About the wood
Monkey Pod
Albizia saman (syn. Samanea saman)
Named for its spiral seed pods and called Raintree where the leaves fold in the rain. The Parota look-alike that is denser, harder and finer in texture, with curly or wild figure on the best boards.
- Janka
- 900 lbf
- Density
- 38.0 lb/ft³
- Origin
- Central and South America; planted and naturalized across the tropics
- IUCN Red List
- Least Concern
Working & finishing
Generally easy to work with hand and machine tools, though interlocked grain can fuzz or tear during planing, so take the last pass by hand with the grain. Glues and finishes well. Open pores mean a film finish needs a fill or build coats; oil or hardwax leaves the pores open and deepens the browns. Wood dust has been reported as an eye irritant.
Care
Wipe spills and clean with a damp cloth. At 900 lbf it is a medium top, between poplar and walnut, so use pads under hard objects. Rated durable to very durable against decay, so a covered outdoor piece is reasonable; uncovered, it grays and moves without an annual oil.