Avodire (Turraeanthus africanus)

Avodire is an imported hardwood

Location

Avodire (Turraeanthus africanus) has a rather extensive range in Africa, from Sierra Leone westward to the Congo region and southward to Zaire and Angola. It is most common in the eastern region of the Ivory Coast and is scattered elsewhere. Avodire is a medium-size tree of the rainforest where it forms fairly dense but localized and discontinuous timber stands.

Characteristics

The wood is cream to pale yellow with high natural luster; it eventually darkens to a golden yellow. The grain is sometimes straight but more often wavy or irregularly interlocked, which produces an unusual and attractive mottled figure when sliced or cut on the quarter. Although avodire weighs less than northern red oak (Quercus rubra), it has almost identical strength properties except that it is lower in shock resistance and shear. The wood works fairly easily with hand and machine tools and finishes well in most operations.

Primary Uses

Figured material is usually converted into veneer for use in decorative work, and it is this kind of material that is chiefly imported into the United States. Other uses include furniture, fine joinery, cabinetwork, and paneling.

*Much of the base wood information presented here is made available by the USDA FPL FS. If you are interested in a much more technical description of wood properties, I encourage you to visit the source.