Sapele

Sapele is the mahogany-family hardwood that has quietly become a favorite of fine cabinet and millwork shops. It is harder and denser than African Mahogany, with a deep reddish-brown color and — on quartered stock — a gorgeous, evenly spaced ribbon stripe that shimmers as you move past it.

That interlocked grain is the trade-off: it can tear on the planer, so it rewards sharp knives and light cuts. Once surfaced and finished it is spectacular, and it is stable and strong enough for flooring and doors as well as furniture. We bring Sapele in kiln-dried and mill it to order — ask about quartered stock if the ribbon figure is what you're after.