Exotic Woods Trading

BOTANICAL NAMES

Millettia laurentii

 

FAMILY

Member of the Fabaceae  family

 

COMMERCIAL NAMES

Wenge

 

NATIVE NAMES

Panga Panga; Wengué, Palisandre Du Congo, Dikela, Mibotu, Bokonge, Awong.
 

SPECIES APPLICATIONS/ USES

HIGH CLASS FURNITURE – FLOORING – EXTERIOR/INTERIOR JOINERY – PANELLING – SLICED VENEER – TURNED GOODS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RANGE

African equatorial forests and gallery forests throughout the equatorial region.

 

TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS

When freshly cut, the heartwood of wenge (millettia laurentii) is a yellow-brown color, but then in a few months it darkens to a deep, uniform brown, almost black, with alternate layers of light and dark tissue, forming a decorative figure. On the tangential surface, the light lines show up as undulating streaks, like waves on the water. Orientation of the grain is an important consideration to show the wood at its best. Clearly demarcated from the heartwood is the yellowish-white sapwood. This coarse-textured wood has a straight grain.

One of the best known of the exotic dark woods, wenge is used primarily where a bold dark color or contrasting light and dark accent strips are desired.

Very durable, and resistant to insects attack.

 

DRYING

The timber seasons slowly,  dries easily with little degradation and requires care to minimize surface checking tendencies.

 

SPECIFIC WEIGHT

With a moisture content of 12%, the specific weight with an average of 870 kg per cubic meter.

 

PRINCIPAL USES AND PROCESSING TECHNIQUES

The wood saws and works well, but force is required and sawteeth and cutting tools may blunt rapidly; stellite-tipped sawteeth and tungsten-carbide tipped cutting tools are recommended. It is difficult to polish and the use of a finishing wax is recommended. Pre-boring before nailing and screwing is needed. The wood slices well. It can also be rotary cut, but intensive steaming is then needed. The gluing and varnishing properties are poor due to the presence of resin cells, but the use of a filler improves the results considerably.