Macadamia wood

Bowl
MFA# 1980.389

Description

A tree in the family Proteaceae (Macadamia integrifolia) that is indigenous to Australia and also cultivated in Hawaii and other tropical areas. Macadamias are commercially important for their fruit, the macadamia nut (or simply macadamia). The wood has an appearance much like lacewood/leopardwood.

Physical and Chemical Properties

• Wood color ranges from pink to darker reddish brown and tends to darken with age
• Texture is coarse

Working Properties

• Can be difficult to work with machine tools, causing tear-out during planing
• Difficult to dry, with turned pieces developing numerous checks unless dry wood is used
• Glues, turns, and finishes well

Resources and Citations

• The Wood Database: Macadamia nut
• Wikipedia: Macadamia Accessed Sept. 2022