Wood Turning Blanks 4U offers, by far, the best range of bowl blank sizes of Monkeypod that I can find with sizes ranging from 4”x3” round for $3.67 up to a monster 16” x 4” for $78.22.
Be aware that every single blank that I have purchased from Wood Turning Blanks 4U arrives with some degree, often quite an extensive degree, of mold on the surface despite having been at least lightly waxed at some point. This exterior mold did not seem to adversely affect my piece of Monkeypod but woods that are more susceptible to fungal rot might not fare as well.
I don’t know how this vendor stores his stocks but it almost seems as though they are stored outside completely unprotected from the Florida rainfall and humidity. That said this vendor is the source with the most Monkeypod stock available that I can find in a wide range of sizes at reasonable prices.
In addition, the woods they sell are harvested from ornamental trees removed for reasons of tree health or structural safety. My Monkeypod blank had extensive insect damage in the form of holes, and while I find this insect damage appealing, I am aware than many wood turners do not. My advice is to approach at your own risk with your own expectations. I have worked well with this vendor in the past but I am aware they might not be everyone’s cup of tea.
Two other vendors I have located, but with whom I have zero experience are: Cook Woods (not a vendor I have used but one with an excellent general reputation) and Bob’s Exotic Woods about whom I know nothing.
As to which vendor would be best I can’t say, but I would suggest that an interested buyer look at all the options, consider shipping distances and prices, as well as other items that might be of interest from any one seller before selecting a vendor.
Woodfinder is an excellent website that is dedicated to advertising wood dealers. In your search for Monkeypod, 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.
A significant problem with using Woodfinder is that many vendors are listed for woods that, upon further investigation, they do not offer. I don’t know if perhaps once they did and they didn’t update their listings or if some vendors use a standardized list of woods that include most everything conceivable with the idea that once you land on their page you will find something you want to buy even if you didn’t know it beforehand. It happens to me all the time!
Uses
Monkeypod finds many of the same uses as other tropical hardwoods, but the specific uses, decorative versus brute utility, are highly dependent on where in the world the wood is being used.
In areas where the wood is native, or otherwise common, it might be used in the manufacture of unglamorous plywood, millwork or trim pieces, even in general construction.
Because of Monkeypod’s ability to resist rot, it is also used in boat building.
But in areas where the wood is less common, it is reserved for applications such as veneers, especially if the grain is curly or otherwise figured. Monkeypod may also be used for making fine cabinetry or furniture.