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WHAT'S NEW?
We are delighted to be in a position to offer the following species
from a source which is dedicated to the protection
of the environment and in the conservation and sustainable
utilisation of forests and the international wood trade.
This source is opposed to the deforestation phenomenon
and their golden rule is to cut fewer trees than there
are trees growing.
- OKOUME LOGS (minimum 5000m3 per month available in
both Veneer logs and sawlogs)
- PADOUK, DOUKA, IROKO, KEVAZINGO, MOABI, MOVINGUI AND
SIPO in both logs and sawn timber.
Please contact us and let us know what you require,
so that we may give you a firm quotation."

Chamfuta
Afzelia Quanzensis |
AFZELIA
QUANZENSIS (CHAMFUTA)
The various species of Afzelia are very similar
in appearance. The sapwood is pale straw-coloured
and sharply defined from the light-brown heartwood:
the latter often becomes dark red-brown on exposure.
Mottle and other figure is frequently present.
The grain is irregular and often interlocked and
the texture is coarse but even. It is a hard and
moderately heavy wood, weighing about 830 kg/m3
when dried. Afzelia is an exceptionally stable
wood, being comparable to Teak in this respect.
Afzelia can be kiln dried satisfactorily, but
slowly, from the green condition. It is very durable
and is reported to be proof against termite and
teredo. A strong timber, with strength properties
comparable with those of Oak. Somewhat hard to
work, but produces a good finish and may be polished
to a very attractive appearance. It is mainly
used for heavy construction work, bridge building
and flooring, but it is a good furniture wood
especially when figured. It may be cut into veneer
and can be used for school, office and garden
furniture, staircases, bank counters, laboratory
benches, door and window frames, ships rails. |

Rhodesian Teak Baikiaea plurijuga
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BAIKIAEA
PLURIJUGA (RHODESIAN TEAK)
The heartwood is reddish-brown sometimes marked
with irregular black lines or flecks, and sharply
defined from the lighter coloured narrow sapwood.
The grain is straight to slightly interlocked
and the texture is fine and even, giving a smooth,
hard surface. The weight is about 960 kg/m3 in
the dried condition. The wood should not be confused
with true Teak (Tectona grandis). The timber dries
slowly, and with care should not warp or split
excessively. It is a heavy, hard timber about
30 per cent harder than rock maple and is very
durable. Rather difficult to work as it has a
dulling effect on cutting edges. A good finish
is obtained in planing and moulding if the cutting
angle is reduced to 20 degrees. Timber turns excellently
and polishes well. It is an ideal flooring timber,
especially for heavy-duty purposes and is also
an excellent timber for furniture. |

Iroko Chlorophora excelsa |
CHLOROPHORA EXCELSA (IROKO)
When freshly cut the heartwood is a distinct
yellow colour, but on exposure to light it quickly
becomes golden-brown. The sapwood is narrow and
clearly defined. The grain is usually interlocked
and the texture is rather coarse but even. Iroko
weighs on average 660 kg/m3 when dried. It dries
well and fairly rapidly with only a slight tendency
to distortion. It has excellent strength properties,
comparing well with Teak although weaker in bending
and in compression along the grain. It is very
durable and works fairly well with most tools.
It is valuable for ship and boat-building, light
flooring, interior and exterior joinery, window
frames, sills, stair treads, fire-proof doors,
laboratory benches, furniture, carvings and marine
uses such as piling, dock and harbour work and
it produces a satisfactory veneer. |

African Blackwood Dalbergia melanoxylon
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DALBERGIA
MELANOXYLON (AFRICAN BLACKWOOD)
It is a small tree rarely over 2.5m high and
has a diameter of about 200mm, rarely exceeding
300mm and is often multi-stemmed. The sapwood
is narrow, white in colour and clearly defined
from the dark heartwood, which is dark brown with
predominant black streaks, giving an almost black
appearance to the wood. It is straight graned
and extremely fine textures, hard and more dense
than rosewoods generally, weighing about 1200
kg/m3 when dried. It is generally partially dried
in log or billet form and then converted and stacked
under cover to complete drying. It dries extremely
slowly and heart shakes are very common. In general
the wood needs to be carefully handled to minimise
checking. It is very durable and, in spite of
its hardness, it works quite easily and takes
an excellent finish. Moderately hard to saw and
has to be drilled for nails and screws. It is
used for ornamental turnery, chessmen, carved
figures, walking sticks, inlay work, brushbacks,
knife handles and pulley blocks. Its oiliness
and resistance to climatic changes commend it
for woodwind instruments in preference to Ebony
and it is used in the manufacture of bagpipes,
clarinets, piccolos and flutes.
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Sapele
Entandrophragma cylindricum
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ENTANDROPHRAGMA CYLINDRICUM
(SAPELE)
The sapwood is pale yellow or whitish, the
heartwood pinkish when freshly cut, darkening
to typical mahogany colour of reddish-brown. Sapele
is characterised by a marked and regular stripe,
particularly pronounced on quarter-sawn surfaces.
Occasionally mottle figure is present. It is fairly
close-textured and the grain is interlocked. It
is harder and heavier than African mahogany, weighing
about 640 kg/m3 when dried. The timber dries rapidly,
with a marked tendency to distort. Sapele is moderately
durable and is much harder than African or American
mahogany and is practically equal to English oak.
It is used for veneer, furniture, cabinet-making,
shop-fitting, boat-building, panelling, flooring
and joinery. |

