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 Drying Defects Ease of Drying Family Name Gluing Grain Heartwood Color Luster Movement in Service Nailing Natural Durability Numerical Data Painting Polishing References Regions of Distribution Resistance to Impregnation Resistance to Splitting Response to Hand Tools Sapwood Color Scientific Name Screwing Staining Steam Bending Strength Properties Synonyms Texture Trade Name Tree Identification Tree Size Turning Scientific Name Nauclea maingayi Trade Name Kelempayan Family Name Rubiaceae Synonyms Sarcocephalus maingayi Common Names Kelempayan, Mengkal Regions of Distribution Oceania and S.E. Asia Countries of Distribution  [VIEW MAP] Australia, Papua New Guinea Common Uses Boat building: framing, Boxes and crates, Food containers, Furniture, Joinery, Light construction, Particleboard, Plywood, Pulp/Paper products, Vats, Veneer: decorative Heartwood Color Red Brown Pink Purple Sapwood Color White Brown Red Pink Yellow Grain Interlocked Interlocked Texture Fine Fine Fine to medium Luster Medium Lustrous Natural Durability Non-durable Susceptible to insect attack Perishable Resistant to powder post beetles Non-resistant to powder post beetles Sapwood is susceptible to wood staining fungal attack Non durable Susceptible to attack from termites (Isoptera) Susceptible to attack from powder post (Lyctid & Bostrychid) beetles Perishable Moderately durable Drying Defects Splitting Slight surface checking Moderate twist/warp Ease of Drying Fairly Easy Moderately Difficult to Difficult Tree Identification Bole/stem form is not buttressed Tree Size Trunk diameter is 100-150 cm Tree height is 30-40 m Trunk diameter is 150-200 cm Tree height is 20-30 m Bole length is 10-20 m Bole length is 0-10 m Bole length is 20-30 m Comments General finishing qualities are rated as good Blunting Effect Moderate Cutting Resistance Easy to saw Cutting Resistance with dry wood is easy Gluing Fairly Easy to Very Easy Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Fair to Good Results Easy to glue Movement in Service Excellent Stability - Small Movement Nailing Fair to Good Results Difficult to nail Resistance to Impregnation Resistant heartwood Resistant sapwood Permeable sapwood Heartwood is moderately resistant Resistance to Splitting Poor Response to Hand Tools Easy to Work Fairly Difficult to Difficult to Work Easy to machine Screwing Fair to Good Results Turning Very Good to Excellent Results Fair to Good Results Steam Bending Fair to Good Results Painting Very Good to Excellent Results Fair to Good Results Polishing Fair to Good Results Staining Fair to Good Results Very Good to Excellent Results Strength Properties Shrinkage, Tangential = very small Shrinkage, Radial = very small Shrinkage, Tangential = small Numerical Data Item Green Dry English Radial Shrinkage 2 % Tangential Shrinkage 5 % Item Green Dry Metric Radial Shrinkage 2 % References Desch, H.E.,1954,Manual of Malayan Timbers (2 vols,Malayan Forest Records,no.15 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