Pomele Sapele, Pomelle Bubinga, Pommele Makore, and Pommelle Bosse Veneer - Interesting Alternatives to Burls

Nowadays, more and more clients are looking for interesting and unique patterns to spruce up their projects and living spaces. So we get lots of calls for burls and birdseye, purpleheart and bloodwood, etc. But one style of wood that you shouldn't overlook is the pommele family (spelled many ways as you can see in the title).

Originally named for Pomele Sapele, the pomelle veneers have a unique quilted, wavy, spotted and/or two tone appearance. Pommele (which is probably the official spelling), is actually the French term for dappled, which means marked with small spots or patches contrasting the background.

Here are the four pomele veneer species (Each are hard to describe with words so be sure to click on the links to go to their main pages where you can see larger samples):

1. Pomele Sapele Veneer: This is the original member of the family, and comes in shades from reddish-brown to golden for the more premium grades. One sheet to the next of Pommele Sapele Veneer often varies greatly, so be sure to let us know if you need them matched. The Sapeli version of Pomele may have the tightest wavy clusters of all four.

2. Pommele Bubinga Veneer: Bubinga is also known as African Rosewood, and is generally a darker red brown than Pomele Sapeli (with no golden versions). Pomelle Bubinga has more visible lines than its Sapeli counterpart, as if an artist drew it with pencil lines.

3. Pomelle Makore Veneer: This is a medium pinkish-brown wood. The grain pattern on it is a little more modern looking compared to the others with a brushed look that nicely fades the spots from light to dark across the wood.

4. Pommelle Bosse Veneer: Bosse is somewhat like mahogany in character and is therefore used in boat interiors. However it also is similar to Spanish Cedar and therefore would be an excellent choice for the interior of a walk-in humidor. The pomele version of Bosse Veneer looks a little more like standard figured woods, except that the figure has more waves and ripples than usual.

Which pomele veneers have you worked with? How have they worked out for your projects? Add your comments or questions in the comments below and an Oakwood representative and/or another reader will provide a reply.