Sapele Traditional Tree

A single traditional-style tree in sapele, with a turned trunk and pot. It stands 11.5cm tall and 4cm across at the widest, in a rich reddish-brown. It was turned from an offcut left over from another piece, with the sapele most likely from the Kent Woodturners wood store.

I’ve found sapele an interesting wood to turn. Sometimes it’s very hard, other times softer, but it finishes really well.

Sapele is a West African hardwood related to mahogany, and its grain is interlocked, spiralling one way and then the other in alternating layers as the tree grows. Those layers meet the tool at different angles, which may explain why it can feel so different from one cut to the next. Cut along its length, they show as the shimmering “ribbon stripe” figure sapele is known for.

Finished with chestnut friction polish.