Know your wood: Makore

Makore

A very interesting application of figured, steamed Makore veneer, or so it appears. I should probably let Salk Signature Sound take care of my speaker building in ten or fifteen years.

Trade Names: Makore , Abacu.

Taxonomy:

Kingdom: Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom: Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision: Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division: Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class: Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Subclass: Dilleniidae
Order: Ebenales
Family: Sapotaceae – Sapodilla family
Genus: Tieghemalla
Species: heckelii

Janka Hardness (pounds-force): 1110

A craftsman-style Makore credenza and desk, custom made by Y B Normal Custom Woodworking. There are a lot of interesting custom jobs in their catalogue.

Description: Pinks and red browns are the general colors seen in Makore. One of the features that makes Makore so sought is the unusual figuring common in this species. Makore is finely textured with tight pores. Grain patterns, as noted above, are absolutely all over the place.

Why just get an Aston-Martin when you can get an Aston-Martin with custom Makore interior details? Rau Automotive Details is happy to answer just this type of question.

Location: Africa, namely: Burkina faso, Cameroon, Gabon, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone.

Further information on Mimusops heckelli found here, as seen in the Wood Explorer database.

Common Aliases: Other species marketed or known locally as Makore include: Tieghemella Africana (Abacu), and Mimusops heckelli. Other variations of Makore include: Abako, African cherry, Agamokive, Asaka, Babou, Babu, Bako, Baku, Cherry mahogany, Dimori, Douka, Dumore, Edumoi, Hochioo, Makarou, Makori, Makwe, Nduka, Okola, Opepe, Rubber tree, Ukola, and many others.

Performance: The heartwood of Makore is very durable, and is resistant to insect attack. Makore will cause some tool blunting, but is generally easy to work. It has a low luster due to a high silica content, but it shapes well, and is relatively easy to glue. Finishes pretty well.

Affordability: $$$$ Makore tends to run on the upper end of the price spectrum in the United States.

Common Uses: Audio equipment, specialty guitars, veneers, furnishings, cabinetry, boatbuilding, small wooden craft items.

From: The Wood Database:
Common Name(s): Makore
Scientific Name: Tieghemella heckelii, Tieghemella africana
Distribution: Western and Middle Africa (from Sierra Leone to Gabon)
Tree Size: 180-200 ft (55-60 m) tall, 4-6 ft (1.2-1.8 m) trunk diameter
Average Dried Weight: 43 lbs/ft3 (690 kg/m3)
Basic Specific Gravity: .55
Hardness: 1,110 lbf (4,940 N)
Rupture Strength: 16,030 lbf/in2 (110,570 kPa)
Elastic Strength: 1,520,000 lbf/in2 (10,480 MPa)
Crushing Strength: 8,510 lbf/in2 (58.7 MPa)
Shrinkage: Radial: 5.5%, Tangential: 7.4%, Volumetric: 10.8%, T/R Ratio: 1.3