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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 Boring Carving Common Names Common Uses Countries of Distribution Cutting Resistance Distribution Overview Drying Defects Ease of Drying Environmental Profile Family Name Grain Heartwood Color Kiln Drying Rate Luster Mortising Moulding Movement in Service Nailing Natural Durability Numerical Data Odor Planing Polishing References Regions of Distribution Resistance to Impregnation Response to Hand Tools Routing & Recessing Sanding Sapwood Color Scientific Name Screwing Staining Steam Bending Texture Trade Name Tree Size Turning Veneering Qualities Scientific Name Isoberlinia doka Trade Name Abogo Family Name Caesalpiniaceae Common Names Abogo, Doka, Kosau, Vuba Regions of Distribution Africa Countries of Distribution  [VIEW MAP] Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Sudan, Togo, Uganda, Zaire Common Uses Balusters, Barge fenders, Boxes and crates, Building construction, Building materials, Casks, Chairs, Chests, Concealed parts (Furniture), Construction, Core Stock, Crossties, Desks, Dining-room furniture, Docks, Dockwork, Domestic flooring, Dowell pins, Dowells, Drawer sides, Excelsior, Fine furniture, Floor lamps, Flooring, Furniture , Furniture components, Furniture squares or stock, Harbor work, Hatracks, Interior construction, Joinery, Kitchen cabinets, Light construction, Living-room suites, Marine construction, Moldings, Naval architecture, Office furniture, Packing cases, Pulpwood, Railroad ties, Shipbuilding Environmental Profile Generally secure within most of its natural habitat, but note exceptions. Data source is World Conservation Monitoring Center Current environmental status in Uganda is rare. Its status is unknown because of inadequate information in several areas within its range including: Benin, Central African Republic, Chad, Ghana, Guinea, the Ivory Coast, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Sudan, and Togo Distribution Overview From Guinea to Uganda, Sudan and northern Zaire. Does not occur south of the Equator. It grows in the savannah forests within its range and is locally very abundant. The species occurs often in groups and regenerates profusely in the west Nile region. Heartwood Color Brown Red Purple Red Light brown Sapwood Color White Yellow Pink Silver in color, tinged with red Grain Interlocked Irregular Irregular or uneven grain occasionally Interlocked Texture Coarse Medium Coarse Luster Medium Natural Durability Susceptible to insect attack Very durable Durable Non-resistant to powder post beetles Non-resistant to termites Resistant to termites Moderately durable Susceptible to attack from the pinhole borer beetle Susceptible to attack by marine borers and termites Odor No specific smell or taste Drying Defects Distortion Checking Splitting The material is reported to season satisfactorily with medium distortion but prolonged steaming is usually to remove case-hardening. Green lumber has a high tendency to check and split and requires careful stacking Ease of Drying Slowly Requires a fair amount of care in order to avoid or reduce drying defects Fairly difficult to penetrate with preservatives Kiln Drying Rate Naturally dries slowly Very slow Drying rate is slow Tree Size Tree height is 10-20 m Bole length is 0-10 m Sapwood width is 5-10 cm Sapwood width is 10-15 cm Trunk diameter is 100-150 cm Stem is often short and hollow, and is usually forked at 10 to 15 feet (3 to 5 m) above the ground Blunting Effect High to severe Boring Fairly difficult to very difficult Bores fairly well with ordinary tools Carving Fair carving qualities Cutting Resistance Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult to saw Moderate to saw Mortising Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Mortises fairly well Moulding Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Fair moulding characteristics Movement in Service Fair to Good Stability - Medium Movement Nailing Pre-Boring Recommended Very Good to Excellent Results Fair to Good Results Tends to split during nailing Planing Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult The wood works fairly well with machine tools, but fibers tend to tear in planing Resistance to Impregnation Resistant heartwood Resistant sapwood Permeable sapwood Sapwood is moderately resistant Heartwood is resistant Response to Hand Tools Fairly Difficult to Difficult to Work Responds fairly well to hand tools Sharp cutting edges should be maintained since the wood is hard. Routing & Recessing Routing and recessing operations are fairly easy Sanding Good sanding qualities Surfaces with torn grain caused by planing can be cleaned smoothly by sanding Screwing Poor screwing properties Turning Poor to Very Poor Results Fair properties The timber is described as hard Veneering Qualities Unsuitable for veneer production Steam Bending Fair to Good Results Polishing Fair to Good Results Exceptionally poor Staining Fair to Good Results Numerical Data Item Green Dry English Bending Strength 8085 12299 psi Maximum Crushing Strength 4043 7081 psi Shearing Strength 1014 psi Stiffness 1406 1642 1000 psi Specific Gravity 0.53 0.63 Item Green Dry Metric Bending Strength 568 864 kg/cm2 Maximum Crushing Strength 284 497 kg/cm2 Shearing Strength 71 kg/cm2 Stiffness 98 115 1000 kg/cm2 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 Keay, R.W.J. 1989. Trees of Nigeria. Revised Version of Nigerian Trees. Clarendon Press, Oxford. Wangaard, F.F., W.L. Stern, and S.L. Goodrich. 1955. Tropical Woods - Properties and Uses of Tropical Woods, Volume V, No. 103. School of Forestry, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut. WCMC. 1992. Conservation Status Listing - Trees and Timbers of the World. World Conservation Monitoring Center-Plants Programme, Cambridge, CB3 ODL, United Kingdom.