NOTE: It was my belief (apparently mistaken) that all kingwood was from Brazil, so I had ignored the fact that sometimes it was labeled "Brazilian" Kingwood and sometimes just Kingwood. I now have found a sample labeled "Mexican" Kingwood, but rather than change things too much, I intend that all pictures in this section be of "Brazilian" Kingwood unless specifically stated otherwise.
The name "kingwood" derives from the fact that a couple of hundred years ago, this was the favored wood of French kings for their furniture.
my samples:
small slab and end grain --- color is very accurate; this is the classic purple of kingwood
end grain closeup of the piece directly above
small plank and end grain
end grain closeup of the piece directly above --- even though a lot of the coarse sanding marks are still present, this butt end has been fine sanded and feels like glass. The pores may have filled somewhat with fine dust.
a sample from the same plank as the one above, but this one has been oiled
veneer from several different flitches --- colors are accurate throughout with the exception that in a couple of cases, the sapwood is shown as a brighter yellow than the wood really is.
web pics
log sections --- both enlargements available on the first image; I believe the 2nd image is of a waxed end
planks
both sides of the same plank and a closeup of one portion of it
plank and closeup
plank and closeup
plank and closeup
plank and closeup
plank and closeup
turning stock
turning sticks --- the wood in the 2nd pic shows up much better in the enlargement
planks
scales
small bookmatched pairs
planks --- I'm not sure about the violet color, but it could be OK.
two sets of pen blanks that have all been oiled and waxed
flat cut veneer --- based on what I've seen, it is my impression that kingwood is almost never cut into veneer in any form OTHER than flat cut, and that makes sense, because it it is the striking flat cut grain pattern that is particularly attractive in this wood, as you can see from the pictures. Here (directly below) is the only pic I've ever seen of quartersawn veneer.
flat cut veneer with unlikely color
quartersawn veneer
more flat cut veneer, all from the same sheet --- the first two pics are closeups of the last pic
2 shots of the same set of veneer sheets
Mexican kingwood plank and turning stock
Mexican kingwood plank pic provided by Steve Earis, whom I thank for this and many other contributions to the site.
pen blanks
bowl blanks (most are waxed)
turning stock, waxed
boths sides of a plank and a closeup --- this is from the BogusColorVendor, so the brightness of the colors is unlikely
another plank from the same vendor, with the same unlikely bright colors
another plank, this one with too much red but not as grossly exaggerated as the one above
bowls (not mine) --- very nice and with excellent color representation
bowl
bowls by Bryan Nelson (NelsonWood). Bryan fine-polishes his bowls with 1200 or even higher grit sandpaper while they are spinning at high speed on the lathe and then finishes them there with a friction polish of his own devising, thus achieving a shine and color vibrancy that is beautiful to behold. The first two of these are just 4" across, the 3rd one is 5" across. The colors on these seem much too bright-red to me. The bowls above this are more the color I expect from kingwood.
a kingwood highlight on one of my laminated bowls (the enlargement really shows it off better)