Saligna Eucalyptus Grandis/
Saligna |
EUCALYPTUS GRANDIS/SALIGNA
(SALIGNA)
Although not an indigenous African species,
there are large plantations of Eucalypts in South
Africa and we supply FSC certified sawn timber.
As the two species are often planted together,
Saligna generally means both above species and
does not differentiate, so it is usual to receive
a consignment containing a mixture of both species.
Saligna (Sydney Blue Gum)
has pale yellow sapwood, fairly well-defined from
the light rose-brown heartwood. The grain is usually
interlocked, occasionally straight and the texture
is rather coarse. The wood weights about 920 kg/m3
when dried and the strength properties are similar
to that of Karri. The timber is moderately durable
and is used in general construction, flooring
(light domestic), weather-boards, boat-building,
wagon construction, fencing and for plywood, for
which purpose the veneer needs careful drying.
Grandis (Rose gum) had
light red sapwood and the heartwood is dark red.
The grain is usually interlocked and the texture
is fine. The wood weighs about 705 kg/m3 when
dried and has similar strength to that of Jarrah.
The sapwood is said to be non-susceptible to Lyctus
attack. The timber is non-durable and is used
for construction, sleepers, posts, fencing, cases
and weather-boards when treated for severe exposure. |

African Rosewood Guibourtia Coleosperma
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GUIBOURTIA COLEOSPERMA (AFRICAN
ROSEWOOD)
The sapwood is pale pink to white and the
heartwood is light red-brown attractively veined
with pink or red stripes. The wood is hard and
heavy, weighing from 800 to 960 kg/m3 when dried
and is fine textured. The timber dries successfully,
but must be taken slowly to avoid excessive
warping and splitting. It is fairly easy to
work and takes a very good finish. It is not
possible to stain this timber, but most finishing
varnishes or oils work well. Used mainly for
superior flooring, turnery, office furniture,
shopfitting and furniture in general.
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Panga Panga Millettia Stuhlmannii |
MILLETTIA STUHLMANNII (PANGA
PANGA)
Wenge (M. laurentii) is mainly found in
Zaire and is becoming increasingly difficult
to source. The East African equivalent, known
as Panga Panga, is being used extensively. The
sapwood is whitish and the heartwood is dark
brown with fine, close blackish veining, giving
the wood a handsome appearance. A very hard
and heavy wood, it weighs about 800 kg/m3 when
dried. It is straight grained, but has a rather
coarse texture. It dries slowly and requires
care if surface checking is to be avoided. It
is stated to have good resistance to bending
and to shock and is easy to work, but difficult
to polish. It is best suited to flooring, but
is used extensively for office furniture and
interior decoration.
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Opepe Nauclea diderrichii |
NAUCLEA DIDERRICHII (OPEPE)
The heartwood is a distinctive uniform golden-yellow
or orange-brown colour, clearly differentiated
from the pinkish yellow sapwood which is usually
about 50mm wide. The texture is coarse and the
grain frequently interlocked, producing a striped
or roll figure on quarter-sawn surfaces. Lustrous,
very hard and moderately heavy, it weighs about
750 kg/m3 when dried. The timber needs careful
drying, or checks and splits may develop. Hair-shakes
often occur during drying, but warping generally
is not serious. It is an exceptionally strong
timber, superior to English oak in all strength
categories except resistance to shock loads
or splitting. It is very durable and works with
moderate ease, taking an excellent finish. The
grain needs considerable filling on polishing,
but a high polish is obtainable. It is used
for piling and decking in wharves and docks,
general construction, domestic flooring, wagon
bottoms, sills, furniture, cabinet work, interior
decoration and decorative turnery.
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Afrormosia Pericopsis Angolensis |
PERICOPSIS ANGOLENSIS (AFRORMOSIA)
This is East African Afrormosia,
but is very similar in all characteristics to
the West African species (Pericopsis elata).
Sapwood is very narrow and slightly lighter
in colour than the brownish heartwood. When
first cut the heartwood is yellowish-brown,
darkening on exposure to a pleasing brownish-yellow,
somewhat resembling Teak but with a finer texture
and lacking the oily nature of Teak. The grain
is straight to interlocked and the wood weighs
about 710 kg/m3 when dried. It dries rather
slowly, with little degrade. It is superior
to Teak in most of its mechanical properties
and is very similar to English Beech. It is
very durable and works well with only a slight
tendency to pick up. It can be glued and polished
