Geographical Distribution
Avodire wood is harvested from a tree scientifically known as Turraeanthus africana. As the name implies, the tree is native to Africa, specifically to a wide range of territory spanning the following nations: Angola, Benin, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Uganda. The tree is particularly fond of the banks of rivers and lakes, and is most commonly associated with the eastern rainforests of Côte d’Ivoire. The tree can reach impressive heights of over 100 feet with trunk diameters ranging from 2 to 3 feet. As is common for tropical woods, Avodire has multiple common names, derived from local languages as well as European common names that are descriptive of the woods color and character. These names can include, but are not necessarily limited to: Avodire, apeya, engan, agbe, lusamba, wansenwa, African Satinwood, and African White Mahogany.
Avodire Stylus Pens
General Characteristics
Avodire is moderately hard, having about the same Janka hardness as White Oak, as well as moderately dense. As the common name “African White Mahogany” suggests, Avodire coloration is usually pale yellow or cream which has a tendency to darken to a golden color with age. This darkening process is common in many tropical hardwoods, and while there are ways to slow this process, there is no certain way to completely prevent it. In the case of Avodire, most people prefer the more golden tones associated with aging as the wood can be quite plain when freshly cut.
Rather unusually for a tropical hardwood, there is little to no distinction between the sapwood and hardwood, although it is reported that the sapwood is able to absorb preventive treatments designed to inhibit insects whereas the heartwood is impervious to such treatments.
The grain in any given piece of Avodire can be straight, wavy, or irregular and interlocked. Avodire can exhibit a range of grain patterns, such as wavy, mottled, and rippled, with an almost-shimmering chatoyance. Pieces that display such “shimmer” have been described by some as appearing three dimensional, and these pieces are commonly used for veneer purposes. As is true of many species that sometimes feature wavy or otherwise highly figured grain, pieces of Avodire with “flame” figure or other patterning will sell for a high premium, especially to makers of fine furniture as well as luthiers who use Avodire as a tonewood. Quartersawn pieces will maximize the display of any figure that is present.
Avodire features a fine texture with a high natural luster, nice features in highly figured wood as it takes stains well which can serve to highlight existing figure. This character leads to the common name of “Satinwood,” applied to several other hardwoods as well, so when purchasing a wood so named, it may be helpful to further inquire as to the actual genus/species identification.
Avodire end grain is diffuse and porous, with the medium pores displaying no specific arrangement. Yellowish mineral deposits are common in the pores of the heartwood.
Avodire is rated as non-durable in regards to decay resistance, and it is susceptible to insect attack. However, the common uses of Avodire are not ones where insect or rot resistance is of critical importance.
Working Characteristics
In general, Avodire is reported to having good working characteristics. It is easy to work with hand or machine tools. However, as is often the case with woods featuring a high degree of figure and/or interlocking grain patterns, tear out can be a problem when plane operations are needed. Care must be taken to avoid this as permanent damage to otherwise beautiful wood can result. Plane angles adjusted to between 15 and 20 degrees are reported to help reduce tear out of figured pieces.
Probably due to the common mineral deposits, Avodire has a blunting effect on tools although this is slight compared to other mineralized hardwoods. Care should be taken to frequently sharpen all tools, or utilize tools such as the Easy Wood Tool line that feature replaceable carbide bits that never need sharpening.
Avodire presents no difficulties in gluing or staining. This is most likely because there is little to any natural oil present.
Avodire has no characteristic odor when being worked.
Pricing
Most commonly sold as a veneer, Avodire commands a moderate price for both veneer pieces as well as for timber, which is sometimes available. A wood worker can expect to pay about the same as is commonly paid for Padauk. That said, if the wood is highly figured, either in veneer or lumber form, the price will likely be much higher.
