Padauk

[houstonwoodworker]

Hey everyone, couple quick questions about Padauk. The first is do you think it matches well with walnut and maple? I'm building a desk out of walnut and am planning to use maple and a very small amount of padauk for accents. I think it goes well but wanted to confirm. The second is.........does it bend fairly well? I will only be using one thin strip about 1/8" thick or less and will only need to bend about 3" over a length of about 18", so it's not a significant bend. I am not going to steam bend it, just bend slowly with glue and cauls.

thanks!

[wdwerker]

Could work as an accent strip. Doesn't bend well. You can get orange dust imbedded in the maple. Make a sample , practice !

[wtnhighlander]

I don't know about the bend, but I've heard padauk dust can be nearly impossible to remove from the pores of adjacent, light-colored woods, after sanding. Be careful where you use it in relation to the maple.

[wdwerker]

I used some sanding sealer on maple, then cut the groove for a padauk inlay. When I sanded the whole thing down the pores were already full of clear finish.

[phinds]

1 hour ago, wtnhighlander said:

I don't know about the bend, but I've heard padauk dust can be nearly impossible to remove from the pores of adjacent, light-colored woods, after sanding. Be careful where you use it in relation to the maple.

+1 on that for sure.

 

Also, I assume you realize that over time the padauk will turn brown?  See my site for examples of color change in padauk

 

 

[Brendon_t]

12 minutes ago, phinds said:

+1 on that for sure.

 

Also, I assume you realize that over time the padauk will turn brown?  See my site for examples of color change in padauk

 

 

OR go watch Matt cremona's recent bb gun stock video.  At first,  I was wondering what kind of crap walnut he was using.. turns out to be regular padeuk that had turned puke color already.

[Eric.]

Padauk and maple has stunning contrast.  I have a padauk and birdseye maple magazine rack that looks beautiful.

But Paul is right...it WILL turn brownish gray on you eventually and there's nothing you can do to stop it.  My magazine rack has been in a bathroom without windows for about five years now and it's slowly turning brown but still looks good.  If it's in direct sun you can expect the color shift much sooner.  Either way, it WILL change.  If someone tells you otherwise, ignore them...because they're wrong.

I think mixing three species in any project is almost always a bad idea.  Walnut and padauk are too close IMO, especially when the padauk starts to turn brown.  Go walnut/maple or padauk/maple...all three is a mess.

[..Kev]

A piece of Padauk the size mentioned in the OP will not have any issue with the bend stated and won't need to be steamed.  I've put similar sized strips in cutting boards many times without issue.