Chris Ramsey gave me this piece of sapodilla. I did a little research on this timber and it is an interesting species. It is so durable and rot resistant that it has been found in structures built by the Mayans and Aztecs. Its sap has also been used for chewing gum. Apparently the sap for chewing comes from the bark.
This wood is very fine grained, somewhat dense and I suspect prone to heat checking although I did not experience any. This box is on the large side of what I usually turn at 2 3/4" tall and 3 1/2" in diameter. It polished up like glass.
Sapodilla box
#1
