Wenge Wood

Black Wenge’s heartwood is yellowish brown toning down to purplish brown with pink-brown thin stripes. Its sapwood is clearly demarcated and whitish and its grain is straight to slightly interlock.

Black Wenge is heartwood is yellowish brown toning down to purplish brown with pink-brown thin stripes. Its sapwood is clearly demarcated and whitish and its grain is straight to slightly interlock.

Other names:
Panga Panga; Wengué

Scientific Name:
Millettia laurentii

Family:
Fabaceae

USA, Africa

• Flooring
• Cabinetwork (high class furniture)
• Sliced veneer
• Current furniture or furniture components
• Interior joinery

• Exterior joinery
• Interior panelling
• Exterior panelling
• Sculpture
• Turned goods

The wood saws and works well, but force is required and sawteeth and cutting tools may blunt rapidly; stellite-tipped sawteeth and tungsten-carbide tipped cutting tools are recommended. It is difficult to polish and the use of a finishing wax is recommended. Pre-boring before nailing and screwing is needed. The wood slices well. It can also be rotary cut, but intensive steaming is then needed. The gluing and varnishing properties are poor due to the presence of resin cells, but the use of a filler improves the results considerably.

Available on request.