Bird number: 45
Date: February 26, 2012
Wood: Mango (Mangiferi indica)
Source: Woodcraft store

Debra has contributed to my 100 birds project by purchasing some wood in the form of turning blanks from the local Woodcraft store. She seems to prefer highly figured woods, so her selection of this Mango is no surprise. Looking at the blank, I could tell that it would look nice. I had no idea it would look quite this nice.

I’m not certain that this wood is Mangiferi indica. There are several members of the genus Mangiferi that are called “mango.” M. indica is the most commonly cultivated species. It is native to India, but now is grown in most major tropical areas that will support it.

I was surprised at how nicely the wood carved with a knife. Mango has a Janka hardness rating of 1120, making it about 10% harder than black walnut. It really was a joy to carve with a knife.

Some of the figuring had a definite greenish tinge when I was carving and sanding, but it doesn’t really show since I put the finish on it. Still, it has some very interesting coloring.

As with most of the exotic hardwoods, there aren’t a lot of people who carve it. It appears to be a fairly popular turning wood, and there are pictures of some nice carvings available (search Google Images). I’ve only talked to one other person who carves the stuff. I have a bit more from the block that Debra bought me, and am looking forward to carve something else from it.