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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
Moulding
Movement in Service
Nailing
Natural Durability
Numerical Data
Odor
Planing
Polishing
Product Sources
References
Regions of Distribution
Resistance to Impregnation
Response to Hand Tools
Sanding
Sapwood Color
Scientific Name
Staining
Steam Bending
Strength Properties
Texture
Toxicity
Trade Name
Tree Size
Varnishing
Veneering Qualities
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Common Names
Afzelia, Aligna, Apa, Azza, Beyo, Bolengo, Doussie, Kpendei, Lingue, M'banga, Meli, Mkola, Mussacosa, N'kokongo, Papao, Pauconta, Uvala, White afzelia
Regions of Distribution
Africa
Countries of Distribution
[VIEW MAP]
Angola, Cameroon, Congo, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Ivory Coast, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Zaire
Common Uses
Boat building, Building construction, Building materials, Cabin construction, Canoes, Chairs, Chemical containers, Chests, Concealed parts (Furniture), Construction, Desks, Dining-room furniture, Domestic flooring, Dowell pins, Dowells, Drawer sides, Excelsior, Exterior trim & siding, Exterior uses, Factory construction, Fine furniture, Floor lamps, Flooring, Framing, Furniture , Furniture components, Furniture squares or stock, Hatracks, Heavy construction, Interior construction, Interior trim, Joinery, Kitchen cabinets, Lifeboats, Living-room suites, Millwork, Mine timbers, Moldings, Office furniture, Parquet flooring, Radio - stereo - TV cabinets
Environmental Profile
| Abundant/Secure |
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| Very little threat to the survival of the species |
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| Generally secure within its natural habitat |
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| Data source is World Conservation Monitoring Center |
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Distribution Overview
This species occurs in Angola, Cameroon, Congo, Gabon, Nigeria and Zaire. It is a rainforest species, but may be present in the savannah and coastal forests of East Africa.
Heartwood Color
| Brown |
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| Red |
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| Reddish brown |
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| Distinct in color from sapwood |
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Sapwood Color
| White |
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| Yellow |
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| Whitish |
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| Pale yellow |
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| Pale straw |
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| Clearly differentiated from the heartwood |
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Grain
| Even |
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| Figure |
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| Irregular |
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| Straight |
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| Interlocked |
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| Straight to interlocked |
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| Irregular |
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Texture
| Coarse |
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| Medium |
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| Moderately coarse |
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Luster
Natural Durability
| Very durable |
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| Very high natural resistance |
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Odor
| No specific smell or taste |
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Toxicity
| Some toxic effects |
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| Sawdust can cause irritation in some individuals |
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Kiln Schedules
| Schedule E (4/4) United Kingdom |
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| 6 - D2 (4/4); T3 - D1 (8/4) US |
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Drying Defects
| Distortion |
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| Checking |
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| Extension of Existing Shakes |
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| Ring Shakes |
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| Slight checking and cracking |
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| Shakes may become extended |
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| Distortion (twist/warp) is likely |
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Ease of Drying
| Slowly |
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| Reconditioning Treatement |
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| Little degrade |
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| Radial and tangential shrinkage from 1-2% |
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| Dries slowly with little degrade |
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Tree Size
| Tree height is 30-40 m |
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| Trunk diameter is 100-150 cm |
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Product Sources
Exported on a regular basis.
Comments
The wood contains a yellow dye-stuff (afzelin) which can stain textile materials under moist conditions
Blunting Effect
| Moderate |
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| Medium effect from irregular grain |
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Cutting Resistance
| Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult to saw |
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| Difficult to saw |
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| Cutting edges are dulled rapidly |
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Gluing
| Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult |
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| Carefully Controlled Conditions |
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| Use special attention for best results |
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| Difficult to glue |
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Moulding
| Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult |
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| Difficult to mould (due to rapid dulling of cutters) |
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Movement in Service
| Fair to Good Stability - Medium Movement |
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| Excellent Stability - Small Movement |
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| Small movement in use |
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| Dimensionally stable |
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Nailing
| Pre-Boring Recommended |
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| Fair to Good Results |
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| Pre-boring recommended |
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| Holds nails well |
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Planing
| Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult |
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| May produce some torn grain |
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| Difficult to plane |
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Resistance to Impregnation
| Resistant heartwood |
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| Resistant sapwood |
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| Permeable sapwood |
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| Sapwood is moderately treatable |
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| Heartwood is extremely resistant |
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Response to Hand Tools
| Fairly Difficult to Difficult to Work |
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| Difficult to machine |
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Sanding
| Very Good to Excellent Results |
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The material works to a smooth finish
Veneering Qualities
| Difficult to veneer |
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| Not suited for plywood manufacture |
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| Difficult to glue |
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| Dense wood |
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Steam Bending
| Fair to Good Results |
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| Fairly Easy to Very Easy |
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| Satisfactory |
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Polishing
| Fair to Good Results |
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| Good results |
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Staining
| Fair to Good Results |
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| Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult |
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Varnishing
| Surface Preparation |
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| Fair to Good Results |
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| Fairly Easy to Very Easy |
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| Satisfactory |
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| Pre-treatment needed or recommended |
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Strength Properties
| Heavy |
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| Density = high |
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| Crushing strength = high |
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| Compression strength (parallel to grain) = high |
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| Bending strength (MOR) = high |
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Numerical Data
| Item | Green | Dry | English |
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| Bending Strength | | 16170 | psi |
| Density | | 50 | lbs/ft3 |
| Hardness | | 1774 | lbs |
| Impact Strength | | 30 | inches |
| Maximum Crushing Strength | | 10809 | psi |
| Shearing Strength | | 2078 | psi |
| Stiffness | | 1877 | 1000 psi |
| Work to Maximum Load | | 11 | inch-lbs/in3 |
| Specific Gravity | 0.59 | 0.62 | |
| Weight | 66 | 49 | lbs/ft3 |
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| Item | Green | Dry | Metric |
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| Bending Strength | | 1136 | kg/cm2 |
| Density | | 801 | kg/m3 |
| Hardness | | 804 | kg |
| Impact Strength | | 76 | cm |
| Maximum Crushing Strength | | 759 | kg/cm2 |
| Shearing Strength | | 146 | kg/cm2 |
| Stiffness | | 131 | 1000 kg/cm2 |
| Work to Maximum Load | | 0.77 | cm-kg/cm3 |
| Specific Gravity | 0.59 | 0.62 | |
References
Bolza, E., Keating, W.G.,1972,African Timbers - the Properties, Uses and Characteristics of 700 Species,C.S.I.R.O. Div. of Building Research
Chudnoff, M.,1984,Tropical Timbers of the World,U.S.A. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products,Laboratory, Madison.
HMSO. 1972. Handbook of Hardwoods. 2nd Edition. Revised by R.H. Farmer. Department of the Environment, Building Research Establishment, Princes Risborough Laboratory, Princes Risborough, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire.
ITTO. 1986. Tropical Timber Atlas, Volume 1 - Africa. International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) and Centre Technique Forestier Tropical (CTFT, 45bis, Avenue de la Belle Gabrielle, Nogent-sur-Marne Cedex, France.
Keay, R.W.J. 1989. Trees of Nigeria. Revised Version of Nigerian Trees. Clarendon Press, Oxford.
Lavers, G. M. 1966. The Strength Properties of Timbers. Forest Products Research Bulletin, No. 50. Ministry of Technology, Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London.
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.
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