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Blunting Effect
Boring
Carving
Comments
Common Names
Common Uses
Countries of Distribution
Cutting Resistance
Distribution Overview
Ease of Drying
Environmental Profile
Family Name
Gluing
Grain
Heartwood Color
Kiln Schedules
Luster
Mortising
Moulding
Nailing
Natural Durability
Numerical Data
Odor
Planing
References
Regions of Distribution
Response to Hand Tools
Sapwood Color
Scientific Name
Screwing
Strength Properties
Texture
Trade Name
Tree Size
Turning
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Common Names
Alstonia mergalang, Basong, Dita, Mergalang, Milkwood, Milky pine, Mo cua, Pulai, Shaitan wood, White cheesewood
Regions of Distribution
Oceania and S.E. Asia
Countries of Distribution
[VIEW MAP]
India, Malaysia, Philippines
Common Uses
Baskets, Boxes and crates, Carvings, Casks, Decorative plywood, Food containers, General carpentry, Matchboxes, Matches, Packing cases, Plywood, Woodwork
Environmental Profile
| Questionable |
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| Extinct |
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| Endangered |
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| Status unknown in many of its growth areas |
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| Extinct, Endangered, Vulnerable, or Rare within its range |
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Distribution Overview
Likely grows in the Indo-Malayan region, Australia, and/or Polynesia.
Heartwood Color
| White |
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| Brown |
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| Yellow |
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| Red |
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| Yellowish white |
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| Pale brown |
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Sapwood Color
| White |
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| Brown |
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| Yellow |
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| Red |
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| Green/Grey |
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| Straw colored to grayish-white |
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| Color not distinct from heartwood |
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Grain
| Even |
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| Straight |
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| Interlocked |
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| Interlocked |
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| Generally straight, but not always |
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Texture
| Medium |
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| Fine |
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| Coarse |
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| Medium to coarse |
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| Fine to medium |
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Luster
| High |
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| Medium |
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| Lustrous |
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| High |
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Natural Durability
| Perishable |
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| Non-resistant to powder post beetles |
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| Vulnerable to attack by powder-post beetles |
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| susceptible to sap stain |
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Odor
| No specific smell or taste |
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Kiln Schedules
Ease of Drying
| Rapidly |
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| Reconditioning Treatement |
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| Fairly Easy |
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| Little degrade |
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| Little degrade if dried properly |
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| Easy |
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| Dries at a fairly rapid rate |
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Tree Size
| Bole length is 10-20 m |
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| Tree height is 20-30 m |
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Comments
Large slit-like canals containing latex are usually present
Blunting Effect
| Little |
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| Blunting effect on machining is slight |
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Boring
| Fair to good results |
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| Good (75+ pieces out of 100 will yield good to excellent results) |
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Carving
| Fair to Good Results |
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| Good results |
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Cutting Resistance
| Easy to saw |
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| Low resistance to sawing |
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Gluing
| Fair to Good Results |
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| Fairly Easy to Very Easy |
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| Moderate gluing properties |
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Mortising
| Fair to Good Results |
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| Finishes well |
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Moulding
| Fair to Good Results |
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| Fairly Easy to Very Easy |
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| Good moulding properties |
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Nailing
| Very Good to Excellent Results |
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| Fairly Easy to Very Easy |
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| Fair to Good Results |
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| Holds nails well |
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| Easy to nail |
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Planing
| Fair to Good Results |
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| Fairly Easy to Very Easy |
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| Planes well, to a good finish |
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| Good planing properties |
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Response to Hand Tools
| Responds Readily |
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| Responds well to hand tools |
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Screwing
| Very Good to Excellent Results |
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| Fair to Good Results |
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| Fairly Easy to Very Easy |
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| Good screw holding properties |
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Turning
| Fair to Good Results |
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| Good results |
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Strength Properties
| Hardness (side grain) = soft |
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| Compression strength (parallel to grain) = low |
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Medium density
Numerical Data
| Item | Green | Dry | English |
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| Bending Strength | 5027 | 7699. | psi |
| Density | | 25 | lbs/ft3 |
| Hardness | | 451 | lbs |
| Maximum Crushing Strength | 2734 | 4382. | psi |
| Stiffness | 882 | 1042. | 1000 psi |
| Toughness | | 175 | inch-lbs |
| Specific Gravity | 0.3 | | |
| Weight | 25 | 20. | lbs/ft3 |
| Radial Shrinkage | 3 | | % |
| Tangential Shrinkage | 6 | | % |
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| Item | Green | Dry | Metric |
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| Bending Strength | 353 | 541. | kg/cm2 |
| Density | | 400 | kg/m3 |
| Hardness | | 204 | kg |
| Maximum Crushing Strength | 192 | 308. | kg/cm2 |
| Stiffness | 62 | 73. | 1000 kg/cm2 |
| Toughness | | 201 | cm-kg |
| Specific Gravity | 0.3 | | |
| Weight | 400 | 320. | kg/m3 |
| Radial Shrinkage | 3 | | % |
References
Chudnoff, M.,1984,Tropical Timbers of the World,U.S.A. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products,Laboratory, Madison.
WCMC. 1992. Conservation Status Listing - Trees and Timbers of the World. World Conservation Monitoring Center-Plants Programme, Cambridge, CB3 ODL, United Kingdom.
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