WENGE – HARDWOOD LUMBER
| Botanical Name: Leguminosae Common Names: Millettia Laurentii: Wenge (Zaire), Awong (Cameroon). Millettia Stuhlmannii: Panga Panga, Mpande (Tanzania). Where it Grows: Southern regions of Tanzania and Mozambique, found in open forests. Wenge occurs in the Congo region in periodically inundated swampy forests. Main Uses: Parquet or strip flooring, joinery, general construction, specialty items. Wenge is used as a hickory substitute in sporting goods, also for decorative veneer. General Description: Heartwood dark brown to almost black with alternate layers of light and dark tissue forming a decorative figure; sapwood yellowish white, clearly demarcated. Texture rather coarse; grain straight. Working Properties: Sawing and machining somewhat difficult, rapid blunting of cutting edges occurs, turns well, difficult to glue if resinous Physical Properties: Grain is straight, with a very coarse texture. Low natural luster. Availability: Available in wide boards and veneer sheets. |