Illustrative of the pricing differences between plain and figured Avodire are the following prices quoted from Rare Woods USA of Mexico, Maine. Plain Avodire 4/4 lumber sells at $5.65 per board foot, whereas what they describe as “curly Avodire” 4/4 sells for $25.00 per board foot, or about 500% higher price than for plain material. Similarly, West Penn Hardwoods sells figured 4/4 Avodire for $26.50 per board foot. West Penn also offers Avodire guitar sets for $75.00 each. I have always been quite satisfied with my dealing with West Penn Hardwoods and they frequently feature excellent sales and promotions.
Woodfinder is an excellent website that is dedicated to advertising exotic wood dealers. In your search for Avodire wood, this can be an invaluable resource provided you use multiple search terms to capture all the possible listings. I can’t speak to the quality of any of the listed dealers, but Woodfinder does have the advantage of allowing searches to be performed based on location which might allow an interested buyer to visit a listed wood dealer in person to hand pick pieces at a comfortable price.
Although they do not stock Avodire wood at this time, I also always recommend both Bell Forest Products as an excellent source of both domestic and exotic hardwoods. I have had multiple dealings with them and have always been very satisfied.
Uses
Avodire finds many of the same uses as other exotic hardwoods including: veneer, cabinetry, furniture, millwork, and plywood. Avodire is also an excellent turning wood for making small decorative items. And as noted, Avodire is also used as a tonewood, especially those pieces displaying a high degree of curly figure.
Note: in this context, “plywood” means cheaper wood or chipboard that has had a veneer of Avodire applied for use in cabinetry and other furniture uses. Avodire is certainly not used as a bulk or pulp wood to make cheap “plywood” as the term is commonly used and understood.
Sustainability
While Avodire is not listed in the Convention in International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Appendices, it is listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List as being vulnerable. This listing is due to a population reduction of over 20% in the past three generations. This reduction has been caused by both a decline in its natural range and exploitation.
Because of the IUCN listing, the decision to use Avodire must be one of personal conscience. Trade in the wood is not banned or restricted, but other, more responsible choices might be available.
Personally, I believe that regardless whether a species is listed by conservation agencies or not, conservation and good forestry practices should be of overall concern when working with or purchasing any species.
It realize that many, if not most, wood workers do not have endangered species lists memorized, therefore I think it worthwhile and important to do even a small amount of research before purchased any lumber, domestic as well as imported, to be certain of the potential impact you are having, even in a small way, on threatened or endangered populations. This information is easy to come by and takes only minutes to locate through any Internet search engine. You simply cannot count on a vendor to tell you a product they are selling is endangered!
I confess that I failed to investigate the species sold to me as part of set of African Wood pen blanks, marketed by Woodcraft, and still available, but in the future I will be more conscientious in my purchasing decisions.
Health Hazards
Although severe reactions are uncommon, Avodire has, unfortunately, been reported to cause disturbing symptoms such as skin irritation, nosebleeds, internal bleeding, and asthma-like symptoms. Appropriate protective equipment is therefore recommended, as always, when working with this, or any other, exotic wood, unless you have worked with the species before and are certain you are not sensitive to it. However, given the potential uncertainty about identification, it is possible that one sample might be quite different from another even if labeled the same, and caution is almost always rewarded.
Complete information about health hazards associated with a wide variety of exotic hardwoods is available from The Wood Database. Additional information about how to best use a dust collection system and personal protective equipment, such as respirators, can also be found through this excellent and comprehensive resource.
Fortunately, I have experienced no negative side effects when working with the small pieces of Avodire wood that I had purchased.
My Personal Experiences
Personally, I found Avodire, contrary to other reports, to have an immediately noticeable sweet and floral scent when first cut. I further found the wood to be moderately hard with moderately open grain and closed pores. I thought that the wood cut acceptably if not brilliantly. The pieces I used, not surprisingly, had little to no figure and I therefore found the wood to be quite plain and uninteresting. Having seen photographs of highly figured pieces, I realize that Avodire can be far more interesting and exciting than my personal experience would have lead me to believe, but given its conservation status and the existence of highly figured, and non-endangered, domestic woods, especially maple, I don’t think that I will be in the immediate market for additional Avodire in the future.