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Blunting Effect
Comments
Common Names
Common Uses
Countries of Distribution
Cutting Resistance
Distribution Overview
Drying Defects
Ease of Drying
Environmental Profile
Family Name
Gluing
Grain
Heartwood Color
Kiln Schedules
Luster
Mortising
Moulding
Movement in Service
Nailing
Natural Durability
Numerical Data
Odor
Planing
Polishing
References
Regions of Distribution
Resin Content
Resistance to Impregnation
Response to Hand Tools
Sapwood Color
Scientific Name
Screwing
Silica Content
Staining
Steam Bending
Strength Properties
Texture
Trade Name
Tree Size
Turning
Weathering

Scientific Name
Anisoptera laevis

Trade Name
Palosapis

Family Name
Dipterocarpaceae

Wood Image 1

Wood Image 1

Common Names
Kaunghmu, Mersawa, Palosapis, Phdiek, Ven ven

Regions of Distribution
Oceania and S.E. Asia

Countries of Distribution  [VIEW MAP]


Brunei
Indonesia
Malaysia
Pakistan
Philippines

Common Uses
Beams, Boat building, Building construction, Cabin construction, Canoes, Chairs, Chests, Concealed parts (Furniture), Concrete formwork, Construction, Core Stock, Decks, Decorative plywood, Decorative veneer, Desks, Dining-room furniture, Domestic flooring, Dowell pins, Dowells, Drawer sides, Excelsior, Factory construction, Factory flooring, Figured veneer, Fine furniture, Floor lamps, Flooring, Form work, Foundation posts, Framing, Furniture , Furniture components, Furniture squares or stock, Hatracks, Heavy construction, Joinery, Joists, Kitchen cabinets, Lifeboats, Light construction, Plywood, Veneer

Environmental Profile
Rare
Abundant/Secure
Secure in many areas of its range
Rare in parts of its natural range (population is at risk)


Distribution Overview
Brunei, Indonesia (Sumatra), Malaysia (Sabah, Sarawak), Singapore.

A timber tree which is widespread and recorded in a number of proposed reserve sites

Heartwood Color
Yellow
Brown
Pink
Tan
Yellowish tan
Pinkish tinge
Darkens slightly upon exposure


Sapwood Color
Brown
Yellow
Not clearly differentiated from the heartwood
Lighter than heartwood


Grain
Interlocked

Interlocked

A silver grain figure is produced by prominent rays on quarter-sawn surfaces.

Texture
Even or uniform
Uniform
Coarse
Medium
Moderately coarse
Even textured


Luster
Low
Not lustrous


Natural Durability
Durable
Susceptible to attack by the powder-post beetle
Moderate weathering properties
Moderate natural resistance to attack by decay fungi


Weathering
Good


Odor
No specific taste
No specific odor


Silica Content
High
Siliceous
Likely to have significant impact on machining
Contains high levels of silica (> 0.5% of dry weight)


Resin Content
Resinous


Kiln Schedules
T6-D4(4/4);T3-D1(8/4) US Schedule E; United Kingdom
Care is needed to accurately measure moisture content for kilning


Drying Defects
Distortion
Slight distortion may occur during drying


Ease of Drying
Slowly
Thick Stock Requires Care
Dries very slowly especially the core of thicker materials


Tree Size
Tree height is 30-40 m
Tree height is 40-50 m
Tree height is 50-60 m
Trunk diameter is 100-150 cm


Boles are usually cylindrical and straight. Some Anisoptera trees are buttressed

Comments
Retards the setting of cement and should not be used for shuttering concrete

Blunting Effect
High to severe
Severe blunting effect on cutting edges because of interlocked grain and silica content


Cutting Resistance
Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult to saw
Specially tipped cutters are usually required to process the wood
Fairly difficult to saw

The wood is very difficult to saw because of silica content and interlocked grain

Gluing
Fair to Good Results
Good gluing properties


Mortising
Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult
Interlocked grain effects mortising


Moulding
Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult
Interlocked grain and silica may affect moulding properties


Movement in Service
Fair to Good Stability - Medium Movement
Medium movement after manufacture


Nailing
Fair to Good Results
Fairly Easy to Very Easy
Accepts thin nails well


Planing
Fair to Good Results
Fairly Easy to Very Easy
Very sharp cutting edges are required for smooth surfaces
Reduced cutting angle of 20 degrees is recommended for best results


Resistance to Impregnation
Resistant sapwood
Resistant heartwood
Moderately resistant to preservative treatment


Response to Hand Tools
Fairly Difficult to Difficult to Work
Interlocked grain may affect machining the wood with hand tools


Screwing
Fair to Good Results
Very Good to Excellent Results
Fairly Easy to Very Easy
Good screwing properties


Turning
Fair to Good Results
Good turning qualities


Steam Bending
Exudation
Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult
Very poor steam bending characteristics
Severe steam bending properties
Severe resin secretion during steaming


Polishing
Fair to Good Results
Fairly Easy to Very Easy
Satisfactory polishing characteristics


Staining
Fair to Good Results
Fairly Easy to Very Easy
Stains satisfactorily after surface preparation


Strength Properties
Resists wearing and marring
Resists denting and marring
High in density
Heavy
Fairly hard
Compression strength (parallel to grain) = high
Bending strength (MOR) = very high

The bending strength qualities of this species in the air-dry condition is very high, far superior to those of Mahogany. Strength in compression parallel to grain is in the high range. Other species in this range include Teak, White oak, and Hard maple

Numerical Data
ItemGreenDryEnglish
Bending Strength880015484psi
Crushing Strength578897.psi
Density39lbs/ft3
Hardness828lbs
Impact Strength25inches
Maximum Crushing Strength46757654psi
Shearing Strength1058psi
Static Bending54298464.psi
Stiffness161719311000 psi
Work to Maximum Load6inch-lbs/in3
Specific Gravity0.420.44
Weight6438lbs/ft3
Radial Shrinkage4%
Tangential Shrinkage9%
Volumetric Shrinkage11%
ItemGreenDryMetric
Bending Strength6181088kg/cm2
Crushing Strength4063.kg/cm2
Density624kg/m3
Hardness375kg
Impact Strength63cm
Maximum Crushing Strength328538kg/cm2
Shearing Strength74kg/cm2
Static Bending381595.kg/cm2
Stiffness1131351000 kg/cm2
Work to Maximum Load0.42cm-kg/cm3
Specific Gravity0.420.44
Weight1025608kg/m3
Radial Shrinkage4%
Tangential Shrinkage9%

References
Chudnoff, M.,1984,Tropical Timbers of the World,U.S.A. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products,Laboratory, Madison.

Desch, H. E. 1957. Manual of Malayan Timbers - Volume I. Malayan Forest Records, No. 15. Malaya Publishing House Ltd., Singapore.

Desch, H. E. 1957. Manual of Malayan Timbers. Malayan Forest Records, 28(30):315-318.

HMSO. 1981. Handbook of Hardwoods, 2nd Edition. revised by R.H. Farmer. Department of the Environment, Building Research Establishment, Princes Risborough Laboratory, Princes Risborough, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire.

Lincoln, W.A. 1986. World Woods in Color. Linden Publishing Co. Inc., Fresno, California.

WCMC. 1992. Conservation Status Listing - Trees and Timbers of the World. World Conservation Monitoring Center-Plants Programme, Cambridge, CB3 ODL, United Kingdom.