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MOABI

Baillonella toxisperma
Baillonella toxisperma (syn. Mimusops djave and Mimusops toxisperma) of the family Sapotaceae (the same family as makore)

Also known as African pearwood, this is a very large African tree and is similar to makore in many ways but somewhat harder to get in the USA. It reportedly can be tough to work and has some toxic effects but comes in some of the striking grain patterns that makore does (pomelle and mottle).

my samples: NOTE: these pics were all taken in very bright incandescent lighting ("soft white" at 2700K) colors will vary under other lighting conditions

both sides of a sample plank of pomelle moabi / Baillonella toxisperma --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site. The pomelle figure is VERY weak.


end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above


END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above


pomelle moabi veneer pics contributed by Danny Tjan, whom I thank for these and other contributions to the site.

web pics:

planks


scales listed as maobi / African pearwood


a plank not listed as quilted, but it certainly appears to be


veneer listed as moabi / Baillonella toxisparma


quartersawn veneer


figured veneer all from the same vendor


figured veneer sheet closeups with both levels of enlargement --- these are from the same vendor as the set directly above


three views of a quilted veneer sheet (angled, straight on, closeup)


pomelle figured planks and turning stock


figured bookmatched scales


figured planks


turning sticks of figured moabi (the curl on these shows up better in the enlargements)


quilted moabi and closeup pics provided by Dave Cumming, whom I thank.


although you have to do a little mental gyration, you can tell that these two pics are identical. One was listed on one vendor's page as pomelle veneer and the other was listed on another vendor's page as just a plank. This is the kind of nonsense that made me start this web site in the first place.


quilted veneer


a plank from the BogusColorVendor, which of course means that the color is very unlikely