MONTERILLO is a very heavy, dense wood from Ecuador. Monterillo is a dark, durable wood that is food grade safe. It is considered both rare and exotic because the trees from which it is derived seldom grow large enough to produce lumber sized boards. This greatly limits the availability for large projects, but the wood is prized for its natural beauty and great durability. Somewhat ironically, the qualities for which it admired also provide a challenge to the woodworker. While not a wood for a novice woodworker to begin with, this rare and exotic hardwood has durability and beauty that lends itself well to any number of projects.
This is not a wood for a beginning woodworker, in part because of the relative expense of the wood itself, but also because of the properties it exhibits when being worked by hand or by machine. On the wood hardness scale, Monterillo tends to be found on the harder end. This makes it extremely durable, but difficult to work.
This precious hardwood, because of the rarity, tends to be among the more expensive of woods available, and so is more likely to be found in small projects, or as an accent when objects are intended to be completed with only an oiled, or rubbed finish.
This is not a wood for a beginning woodworker, in part because of the relative expense of the wood itself, but also because of the properties it exhibits when being worked by hand or by machine. On the wood hardness scale, Monterillo tends to be found on the harder end. This makes it extremely durable, but difficult to work.
This precious hardwood, because of the rarity, tends to be among the more expensive of woods available, and so is more likely to be found in small projects, or as an accent when objects are intended to be completed with only an oiled, or rubbed finish.