ZEBRAWOOD – HARDWOOD LUMBER
| Botanical Name: Microberlinia Brazzavillensis Common Names: Zingana (Gabon), Allen ele (Cameroon) Where it Grows: West Africa, mainly in Gabon and Cameroon, gregarious, sometimes in pure stands along riverbanks. Main Uses: Decorative veneers, turnery. Because of high toughness, used in ski manufacture, tool handles, etc. General Description: Heartwood pale yellow brown with narrow darker streaks, striping pattern varies considerably; sapwood white up to 4 in. wide, distinct. Texture medium to coarse; grain usually wavy or interlocked; lustrous; unpleasant odor disappears after drying. Working Properties: Saws fairly well, a clean smooth finish is sometimes difficult to obtain with machine or hand planing, tearing of interlocked grain; good gluing properties, veneers need careful handling to avoid cracking. Physical Properties: Heartwood is durable and resistant to termite attack. Availability: Zebrawood tends to be fairly expensive, though usually not as prohibitively expensive as other exotics |
