Zebrawood

Zebrawood (Microberlinia brazzavillensis) is a West/Central African hardwood that exists, professionally speaking, for its stripes: light brown or cream heartwood streaked with dark blackish-brown lines. Flatsawn boards throw wide, irregular stripes; quartersawn boards give you narrow, uniform ones instead.

Working Properties

Zebrawood saws well but turns genuinely stubborn the moment you try to plane or surface it — that same striped figure comes from strongly interlocking grain, and interlocking grain means tearout. Get past initial machining and it glues and finishes just fine. It's rated durable and insect-resistant, though some woodworkers report respiratory irritation from the dust, worth keeping in mind.

Typical Uses

Furniture, cabinetry accents, musical instruments, and decorative veneer work — nearly always chosen specifically for the stripe pattern.