WHITE TEAK Gmelina molucanna
USES
Flooring; light traffic, solid strip and overlay. Furniture;
including cabinet work, cabinet doors, custom made pieces. Interior;
VJ wall linings (feature), panels. Speciality uses: Musical
instruments (including guitar bellies), sliced, decorative veneer,
shop, office and bank fitouts. Window joinery. White teak is a small
to medium-sized hardwood. It is native to India and Burma, but is now
being planted in many tropical areas due to its good form and growth.
● Considered to have excellent market potential due to its
decorative figure and pale silvery-coloured wood. It is in the same
botanical family as teak (Tectona grandis).
● Some trees produce an
unusual wavy/watered silk figure which is extremely attractive,
likening it to that of the popular decorative timber anegré (Aningeria
spp.) of Africa. This attribute makes white teak attractive for shop
and office fit-outs.
● The timber works well with both machine and hand tools. A
reduction in the cutter angle to 25° so as to overcome any finishing
problems associated with interlocked grain will ensure a clean, smooth
surface when planing and moulding quarter sawn material.
● The timber
dries very slowly but well. Recommended that all material be
quarter-sawn for drying as well as for aesthetic reasons. Back sawn
material is subject to warp including cupping.
● A high quality, decorative wood especially for interior work,
panelling, sliced veneer, light duty flooring and window joinery. The
wood is greasy to the touch.
P RO P E R T I E S
Density 500–550kg/m3 @12% m.c Colour Off white to pale straw-brown.
Texture Medium and even; lustrous. Grain Interlocked. Figure
Decorative; fine banded or ribbon figure on quarter-sawn faces.
Durability Moderately durable. Permeability Heartwood, non-permeable
to pressure impregnation. Lyctid susceptibility Sapwood is
susceptible.
WO R K A B I L I T Y
General Good working properties; care required to get high class
finish. Sawing Readily sawn. Planing Attention to cutter angles to get
smooth finish due to interlocked grain. Reduction of 20°-25°
recommended. Blunting Low to moderate. Boring Good characteristics.
Turning Satisfactory; slightly furry. Nailing Nails easily and well.
Gluing Care required due to natural greasiness of wood. Finishing With
care, works and sands to a smooth finish. Takes an excellent polish
finishing with a silvery sheen.
M E C H A N I C A L P R O P E R T I E S
Strength SD6 (seasoned). Structural Grade F14 (select grade).
Toughness (Izod) 6J (seasoned), 7.5J (unseasoned). Hardness (Janka)
2.5kN (seasoned), 2.5kN (unseasoned). Max. Crushing Strength 36 MPa
(seasoned), 25 MPa (unseasoned). Modulus of Elasticity 10 GPa
(seasoned), 8 GPa (unseasoned). Modulus of Rupture 62 MPa (seasoned),
48 MPa (unseasoned).
S E A S O N I N G
General Seasons very slowly, but well, with little degrade.
Movement Low. Shrinkage Low.
