Weird blonde-streaked wenge

[Stu Pollack]

I am making a small wenge top side table, and I needed some additional lumber for the top to match some existing lumber I bought years ago. I purchased the new lumber a few days ago, which looked very similar on the S2S faces, but when I began to joint and plane it, some blonde-streaked areas started to appear, which seems to be in the heartwood and not due to sapwood. This is something I have never seen with wenge before, and I was wondering if anyone has witnessed this. If so, will this color remain tan or will it darken with oxidation? It's not a huge deal, as the coloring would add an interesting element to the tabletop, but I am curious what to expect.

[Steve Jenkins]

The first time I saw that it totally freaked me out. It will disappear in just a couple days.

[Stu Pollack]

The first time I saw that it totally freaked me out. It will disappear in just a couple days.

Thanks, Steve! That's most reassuring.

[Jamie Buxton]

Yeah, I've been seeing yellow or green interiors in wenge lumber in the past few years. It didn't use to behave like that. It isn't un-dried lumber; the EMC was the same inside as out. I had one piece stay ugly for a couple months before I threw it in the trash.