MAHOGANY AFRICAN - Acajou

Other Common Names: Often further classified as to port of shipment or country of origin; consignments to U.S. trade mostly K. ivorensis. Munyama (Uganda), Acajou dAfrique (Ivory Coast), Dubini, Dukuma fufu (Ghana), Ogwango (Nigeria).

 

Distribution: Sierra Leone and Liberia to Gabon. K. anthotheca then extends eastward to Uganda and inhabits lower rainfall regions than K. ivorensis.

 

The Tree: Reaches heights of 180 to 200 ft; boles are straight, cylindrical, and clear to 90 ft; trunk diameters are 3 to 6 ft, buttressed.

 

The Wood:

 

General Characteristics: Heartwood light pinkish brown darkening upon exposure to reddish brown; sapwood whitish or yellowish, not always sharply demarcated. Texture medium to coarse; grain straight to interlocked, producing a stripe figure; lustrous. Brittleheart present in some logs. Dust from K. anthotheca may be a skin irritant.

 

 

Weight: Basic specific gravity (ovendry weight/green volume) 0.44; air-dry density 32 pcf.

 

Mechanical Properties: (2-cm standard)
Moisture content          Bending strength     Modulus of elasticity   Maximum crushing strength
(%)                                         (Psi)                 (1,000 Psi)                       (Psi)
green (9)                                   7,700               1,080                          3,680
12%                                          12,000             1,310                          6,430
green (9)                                   7,800               1,080                          3,890
12%                                          11,300             1,300                          6,730
12% (44)                                  10,000               NA                             6,850

Janka side hardness 640 to 735 lb for green material and 830 to 860 lb for dry. Amsler toughness 178 in.-lb for dry material (2-cm specimen).

 

Drying and Shrinkage: Dries rapidly with little degrade. If tension wood is present, serious distortion may occur during drying. Kiln schedule T6-D4 is suggested for 4/4 stock and T3-03 for 8/4. Shrinkage green to ovendry: radial 3.2%; tangential 5.6%. Movement in service is rated as small.

 

Working Properties: Rather variable, tends to woolliness and torn grain, sharp thin edge cutters are suggested, a cutting angle of 20 degrees in planing is recommended. Nailing and gluing properties are good, an excellent finish is readily obtainable. Easy to slice and peel.

 

Durability: Heartwood is rated as moderately durable, prone to buprestid and termite attack. Sapwood liable to powder-post beetle attack.

 

Preservation: Heartwood is extremely resistant to preservative treatments; sapwood moderately resistant.

 

Uses: Furniture and cabinetwood, boatbuilding, joinery, veneer and plywood, paneling, shop fixtures.
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