KOTO

Similar Woods: Impa, Ako, Eyong, Obeche (Wawa)
Origin: Africa
Range: West Africa, from Lyberia through to the Ivory Cpast, Ghana, Nigeria and Cameroon.
Uses: Sliced veneer used for door skins and inner surface veneers; rotary veneer used for plywood panels.
Used in the furniture industry more as a backing veneer.
Properties: The wood is yellowish-white to cream in color and becomes more yellowish-grey steamed.
Koto is very good for printing and staining. Logs must be freshly felled and chemically impregnated.
Veneer and lumber (treated) should be stored in dry, well-ventilated rooms.
Machining: Well-sharpened tools are required to produce smooth surfaces due to the interlocking grain.
Wet wood tends to become slightly woolly when cut.
Seasoning: The wood must be carefully and slowly dried to avoid surface checking.
Drying should take place as soon as possible to avoid blue stain.
Finishing: The wood is excellently suited for staining and polishing when a filler is applied.
Jointing: The wood can be glued very well. Joints are easy to make and hold firmly.