What Wood – Sapele – Good, Inexpensive and Practical

What Wood – Sapele – Sapele is a beautiful timber and one of my personal favourites.  While the name may not mean much to the average person on the street, it is a widely used timber, and it is available from all good timber yards. 

A mid to deep red in colour, it is often called African Mahogany and is used as a contemporary substitute for such.  It comes in long clean and wide, straight-grained lengths and is very competitively priced.  The last time I purchased sapele, it was the same price as meranti, something I have always thought of as a “cheap” hardwood. 

It machines well and is relatively mechanically stable. Combined with a good durability and decent resistance to rot and insect attack, it is a good timber for both furniture and joinery, though I tend to use it more for the latter.  It makes an absolutely gorgeous wheelhouse, and it will keep looking good without too much maintenance for years and years. 

What Wood – Sapele – Smells Good?

The smell is pleasant, and the sawdust it makes is no more offensive than most hardwood timbers.  It also takes paint and varnish well, though I don’t think it stains well as it is hard to cover its natural hue.  It also glues up well, and a standard D4 PVA will produce an excellent joint. 

It is available as veneers, worktops and other products, but not as readily as some timbers.  However, it is a good timber for most practical applications when making custom use.  The surface can also be sanded up to a very fine finish and a deep gloss, well applied, will leave you with very expensive looking timber. 

Pros

• Durability
• Wide suitability of applications
• Attractive
• Relatively low maintenance
• Widely available
• Machines well
• Takes paint and varnish well

Cons

• Doesn’t stain well
• At a push, it’s not as durable as Iroko, but I am struggling to think of things I don’t like about this timber
• No good if you don’t like reddish coloured wood