Bubinga – Dressed – Boxmaking – 12×115mm

Bubinga is dense and hard, at 890kg per cubic metre and 2,410lbf on the Janka scale, with a strength-to-weight ratio among the best of any timber in the world. Dressed to 12 x 115 x 820mm, pinkish-red to reddish-brown with figure that varies board to board. Sold individually from a limited run.

This bubinga boxmaking board suits sides, lids and trays where the grain carries the piece. Bubinga is an African hardwood from the Guibourtia genus, best known for a strength-to-weight ratio that ranks among the best of any timber in the world.

The boards come dressed, 12mm thick, 115mm wide and 820mm long. Raw, the colour sits pinkish-red to reddish-brown. Darker purple-brown streaks and swirling figure run through most faces. Bubinga also darkens under finish, so the second photo shows a board with finish applied. That photo is an illustration only. Boards ship unfinished, so yours will look closer to the raw shots.

Why bubinga for a box

Bubinga is a dense, hard timber. It runs 890kg per cubic metre with a Janka rating of 2,410lbf, so a finished box has real weight in the hand. Its modulus of rupture is 168.3MPa, which puts its strength-to-weight ratio among the best of any timber in the world. It is also moderately to very durable and resists termite and marine borer attack.

The grain is straight to interlocked with a fine to medium uniform texture and a moderate natural lustre, so it takes a polish without grain filling. Colour deepens to a richer reddish-brown as the timber ages. Bubinga has long been used in place of rosewood, which it closely resembles in both colour and figure. Some boards in a run carry figure such as pommele, flame, waterfall, quilting or mottling, though figure varies board to board and is not guaranteed on every piece.

Where this board works

Boxmaking is the obvious fit, because the width and figure suit sides, lids and trays. The same board also works for small drawer fronts, accent panels and picture frames. Under a coat of Danish oil, the figure does most of the design work for you.

We sell each board individually, so you can buy exactly what a project needs. The figure varies across the run, so no two boards look quite the same.

Working with bubinga

Some bubinga carries silica, which dulls cutting edges faster than most timbers, so carbide-tipped tooling is worth using. Interlocked or figured grain can tear out when planing, so take light passes and watch the cutting direction. The timber is oily, which can occasionally make gluing awkward. The dust irritates the skin of some people, so run your extraction and wear a mask.

A limited bubinga boxmaking board run

This is a limited run. Once these boards are gone, this listing closes. For companion species, look through the rest of our box making timber. We ship Australia-wide, or you can pick up.