There’s a good chance that no other hardwood can offer the mystique that wenge displays.
To a degree, we came close with our roasted oak lumber – it has the black color and grainy texture. It’s not a dead ringer for wenge, but it comes close to giving you a similar visual effect in a finished project.
I’d be be tone-deaf if I didn’t at least confess that roasted oak also costs less than a third of wenge. So there’s that. While the list of pros and cons in a comparison of the two woods has some merit – indeed they’re still a bit different from one another – this isn’t the time for that.
Today we want to point the spotlight at wenge and illuminate all of its mysterious splendor because it has a personality of its own and an appearance that, I repeat, is not easy too substitute out.
So here’s a 9-minute watch that I hope helps expand your woodworking boundaries a little bit by taking a dive into what makes wenge so special. We’ve got some reasons to choose it for your projects, what to know about working with it, and of course a bunch of tips on how to finish it.
I’d also submit to your consideration a fun side note about wenge. You can soak your project in common household bleach for about 30 minutes to pull out an amazing look, too.
It turns the brown layers white, keeps the black layers black. Check out 5:25 in the video for the visual.
Vice President of Operations – Woodworkers Source
We’re a family-owned lumber & woodworking supply retailer with 3 delightful stores in Arizona, and 35 friendly employees.
Mark oversees the company and creates tutorials on wood finishing and woodworking tips for hardwood lumber.
Woodworkers Source is a division of MacBeath Hardwood Co.