satisfactorily, but tends to split when nailed.
Afrormosia can be used as an alternative to
Teak for many purposes where a strong, stable
and durable wood is required. It is used for
furniture, high-class joinery, flooring, boat-building
and shopfitting. It should not be used in contact
with ferrous metals in wet conditions since
these may corrode and the presence of tannins
in the wood can cause staining.
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African Padauk
Pterocarpus soyauxii |
PTEROCARPUS SOYAUXII
(AFRICAN PADAUK)
The sapwood is of an oatmeal
colour and very wide, sometimes up to 200mm. The
heartwood varies from blood red to dark brown
with red streaks. A hard, heavy wood, weighing
between 640 and 800 kg.m3 when dried, it has a
straight to slightly interlocked grain and the
texture is moderately coarse. The timber dries
well, but slowly and is very durable. Although
commonly known as a dye wood, it is an attractive
timber suitable for furniture and cabinet-making.
It holds its place well after drying and is not
liable to warp. It is used for knife handles,
carving, electrical fittings, paddles, oars and
agricultural implements in Africa.
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Kiaat Pterocarpus angolensis |
PTEROCARPUS ANGOLENSIS
(KIAAT)
The timber resembles other species
of the Pterocarpus genus (Padauk from Burma, Andamans
and Africa) but lacks the reddish colour of Padauk,
being brown with irregular reddish streaks. It
is also softer and lighter in weight than the
Padauks, weighing about 640 kg/m3 when dried.
The sapwood is quite wide and is oatmeal in colour
and the grain is straight to interlocked, with
a medium texture. The timber has excellent drying
properties and there is only the slightest tendency
for surface checking to occur. It is a very durable
timber but, owing to the varying grain even in
the same log, its strength is generally lower
on average than the values for Padauk. It is easy
to saw and work, has good nailing and screwing
properties and takes a good polish. It is attractive
timber, suitable for panelling, high-class joinery
and furniture and makes a first-class floor with
a moderate resistance to wear. It is also a good
timber for decorative veneer.
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Afara / Limba
Terminalia Superba |
TERMINALIA SUPERBA (AFARA/LIMBA)
The timber has various names
according to the part of West Africa from which
it comes. Usually both the heartwood and sapwood
are light yellowish-brown in colour, similar
to light Oak. Occasionally, however, the heartwood
contains irregular greyish markings, with streaks
which may be almost black (the cause of these
markings is not known). Such timber is very
attractive in appearance and fetches good prices,
being valuable for veneer; off-centre peeling
and quarter slicing give the best striping effects.
This variation in colour has resulted in the
timber from Zaire being divided into two groups:
Limba clair (or Limba
blanc) in which two-thirds or more of the diameter
of the log is light in colour
Limba noir (or Limba bariole) in which
the dark-coloured heartwood is sufficient to
show on the sides of squared logs.
The timber is close-grained and usually straight,
but may be wavy in the grain ; the latter type
providing a good figure. It is of medium hardness
and weighs about 560 kg/m3 when dried to 15%
moisture content. In large logs the heart may
be brittle and it should be eliminated (“boxed
out”) in conversion. It is difficult to
air-dry, but kiln-drying is easy and there is
less tendency for defects to develop. Limba
is not resistant to decay and frequently the
heartwood of the larger trees is unsound when
felled. The sapwood is liable to blue sapstain.
The timber works easily with hand and machine
tools and is good for turnery. Gluing presents
no difficulties and an excellent finish can
be obtained. The timber can be stained and polished
easily (if a filler is used) but care must be
taken in nailing and screwing to avoid splitting.
The light coloured wood is suitable for face
veneers for doors, high quality plywood and
furniture and in appearance is rather like light
Oak. The more greenish-grey woods are used for
core veneer, utility plywood, light construction
work such as school equipment, office desks
and furniture. The black heart is very decorative
and is suitable for veneer, panelling, furniture,
etc.
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RARE EXOTIC TIMBERS AND THOSE NOT LISTED
As these timbers are in very limited supply and many
are subject to a quota system, please enquire at
for the specific species you require and we will
endeavour
to assist.
Click
here to view a site displaying photographs
of a variety of timbers.
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