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Blunting Effect
Comments
Common Names
Common Uses
Countries of Distribution
Cutting Resistance
Distribution Overview
Drying Defects
Ease of Drying
Environmental Profile
Family Name
Grain
Heartwood Color
Kiln Drying Rate
Kiln Schedules
Luster
Movement in Service
Nailing
Natural Durability
Numerical Data
Odor
Planing
Polishing
Product Sources
References
Regions of Distribution
Resistance to Impregnation
Response to Hand Tools
Sanding
Sapwood Color
Scientific Name
Staining
Steam Bending
Strength Properties
Texture
Trade Name
Tree Size
Veneering Qualities

Scientific Name
Sindora sp.

Trade Name
Sepetir

Family Name
Leguminosae

Wood Image 1

Common Names
Gu, Kayu galu, Sepetir, Sindur, Supa

Regions of Distribution
Oceania and S.E. Asia

Countries of Distribution  [VIEW MAP]
Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam

Common Uses
Beams, Bedroom suites, Building construction, Building materials, Cabin construction, Cabinetmaking, Chairs, Chests, Concealed parts (Furniture), Concrete formwork, Construction, Core Stock, Decks, Decorative veneer, Desks, Dining-room furniture, Dowell pins, Dowells, Drawer sides, Excelsior, Factory construction, Figured veneer, Fine furniture, Floor lamps, Form work, Foundation posts, Framing, Furniture , Furniture components, Furniture squares or stock, General carpentry, Handles, Hatracks, Heavy construction, Interior construction, Joinery, Joists, Kitchen cabinets, Light construction, Paneling , Tool handles, Veneer

Environmental Profile
Status has not been officially assessed


Distribution Overview
Several species in the genus Sindora are reported to occur in south-east Asia.

Heartwood Color
Green/grey
White
Red
Brown
Occasional dark streaks
Golden brown or various shades of brown
Darkens after exposure


Sapwood Color
Red
White
Wide
Light grayish brown
Clearly demarcated from heartwood in old trees


Grain
Even
Straight
Interlocked

Straight to shallowly interlocked

Flat-Sawn timber shows the attractive figure to the best advantage.

Texture
Medium
Greasy feel
Even textured


Luster
Low
Dull


Natural Durability
Perishable
Susceptible to insect attack
Non-resistant to termites
Non-resistant to marine borers
Non-durable
Very low natural resistance to decay in ground contact in the tropical regions
Susceptible to termite attack
Susceptible to attack by powder-post beetle


Odor
Spicy odor which persists even after the wood is seasoned


Kiln Schedules
T8-B3 (4/4)
T5-B1 (8/4) US Schedule G (4/4) United Kingdom


Drying Defects
Distortion
May distort and end-split slightly during drying


Ease of Drying
Moderately Difficult to Difficult
Fairly Easy
Rapidly
Seasons with little degrade
Good drying characteristics


Kiln Drying Rate
Naturally dries quickly


Tree Size
Bole length is 20-30 m
Bole length is 10-20 m
Tree height is 30-40 m
Tree height is 40-50 m


The unbuttressed trees are reported to produce straight and cylindrical boles

Product Sources
Various species in the genus are reported to produce the timber known commercially as Sepetir.

Comments
Material loss during conversion is rather high because of the wide and unusable sapwood

Oily

Waste Factor

Blunting Effect
Severe dulling effect on cutting edges


Cutting Resistance
Difficult to saw


Movement in Service
Small moverment after manufacture
Good dimensional stability and shows little movement in use


Nailing
Fairly Easy to Very Easy
Very Good to Excellent Results
Fair to Good Results
Tends to split during nailing
Pre-boring recommended


Planing
Woodworking properties usually vary
Difficult to work in planing, turning, boring, another machining operations
Cutting edges should be kept clean and sharp
Clean, finished surfaces
Can be planed to a smooth finish

Material from swampy locations are somewhat harder and heavier

Resistance to Impregnation
Satisfactory preservative absorption and retention
Difficult to treat with presevatives


Response to Hand Tools
Easy to Work
The operation requires sharp cutting edges for best results


Sanding
Fair sanding qualities


Veneering Qualities
Best figure display in veneers is achieved through rotary-cutting


Steam Bending
Poor to Very Poor Results


Polishing
Fair to Good Results
Very Good to Excellent Results
Polishing properties improve considerably after surface treatment


Staining
Fair to Good Results
Very Good to Excellent Results


Strength Properties
Weight=High
Resists wearing and marring
Hardness = medium
Density=High
Compression strength (parallel to grain) = high
Bending strength in the air-dry condition (about 12%moisture content)is high-comparable to Teak


Numerical Data
ItemGreenDryEnglish
Bending Strength965414187psi
Density46lbs/ft3
Hardness1529lbs
Maximum Crushing Strength48617669psi
Shearing Strength1767psi
Stiffness160319081000 psi
Weight4134.lbs/ft3
ItemGreenDryMetric
Bending Strength678997kg/cm2
Density737kg/m3
Hardness693kg
Maximum Crushing Strength341539kg/cm2
Shearing Strength124kg/cm2
Stiffness1121341000 kg/cm2

References
Desch, H. E. 1957. Manual of Malayan Timbers - Volume I. Malayan Forest Records, No. 15. Malaysia Publishing House Ltd., Singapore.

HMSO. 1972. Handbook of Hardwoods, 2nd Edition. Revised by R.H. Farmer. Department of the Environment, Building Research Establishment, Princes Risborough Laboratory, Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London.

Keating, W.G., Bolza, E.,1982,Characteristics properties and uses of timbers. South East Asia, Northern,Australia and the Pacific,C.S.I.R.O. Div. Chemical Technology,Inkata Press,1

Rendle, B.J. Editor. 1970. World Timbers, Volume Three - Asia & Australia & New Zealand. Published by Ernest Benn Limited, Bouverie House, Fleet Street, London.