Comments on: Goncalo Alves

By: Greg Bordenekcher

Greg Bordenekcher — Mon, 22 Dec 2025 14:10:29 +0000

Cutting board with tigerwood border

By: Patty gaunce

Patty gaunce — Thu, 21 Mar 2024 19:12:43 +0000

Can Tigerwood be used to make cooking spoons?

By: Luke Murdock

Luke Murdock — Sat, 07 Jan 2023 13:38:28 +0000

In reply to John Beaupain. I know it has been a year -but you may try locust here in the states very rot resistant or osage orange.....if ya can not find suitable logs/supply then Sepele/African mahogany would also work well- The first two will have a distinct yellowish color especially the O Orange/Bodock wood

By: sven

sven — Tue, 26 Jul 2022 04:24:59 +0000

A turned bowl from goncalo alves

By: LordofLight

LordofLight — Tue, 07 Jun 2022 10:01:58 +0000

In reply to John. On the nightstand, I used Watco Danish oil since it is pretty durable and leaves a nice wood feel. A wipe with lemon oil every few months keeps it looking good for many years.

By: John

John — Fri, 03 Jun 2022 17:59:55 +0000

In reply to Kevin Kempton. Wow...that piece is gorgeous! How did you finish it?

By: John Beaupain

John Beaupain — Tue, 23 Nov 2021 04:50:41 +0000

In reply to John Beaupain. Or between the two, would cumaru be a better choice over tig erwood?

By: John Beaupain

John Beaupain — Mon, 22 Nov 2021 06:51:47 +0000

How will this wood (concalo alves) work as a transom in a 16′ aluminum boat? It would be a single piece, 1.5″ x 9.25″ x 55.5″. I’d prefer to use this if feasible vs marine plywood. I’ve seen too much deterioration of plywood transoms over years.

Thanks for any info you can provide.

By: Paula

Paula — Wed, 17 Nov 2021 16:18:11 +0000

In reply to Timothy Terwilliger. Such a gorgeous, stately piece!

By: Kevin Kempton

Kevin Kempton — Thu, 29 Apr 2021 03:17:02 +0000

Tigerwood is an all around nice wood to work with. Doesn’t take a high polish but is more than good enough for most applications. The end grain is nice and tight and does not seem to check very much. You have to be a little cautious when morticing near the stripes since it splits a bit more easily along those color boundaries. Probably not the best choice for carving due to weakness along color boundaries. . Has a really nice look in the right applications.

By: william jackson

william jackson — Tue, 08 Dec 2020 03:41:41 +0000

In reply to Kristian Heim. Beautiful ! I build classicals and acoustic guitars, but mostly use Platymiscium called Cristobal here. They make marimba keys from it . Called "the wood that sings" I use cocobolo too, but the cristobal has the best tone i've ever heard from any body-sides and back wood.

By: william jackson

william jackson — Tue, 08 Dec 2020 03:32:00 +0000

Makes a pretty resonator guitar. Known as ron-ron where i live in costa rica

By: Kristian Heim

Kristian Heim — Tue, 09 Jun 2020 08:36:45 +0000

I built a classical guitar using Goncalo Alves. i love how it turns out. It is a bit challenging to work with. I found it a bit brittle and with considerable springback after bending. The light and dark areas also have a bit different characteristics when you work it.

https://1drv.ms/u/s!Au0x51sFvdz7iIgxLvGeitYb7ywkSw?e=ObgFyM

By: Michael Ross

Michael Ross — Fri, 21 Feb 2020 21:46:48 +0000

I like Goncalo Alves, but it is not perfect. The color is warm and it finishes with a luxurious luster. I found it to be be brittle like a red cedar though not that bad, and interlocked enough to make it hard to find boards that don’t require special effort in place. Of course the effort pieces are the most interesting, but it wants to grab the plane edge and chunk out.

I was trying to use a router plane on it and for rebates it was poor, but housing dadoes not too bad. This is the brittleness showing up.

On the very plus side is cost and overall work-ability. I love the oiled color. I need to use it more to see how stable it is. I made a dovetailed box with pretty thin material, about 5/16″, and it wanted to cup some. For the sides and bottom it was fine, but I wish the top had stayed a bit flatter.

The images on the Wood Database page seem like good representations of the boards I have used. A rich and luxurious wood.

By: Randy Madison

Randy Madison — Sat, 21 Dec 2019 23:31:07 +0000

In reply to Mark L Robinson. Hi Mark, I'd love to see a picture of the Martin back! I have a 1980 D-28 and love it! I wish I could hear the tone with the Goncalo Alves. The East Indian Rosewood, became the high end standard in my mind. I had only been playing for a couple years before I bought the Martin and I love the tone, especially after 29 years! Randy

By: Timothy Terwilliger

Timothy Terwilliger — Mon, 22 Jul 2019 23:56:38 +0000

I bought this wood to make a custom sign for a friend. My CNC machine malfunctioned and ruined the sign. So I made this Hei Matau (Polynesian fish hook) instead.

By: Mark L Robinson

Mark L Robinson — Thu, 07 Mar 2019 01:01:46 +0000

Just purchased a custom Martin Guitar with Goncalo Alves back and sides. It is lovely to look at and has amazing tone and volume.

By: Michael

Michael — Wed, 14 Mar 2018 12:03:06 +0000

Hard, but very nice workability!
Would be nice to have Muiracatiara or Muiricatiara under “Common Names” so that it can be found searching with that name. That’s what it’s called here in Northeast Brazil.
I made a nice turned leg table with this.

By: 33Charlemagne

33Charlemagne — Mon, 25 Sep 2017 05:28:00 +0000

In reply to Billy T. Richison. I agree these look very nice. I got a set of three finger grips like these but with a Tung Oil finish for my .4.2" 357 SP101. I will probably get a two finger set if I get the snub nose version of the SP101.

By: Steven Ward Jr.

Steven Ward Jr. — Sat, 28 May 2016 17:21:00 +0000

This is the first piece of goncalvo alves I have had the pleasure of turning. It was very easy to work, sand, and finish. Thanks to the distinctive striping and beautiful finishing characteristics I only had this completed for two hours before it sold.