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Padauk (also known as Vermillion) is an exotic hardwood from tropical Africa, prized for its vibrant orange-red colour, durability and excellent workability. Freshly cut padauk often has a brilliant orange colour that gradually deepens to reddish brown and eventually darker brown tones as the wood ages.
Padauk is a strong, durable hardwood with a generally straight grain that can sometimes be interlocked. Its coarse texture and open grain give it a distinctive appearance. It turns well with sharp tools and produces attractive results, making it a popular choice for woodturners who want to add a splash of natural colour to their projects.
What are the dimensions of this block?
Each spindle blank measures approximately 2" square × 12" long (51 × 51 × 305 mm), providing plenty of material for a variety of turning projects. The wood is skip planed, meaning only the high points have been lightly planed, leaving a natural, textured surface that's ideal for turning. Each blank is selected at random and may vary in colour and grain from the image shown.
What kind of projects can I make with a 2" spindle blank?
Padauk is an excellent choice for bottle stoppers, pizza cutter and ice cream scoop handles, and some styles of salt and pepper mills. Its vibrant colour and strength also make it suitable for decorative handles and other spindle-turning projects.
How should I finish padauk to preserve its colour?
Padauk's brilliant orange-red colour is one of its most appealing features, but it naturally changes over time, particularly with exposure to sunlight and UV light. For best results, use sharp turning tools to minimize tear-out and sand progressively through finer grits to achieve a smooth, even surface. Because padauk has an open grain, you may want to use a grain filler if you prefer a completely smooth finish. Remove sanding dust thoroughly before applying your finish. Padauk's natural pigments can transfer to lighter-coloured woods and other materials, particularly when exposed to solvents.
Two fun facts about padauk:
Padauk is known to be insect-resistant and is even used in musical instruments and traditional carvings in Africa.
African padauk (Pterocarpus soyauxii) belongs to the same botanical genus as narra (Pterocarpus indicus), the tree that produces the highly prized Amboyna burl. Despite their different appearances, these two exotic hardwoods are closely related.
Price per blank in Canadian dollars.
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