Mango, grown & turned on Oʻahu.
The fruit tree in half the yards on the island, and one of the most colorful woods on the lathe.
What it looks like
Mango is a lustrous blond to golden brown, often with a curly or fiddleback figure. Much of it is spalted: as a fallen trunk starts to break down, fungi draw dark lines and stains through it, and a mango bowl can turn out a kaleidoscope of colors. Very old trees can grow a darker brown heart.
On the lathe
It shrinks very little as it dries, so it seasons well and stays in shape. It glues and finishes well, but it carries enough silica to dull an edge quickly, and irregular grain can tear out, so sharp tools and light cuts pay off.
As a bowl
In Hawaiʻi, mango has long been carved and turned into bowls and trays. Mango is in the cashew family, the same family as poison ivy, and its sap and sawdust can irritate sensitive skin. The irritants sit mainly in the sap, peel and leaves; a finished bowl is sanded smooth and sealed with food-safe oil. If mango skin gives you a rash, choose another wood.
On Oʻahu
The Hawaiian name is manakō. Mango trees were growing in Honolulu by the mid-1820s, and today huge old ones stand on home sites in all the wetter valleys. Most grow in yards, and they come down when their brittle limbs or sheer size get too close to a house.
Mango on the shelf.
Shop bowls
Questions about mango.
Not answered here? Call or text Kaleb on (808) 729-1560, or write to him.
Why does mango wood have black lines in it?
That’s spalting: the lines and stains fungi leave as a fallen trunk begins to break down. Caught while the wood is still sound, it gives mango its color. Most spalting fungi do not produce the toxins that harm people, but turners wear a mask for the dust.
Is a mango wood bowl safe for food?
Mango bowls are widely used for food. Mango is in the cashew family, and people who react to poison ivy or mango skin can react to its sap and sawdust; a finished bowl is sealed with food-safe oil. If mango skin gives you a rash, choose another wood.
Does mango wood crack?
Less than most. Mango shrinks very little as it dries, so it seasons well and stays in shape. Keep the bowl out of the dishwasher and the sun; the care guide has the rest.
Sources: Little & Skolmen, Common Forest Trees of Hawaii (USDA); The Wood Database; Pukui & Elbert, Hawaiian Dictionary; Berghea et al. 2021, Medicina; Fine Woodworking on spalted wood.
Turn a mango bowl yourself.
When it’s on the rack, you can choose it for your bowl on a class day, with Kaleb beside you for every cut.