The Art of Bocote: Creating Mesmerizing Intarsia with Exotic Wood

Intarsia artists tend to collect all different kinds of wood. Having a large selection of colors and grain is very useful! We use close to 100 different types of wood and a favorite among them all is bocote. With its curvy striped grain and contrasting yellow and black coloring, it's one of those woods that I always migrate to when looking to add extra interest to a project. Some boards are so stunning, you could simply hang it on a wall and call it art. In this blog post, I will be covering how we use bocote, pros, cons, and other info.

Science Tidbits

There are a number of species in the Cordia genus that are sold under the name bocote. The trees are native to Central and South America and can reach heights of about 60+ feet. It has a Janka hardness of 2,010 lbf (for comparison, poplar is 540 lbf). The contrasting yellow and black grain is characteristic of this wood. The grain can sometimes be straight, but it's often found with lots of figure and "eyes" that fortunately don't pose much issues when working with the wood. The wood can have high amounts of silica, which can dull blades very fast. Cutting on a scrollsaw isn't difficult if staying under 1" thick. Bocote is a fairly dense wood, but due to the natural oils in the wood, it tends not to burn as long as you cut slow.

Best Ways to Use Bocote in Intarsia

The best way to use bocote, honestly, is just to use it. Merely having the striking grain present can elevate a project. However, there are some ways to use this grain to its fullest potential. The best situations that I like to use it is to mimic mottled or highly textured areas particularly in animals with feathers, like the mallard hen seen above. It's also great at adding striped effects without creating a ton of segments like the cuttlefish shown below. Another common way we use this wood is to represent scales or shells for certain animals. When placed properly, bocote can mimic lots of different effects, even if it's just a funky splash of swirly grain. The true beauty of bocote is displayed best on larger segments, which shows off how intricate it really is.

Another situation that I really like to use bocote is when all other types of wood lack character or interest. It can morph a plain, somewhat simple project, like the sea turtle below, into a lively, main attraction! A word of caution though, there is such a thing as too much character. If all parts of a project has funky grain and/or color, attention is pulled across the entire project. I've found that people tend to like intarsia with a mix of plain and interesting wood, which creates focal points. Keep that in mind when choose wood for projects.

Don't forget about all those little scraps! While it's true that bocote shows off best with large sections of wood, it can be a great choice in smaller projects too like the meadowlark or Galapagos tortoise shown below. Even though these projects are small, notice that the largest segments are bocote to show off as much of that grain as possible. You can find a large selection of mini intarsia patterns perfect for using scraps in our pattern shop.

The Cons of Bocote

It doesn't take much to break the bank. I've seen prices of straight grain commonly around $20/bf and figured as high as a painful $44/bf. With that being said, limited use is likely a necessity. Of course, save ALL those scraps!

As mentioned earlier, the wood can be fairly oily. While this helps when cutting the wood on a scroll saw, it can make sanding a headache! It will gunk up your sandpaper in no time. If you're doing a large project with bocote, be prepared to spend some extra time de-clogging the sandpaper or changing it out completely.

The last and most important drawback of using this wood is health and safety. Dust of any kind is never a good thing to breathe in, but many exotics like bocote has additional compounds that can cause respiratory issues. So be sure to mask up when working with this wood. If you have had an allergic skin reaction to a similar exotic wood, like ziricote or zebrawood, there is a high chance that bocote will trigger a similar reaction.

Bocote Summed Up

In conclusion, whether you're drawn to the intricate details of intarsia woodworking or the timeless beauty of bocote, the ability of this exquisite wood to enhance projects is undeniable. With dedication, practice, and a keen eye for detail, you can create truly remarkable pieces that showcase a unique blend of nature's elegance and artistic expression. Be creative and may each piece you create tell a story of the joys of woodworking as both an art form and a labor of love.

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