Trade Names:  Amboyna Burl, Narra

Origin: Indonesia; the burl form especially on the Andaman group of islands.

Range:  Amboyna Burl is one of the rarest and most expensive woods in the world. The burly part of the log is often very small (20-30 kg) thus only veneer in small dimensions.

Uses:  Highest quality architectural woodwork. Amboyna Burl was a popular and frequently used wood in the Jugendstil epoch in the twenties. It was also the first burl wood to be used by Rolls Royce for dashboards.

Properties:  Very sound burl veneer which is only available in small dimensions. Coloring is from deep yellow orange to deep red. After surface finishing Amboyna Burl reveals a depth and liveliness in color.

Machining:  The interlocking grain causes considerable problems, particularly when being planed to produce a smooth surface. The different density and hardness zones can only be machined with the greatest of care, appropriate to the value of this wood, to achieve an expert degree of perfection.

Seasoning:  Here again, drying should be carried out very slowly and carefully to avoid surface checking and inner tension. Rough precutting of the burly part considerably improves its drying behavior.