Question
I need to make some posts and hand railing out of mangaris to match the decking material. Does anyone know the milling/working properties of this wood?
Forum Responses
(Architectural Woodworking Forum)
From contributor E:
From a Google search: The wood is brittle and often splinters when it is cut down. The wood is also incredibly hard and contains silica, making cutting it down a difficult process. With the decline of more accessible hard woods however, tualangs are being cut down for timber, and are being sold under the name of mangaris wood. The tualang is protected under Sarawak's Wildlife Protection Bill of 1990.
Distribution : Distribution: West Malaysia, Borneo , Indonesia and Philippines.
General Description : A hard, heavy, and very dense heartwood with interlocking grains. Moderately slight and even texture.
Color : Purple-red to dark red-brown
Weight: Average 850 kg/m 3 (53 lb/ft 3)
Specific Gravity : .93.
Mechanical Properties : • Bending strength – High • Crushing strength – High •
Resistance to shock loads – High • Stiffness – High • Steam bending classification – Moderate
Seasoning : The timber dries very slowly with considerable degrade in thicker sizes, but distortion is not serious. Checking and splitting may be severe and existing shakes are liable to extend. Boards should be partially air dried before kilning. Movement is medium in service.
Working Properties : The wood is moderately difficult to work with machines as the interlocking grain and toughness has a blunting effect on tools. Owing to the high density of the timber, the cutting angle should be reduced to 20 degrees when planning. It is unsuitable for nailing or screwing, gluing results are a variable and it is rarely necessary to stain the wood. It can be polished satisfactorily.
Durability : Very durable. Extremely resistant from insect attack, fungal attack, and preservation treatment.
Uses: • Heavy construction work • Bridges • Wharf construction • Sleepers • Boats • Etc.
