Comment: p. 201

• F. H. Titmuss, Commercial Timbers of the World, The Technical Press Ltd., London, 1965

• Gordon Hanlon, contributed information, 1998

• Random House, Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, Grammercy Book, New York, 1997

• The American Heritage Dictionary or Encarta, via Microsoft Bookshelf 98, Microsoft Corp., 1998