Zebrawood by the Piece

The distinctive striped appearance of Zebrawood has made it a favorite for decorative inlays and veneers. The color ranges from golden-yellow to a peanut butter tone with chocolate veins running through it. The wood is hard, dense and extremely tough. These thin boards are machined S4S to 1/8" and 1/4" thicknesses, eliminating wear and tear on your planer. You won’t have to worry about tearout, which is difficult to prevent when planing thin stock. Thin boards are ideal for edging, veneering, inlay, marquetry, sides for decorative boxes, bending stock, bent laminations and whatever else your imagination can dream up!

• Native to: West Africa, especially Gabon and Cameroon.
• Tree Data: 48" to 60" diameter trunk. The trees generally have very thick bark.
• Sapwood: Pale yellow.
• Heartwood: Light golden-yellow or pale yellow-brown, with narrow streaks of dark brown to almost black, giving a striped appearance.
• Grain: Generally interlocked or wavy, yielding a ribbon figure.
• Texture: Medium to coarse.
• Luster: High luster.
• Resin: Occasional resin pockets.
• Movement: Dimensionally stable. Retains its shape well after machining.
• Veneering Qualities: Zebrawood is used extensively in veneers for cross banding and inlays. Bundles of veneer should be stabilized with weights to prevent buckling.
• Working characteristics: Responds well to hand and machine tools. Quite easy to saw, but due to interlocking grain, planing is very difficult, often resulting in tearout.
• Polishing: Good polishing and finishing qualities.
• Strength: Compressive strength parallel to the grain is high. The wood is hard, very heavy, and very dense. It is tough, with good impact resistance.