Obeche used to be one of those timbers that was a disregarded wood. By that I mean it was never classed as decorative. We used to use it in the furniture industry for drawer sides, it was light and machined well and was easy to sand which was the preferred method at the time for fitting the drawers. In drawers with a runner, this is in the days before metal drawer runners, you would have to use the same timber for the runner otherwise it would all wear out too soon.
My late father worked for the controversial (at the time) Timber Development Council and they were responsible for setting the standards for the british kite mark in furniture. Obeche was one of their favourite timbers because of its availability. A bit different now methinks.
