Wenge is a African hardwood that is dark enough to be a substitute for ebony. The tree that generates wood that is wenge — Millettia laurentii — has been highly exploited as a raw material for flooring, paneling and furniture, and is considered endangered. For this reason logs are cut into thin strips. These are glued to a plywood or softwood substrate to generate plywood, tables, cabinets and other furniture pieces.
Wenge Characteristics
Wenge has a Janka hardness rating of 1630 — some resources estimate it higher — but it is about half as tough that are just two species it resembles. It is an more easy wood to operate. Saw blades are worn down by it and it is difficult to sand, because the grain is textured. To working together with wenge A disadvantage is that it splinters readily, and splinters under your skin can get infected. Despite these issues, it is an attractive hardwood at a rustic type of way.
Preparing Logs for Veneering
Logs of a mature Millettia laurentii tree can reach diameters of 36 inches, and while that’s more than enough to mill lumber of any dimension, it generates a large quantity of veneer. Worker produce veneers by soaking them to guarantee slicing and cutting logs into lengths. Within an hour of removing them the logs are sliced by employees to dentures using one of many methods. The traits of each log are evaluated by them before determining how to slice it to make the most of its grain pattern and uniformity.
Types of Veneers
Flat-slice veneers are produced from a log in a variety of ways, and each method produces a characteristic design. Veneers produced this way would be the raw materials for engineered flooring planks and a few types of timber paneling, among other applications. It is also possible to roll-slice veneer by turning the back above a blade. Thin veneer sheets that could possibly be turned in to plywood or sold as a commodity are produced by this method. In the latter case, veneer suppliers sometime subdivide the sheets, apply glue along with a backing and market them.
Caring for Wenge Veneer
Wenge is a durable wood species, so you don’t need to give some particular attention to it, in case you have a bit of furniture created with veneer. It’s often best to leave unfinished or to shield it or two coats of oil, As it is a challenging material to sand, and because sanding can be somewhat poisonous. If you want the look of a surface finish, use a couple of coats of shellac or lacquer to present a subtle sheen that lacks the plasticity of polyurethane.