WENGE

Origine
AFRICA

Descrizione

Similar Woods:Panga Panga.

Origin:Africa.

Range: West Africa, Cameroon, Gabon, Congo, Zaire, concentrated between Stanley Pool and Kiwu, in the Province
of Equator and around Kisantu.

Uses: Valuable veneer wood, specially used as slicing wood for face veneer with close veins.
Architectural wood for furniture, panelling and parquet flooring lumber.
Generally cut halfround on the staylog.

Properties: The heartwood is two-coloured light brown, later darkening to coffee brown to black-violet, similar to
Rosewood. Has to be intensively cooked and sliced hot. The heartwood is most resistant to fungi,
insect attack and the weather.

Machining:Despite its hardness Wenge can still be worked well with all tools but this calls for considerable power.

Seasoning: Drying is very slow and only when properly controlled is there little risk of dry checking.
Stability is very good in dried state.

Finishing: Due to its coarse pore texture and parenchyma band deposits this wood is difficult to varnish.
Best suitable are DD and PU varnishes at a wood moisture content not in excess of 12%.

Jointing: Gluing is rather difficult. Casein and synthetic resin glues have proved successful.
Screw and nail joints should be pre-drilled.