Zebrawood
| Common Name | This wood is additionally best-known by these names Palo-mulatto, Zebrano |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Microberlinia brazzavillensis |
| Distribution | This wood is cosmopolitan over Central America, Africa, Brazil, the Pacific, and Asia. |
| Tree Size | This tree grows up to a height of 65-130 foot (20-40 m) tall, and a trunk diameter of regarding 4-5 feet (1.2-1.5 m). |
| Dried Weight ( average ) | The average dry weight of this wood is regarding fifty lbs/ft3 (805 kg/m3). |
| Specific Gravity | .67, .81 |
| Janka Hardness | 1,830 lbf (8,160 N) |
As one will merely imagine from the name, this wood too has stripes however not the black and white kind. The look of the wood obtained from this tree mistily resembles the patterns found on the body of a zebra therefore its name. This wood includes a long history and also the initial record of its existence was dated back to the decade in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. This wood was foreign to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the continent around that point and once the civil war occurred the import was halted. Alternative sources of this wood are found to be set in Central America, an African country, Brazil, the Pacific, and components of Asia.
The pale golden yellow hardwood entirely totally different from the pale color of the wood makes it simple to tell apart between the two. The Zebrawood is additionally characterized by the dark brown to black streaks that provides it the zebra-like patterns.
Even though the Zebrawood surpasses some alternative woods in terms of heaviness, stability, and density these same qualities will become this wood’s weakness. Thanks to these qualities, this woods becomes difficult to figure with to the woodworks. The tools used for woodworks tend to become dull with use, thanks to this wood’s coarse grain structure. The Zebrawood is acknowledged for its high sturdiness and resistance to insect, pest, and attacks against termites. So utilized in the article of furniture creating produces that are sturdy and robust furniture.
About twenty years past this wood was utilized in several cars to make their dashboards. This wood has conjointly seen to be utilized in some prestigious cars just like the Cadillac and also the Mercedes to call several.
There is a reason why this wood has been historically used for accent and ornamental functions primarily throughout the first years and not for commercial purposes. This is often thanks to the Zebrawood’s soaring price, low accessibility, and also the demand for the in-depth man labor. This exotic wood was logged separately by the hand of not simply several however many but hundreds of men on the mountain slopes.
Color: The Zebrawood is principally used for the ornamental and distinctive marking pattern it possesses. Heartwood may be a brownness or cream color whereas the sapwood is of a paler shade than makes the heartwood simply distinct from the wood. Along side dark achromatic brown streaks mistily resembling a zebra’s stripes. Counting on whether or not and numerous alternative factors the wood is flatsawn or quartersawn. The stripes is either chaotic and wavy (flatsawn), or somewhat uniform (quartersawn). This wood is most popular to be quartersawn.
Texture: The Zebrawood includes a fairly coarse texture and open pores. The grain is sometimes wavy or interlocked. The interlocked pores cause as a challenge to figure with. Diffuse-porous; massive to terribly massive pores in no specific arrangement, few to terribly few; solitary and radial multiples of 2-3; duramen deposits (brown) sometimes present; slim rays not visible while not lens, spacing fairly close; parenchyma diffuse-in-aggregates, unilateral, vasicentric, winged, lozenge, and convergent, and banded (marginal).
Workability: The wood saws well, however is troublesome to plane or surface thanks to the prevalence of interlocking grain. Tearout is common in these styles of wood. Zebrawood glues and finishes well, though clear pore filler could also be necessary for the big open pores that occur on each dark and light-weight surfaces. To make sure ease in finishing a sanding sealer is wont to seal the open pores.
Odor: It has a characteristic, unpleasant smell whereas being worked on by the woodworkers. This category of wood is termed as a sensitizer. that's it irritates the eyes and skin. This wood is additionally found to cause metabolism issues once indrawn while not protection and entries into the systema respiratorium. So correct precautions and necessary instrumentation should be provided to the woodworkers whereas operating to make sure of their safety.
