Iroko
Iroko is a heavy wood with light yellowish sapwood, distinctly different from the yellow-brown heartwood that after the cut acquires a golden brown color.
Medium or coarse texture with often crossed fibers.
Technological properties
The Iroko is characterized by a medium hard wood, which is worked without difficulty. Withdrawals and deformations are medium, even after curing.
In the wood there are limestone secretions, even of considerable size, which can damage the tools.
It is very resistant to bending and yielding. Very durable with mushrooms and also resistant to attack by termites.
Use
It lends itself well because of the good mechanical properties and natural durability to uses in buildings also outside such as naval works, roofs for exterior of boats, carpentry, carpentry work, windows, floors, benches and outdoor furniture, port quays, cornices and profiles.
Typical defects
Limestone concentrations in the trunk; uneven grain.
Technical detalis of the iroko
Family | African Deciduous Family |
Scientific name | Milicia excelsa (Welw.) Berg, M. regia (A. Chév.) Berg |
Other names | Odum (Ghana); Semli, Sime, Tema (Sierra Leone); Abang, Adoum, Obang (Camerun); N vule (Etiopia); Kamba, Kambala (Congo); in Italia chiamato impropriamente Teck africano o Quercia africana |
Geographic origin | Equatorial forests of the Gulf of Guinea and in the eastern area from Ethiopia to Mozambico |
Specific weight Medium | Fresh 1000 kg/m3 |
Dried 660 kg/m3 | |
Sawing | Easy but there are limestone secretions, even of considerable size, which can damage the tools |
Drying | Easy from medium to slow |
Planing | Attention to limestone |
Gluing | Easy, no casein glues |
Nailing and screwing | Easy |