Search for

Clicking any heading in the main data area (at right) will scroll the page back to this top position. Use the following links to jump to the associated section in the main data. 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 Drying Rate Kiln Schedules Luster Movement in Service Nailing Natural Durability Numerical Data Odor Planing Polishing References Regions of Distribution Resistance to Impregnation Response to Hand Tools Sanding Sapwood Color Scientific Name Screwing Staining Steam Bending Texture Toxicity Trade Name Tree Size Turning Scientific Name Gonystylus forbesii Trade Name Ramin Family Name Thymelaeaceae Common Names Melawis, Ramin Regions of Distribution Oceania and S.E. Asia Countries of Distribution  [VIEW MAP] Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines Common Uses Broom handles, Building materials, Carvings, Chairs, Chests, Concealed parts (Furniture), Core Stock, Crossties, Decorative veneer, Desks, Dining-room furniture, Domestic flooring, Dowell pins, Dowells, Drawer sides, Factory flooring, Figured veneer, Fine furniture, Floor lamps, Flooring, Furniture , Furniture components, Furniture squares or stock, Handles, Hatracks, Interior construction, Interior trim, Kitchen cabinets, Living-room suites, Millwork, Moldings, Office furniture, Paneling , Parquet flooring, Plain veneer, Radio - stereo - TV cabinets, Railroad ties, Rustic furniture, Shafts/Handles, Turnery, Veneer Environmental Profile Status has not been officially assessed Distribution Overview Part of a group consisting of small to large trees distributed in peat swamp forests in Malaysia, parts of Sumatra, the west coast of Borneo, and the Philippines. Heartwood Color Black Brown Green/grey White to cream Straw brown Sapwood Color White Yellow The sapwood is not indistinguishable from the heartwood. Grain Even Interlocked Straight Straight Shallowly interlocked Wood surfaces are often reported to have no outstanding features. Texture Fine Fine to medium Even textured Luster Planed surfaces are rather lusterless Natural Durability Very durable Resistant to marine borers Moderately durable Resistant to termites Susceptible to insect attack Resistant to powder post beetles Sapwood susceptible to attack by powder post beetles Liable to blue stain Heartwood susceptible to marine borer and termite attack Heartwood has low to very low natural resistance to decay The heartwood has very little natural resistance to decay and should not be used in exterior applications without treatment. Logs should be extracted from the forest rapidly after felling since they are prone to blue stain and pinhole borer attack Odor No distinct taste May have a strong unpleasent odor when green or wet Green or wet wood may have a strong unpleasant odor. The odor disappears after the wood is dried but may reappear if the material is rewetted. Toxicity Some toxic effects Dermatitic effects Skin irritation has been reported in some individuals handling logs. The irritation is believed to be caused by skin penetration by long pointed bark fibers on logs. Washing with soap and water is an effective remedy. Kiln Schedules T3 - C2 (4/4); T2 - C1 (8/4) US Schedule C - United Kingdom A relative humidity that is 10% higher than that suggested in the Schedule should be maintained during the initial stages of drying 1.5 inch (30 mm) thick stock. In certain cases a high temperature, high humidity treatment may be necessary to prevent discoloration from mold growth Drying Defects Splitting Checking Thicker stock is especially prone to surface-checking and end-splitting during drying Ease of Drying Moderately Difficult to Difficult Fairly Easy Little degrade if dried properly Dries well The timber is reported to season readily with little degrade, but stock in thicker dimensions tend to be more difficult to dry. The wood may give off a strong unpleasant odor during drying. The timber is reported to turn almost white upon drying Kiln Drying Rate Slow Drying rate is slow Tree Size Tree height is 0-10 m Bole length is 0-10 m Tree height is 10-20 m Melawi trees are reported to develop boles that are clear of branches to 50 to 60 feet (15 to 18 m) and are straight and well-formed. Trunk diameters above occasional fluted bases are commonly 24 inches (60 cm), but may sometimes reach 42 inches (110 cm) Comments Abnormal Wood Tissue Bands of tension wood may be present, and large trees are reported to often have a central core of abnormal wood tissue. The tissue is described as grey-green or yellowish-green in color, up to 6 inches (15 cm) in diameter, and is full of galleries from borer attack Crystal Deposits Crystals are abundant. Blunting Effect Moderate Little High to severe Cutting Resistance Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult to saw Moderate to saw Green material saws well Green material saws well, but surfaces may be woolly because of tension wood or bands of reverse grain. Cutting edges should be kept very sharp. Seasoned wood saws easily to produce average quality boards. Gluing Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Good gluing properties Movement in Service Fair to Good Stability - Medium Movement Not stable/prone to move Large The timber has very poor dimensional stability, and tends to exhibit rather large movement after manufacture Nailing Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Tends to split during nailing Pre-boring recommended Planing Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Yields clean surfaces Responds very well to both hand and machine tools Responds satisfactorily to all woodworking operations The material requires sharp cutting edges to work, but it planes, turns, bores, moulds, and recesses to yield clean surfaces Resistance to Impregnation Resistant heartwood Resistant sapwood Both heartwood and sapwood are easily treatable Response to Hand Tools Fairly Difficult to Difficult to Work Good response to hand tools Cutters should be kept very sharp. Sanding Yields clean surfaces Screwing Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Turning Fair to Good Results Fairly Easy to Very Easy Very Good to Excellent Results Steam Bending Unsuitable Poor to Very Poor Results Unsuitable Solid Melawi timber is unsuitable for steam bending, but it can be bent after conversion into laminates Polishing Fair to Good Results Very Good to Excellent Results Good results Staining Good staining qualities Numerical Data Item Green Dry English Bending Strength 9704 17021 psi Density 42 lbs/ft3 Hardness 1274 lbs Maximum Crushing Strength 5508 9384 psi Stiffness 1441 2058 1000 psi Toughness 189 inch-lbs Specific Gravity 0.5 0.61 Weight 47 38 lbs/ft3 Radial Shrinkage 4 % Tangential Shrinkage 9 % Volumetric Shrinkage 13 % Item Green Dry Metric Bending Strength 682 1196 kg/cm2 Density 673 kg/m3 Hardness 577 kg Maximum Crushing Strength 387 659 kg/cm2 Stiffness 101 144 1000 kg/cm2 Toughness 217 cm-kg Specific Gravity 0.5 0.61 Weight 753 608 kg/m3 Radial Shrinkage 4 % Tangential Shrinkage 9 % 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. Keating, W.G., Bolza, E.,1982,Characteristics properties and uses of timbers. South East Asia, Northern,Australia and the Pacific,C.S.I.R.O. Div. Chemical Technology,Inkata Press,1