Availability: In the past days, these woods were used for accent and decorative functions primarily. this is often as a result of the Zebrawood tends to be fairly overpriced, though typically not as prohibitively overpriced as alternative exotics like Ebony or Rosewood. Throughout the decade this wood was obtainable in plentiful to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. However, with the emergence of the civil war, their accessibility had declined since then, even to the current terribly day. This wood species isn't listed within the CITES Appendices however is on the IUCN Red List. It's listed as vulnerable thanks to a population reduction of over 20% inside the last one hundred years. A closely-related, lesser-used species in Cameroon, Microberlinia bisulcata, is additionally listed as critically vulnerable. this is often primarily thanks to overharvesting, bootleg work, and lack of conservation strategies to save lots of its population.
Uses: Zebrawood is generally most popular and regularly quartersawn as a result of this wood isn't thus stable and also the proven fact that it produces additional patterns of alternating color in this manner. 20 years past this wood was utilized in dashboards within the cars. This wood has conjointly been utilized in some prestigious cars just like the Cadillac and Mercedes. alternative uses embody tool handles, furniture, boatbuilding, skis, ornamental exotic wood veneer, wall panel, made-to-order furnishings, inlay bandings, marquetry, turnery, shotguns, and rifles.
Finished Product's Images
Frequently asked Questions
The name zebrawood is utilized to elucidate several tree species and so the wood derived from them. Zebrawood is characterized by a speckled figure that loves an equine. The name originally applied to the wood of dicot genus graveolens, An outsize tree native to Central America.
The wood of Microberlinia (also referred to as Zebrano) is foreign from an African country, (Gabon, Cameroon, and Congo). Different sources embrace Brazilian tree, African rosid dicot genus spiciformis,[dubious – discuss] Pacific Guettarda speciosa,[dubious – discuss] and Asian dicot genus integerrima.
Zebrawood is characterized by a speckled figure that mistily resembles the zebra hence the origin of its name. Wood is also a brown or cream color with dark achromatic brown streaks vaguely resembling a zebra’s stripes. looking forward to whether or not or not the wood is flatsawn or quartersawn, the stripes is also either chaotic and wavy (flatsawn), or somewhat uniform (quartersawn).
You can finish zebrawood with one thing you'd placed on your traditional stuff like oak, All adhesives work well, but as a result of the wood tends to be oily, first wipe the connexion surfaces with a solvent. The wood sands unremarkably, but large and sharp splinters ar an incident. Progress through the grits to bring out zebrawood’s natural luster. For a glass-like smoothness, take under consideration filling the open pores and grain.
Due to its natural oils, the film finishes supply mixed results with potential failure. A penetrating oil with added driers, like polymerized Chinese wood oil, works higher. To ensure ease in finishing a sanding sealer can be used to seal the open pores.
Janka Hardness: 1575
As a flooring selection, zebrawood is one all told the harder woods. it's merely over twenty-two harder than oak, is roughly fifteen is tougher than oak, slightly below deception softer than wenge, and is concerning seventy one you think that of city mahogany's ranking of 2200.
Density: Zebrawood is assumed to be quite durable. Every day according to denseness is zero.70 (oven-dry weight/green volume), up to Associate in Nursing dry weight of fifty 5 PCF. Janka hardness is 1570 pounds of force.
References
- https://www.wood-database.com/zebrawood/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zebrawood
- https://www.woodcraft.com/blog_entries/woodsense-spotlight-on-zebrawood
- https://www.azwood.com/wood-flooring-101/wood-hardness-the-janka-scale/zebrawood.cfm
- https://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/wood/wood-month/zebrawood-popular-exotic-hardwood
- http://hobbithouseinc.com/personal/woodpics/zebrawood.htm
- https://www.keimlumber.com/exotic-wood-library/zebrawood#:~:text=Density%3A%20Zebrawood%20is%20regarded%20as,is%201570%20pounds%20of%20force.