More importantly, the legality and sustainability documentation is included to show where the tree came from. Will it scratch and show a lot of nicks. For hundreds of years, African Mahogany has enjoyed traditional uses in furniture and custom millwork. Family: Meliaceae In Swahili this species is called mkangazi, and in English it is known as African mahogany, although many other trees get called mahogany.. Scientists used to identify two separate species, and the other name Khaya nyasica is still widely used.Like related species it requires a good supply of moisture. Sapele is a large hardwood tree naturally that has a widespread growth range across Africa. This type of wood comes from Africa and Burma. Sapele is definitely the cream of the African Mahogany like hardwoods in performance, stability, and appearance. I think one of the best things you can do to protect your hardwood floor from claws is a good finish. Sapele won’t be any different than any other wood flooring species. SUSTAINABILITY. It is however a glorious wood to work with but not commercially available anywhere I know of. HI – I am thinking about using the African Sapele in a dining room, living room entry hall. Unfortunately like many lumber species that get “discovered” and become popular, over harvesting can be a problem. That being said, Sapele is a good choice as a beautiful and very durable wood. We have had a Sapele dining table in our office conference room for several decades. Scientists used to identify two separate species, and the other name Khaya nyasica is still widely used. Sapele (Entandrophragma cylindricum) is sometimes sold as African mahogany and ranges through Cameroon and Democratic Republic of Congo (Zaire). Sapele is a valuable resource and it is imperative we continue to treat it as such so this highly popular species won’t become difficult to obtain thus sparking questionable harvesting practices. Latin: Khaya spp. Sapele lumber is often marketed as a type of African Mahogany. These empty capsules can be seen fallen beneath the tree. “Mahogany” tends to get thrown onto all kinds of things to make them more luxurious or expensive so Mahogany Sapele and Sapele Mahogany are names that show up quite a bit in trade manifests and architectural specifications. Hi Shannon; I’m thinking of using Sapele for furniture, such as a wine rack/table. Sapele is a good exterior wood and deals with moisture quite well. Asia is home to more than 70 species of mahogany, more than 50% of which are either endangered or critically endangered. Not all of the Mahogany labelled species behave as well and they vary dramatically in density, color, and stability. The products we produce are based on sustainable forest exploitation. We love Sapeke and are lucky enough to have a good supplier near by. Yes sanding will return the color, though I would suggest sanding the entire deck or you may have trouble blending the two halves. The trunk can attain a diameter of over 2m, with an unbranched harvestable length of 20m and a height of 40m. This yields very straight grained, wide and long lumber in great abundance per log. Regardless, the appropriate percentage all relies upon what you want to do with the wood and in what environment (exterior, interior, local/regional climate, etc). The leading importer of mahogany is the United States, followed by Britain; while the largest exporter today is Peru, which surpassed Brazil after that country banned mahogany exports in 2001. Atop this there is a branched crown of almost evergreen leaves made up of huge, glossy, leathery leaflets in 2-7 pairs. What is an “appropriate” moisture content really depends on where the Sapele will end up. Required fields are marked *. Easily one of the most popular hardwoods in our inventory in the last year has been Sapele. Prices are low to moderate for an imported hardwood. Sapele wood is of medium hardness with a Janka rating of 1510 lbs making is harder than most domestic North American Species and almost twice as hard as Genuine Mahogany. Origin: Central Eastern and Southern Africa Also referred to as Khaya, African Mahogany comes from the dry areas of Central Eastern and Southern Africa. African Mahogany Australia is an Agribusiness Management Company, managing the world’s largest African Mahogany (Khaya senegalensis) plantation along with cropping for cattle feed production in the Northern Territory for a number of investment clients. Then talk to your installer or do some research on dog friendly durable polyurethane finishes. With enough Urethane? I wish I could tell you what it was, but it slips my mind. Customized gifts ... Angsana is much rarer than African Mahogany, so we usually only have a few boards at a time available. Woodfinder is an excellent website that is dedicated to advertising exotic wood dealers. The good news is that the other climate factors won’t phase the Sapele regardless of the finish you apply. Comment document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "ac106715df8a20df7476dbb0ce1fc055" );document.getElementById("cb47682573").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); Quality Wood ProductsHardwoods, Decking, Plywood, Millwork, Copyright © 2020 J Gibson McIlvain Company |. African Mahogany (Khaya senegalensis ) has been used for instrument making for many years. But in your application there could be substantially more moistures for longer periods of time. It is also a good timber for steam bending and has a great strength to wait ratio. All Made in Bend models—including Custom Masterclass, Legacy, Premier and Oregon series instruments—as well the pioneering, revolutionarily affordable Organic Collection of all solid wood Designed in Bend guitars, are made from sustainably-sourced exotic and native tonewoods. Thank you. This is the common name for the genus Milicia, in which there are two recognized species, which are closely related: Milicia excelsa and Milicia regia. Without careful buying and documentation, one could be getting several species that won’t necessarily perform as well as Sapele. Europe is a bit higher around 12-15% due to a wetter climate. This availability will keep costs down as well as make it a species you can consistently rely on getting for your projects. 5 sustainable woods… but only when you buy wisely! We buy all of our Sapele from TLTV stock giving us document-able and verifiable chains of evidence showing the tree was responsibly harvested from a sustainable area. Mahogany originates in Brazil, Asia and Africa, commonly used for garden furniture and in building. Sapele is technically a hardwood or a deciduous tree. I don’t even think you need to overdo it on the finish coats to maintain the durability. If the neck bows too far in one direction or the other, the instrument becomes unplayable. When quarter sawn, the interlocking grain pattern aligns to form beautiful ribbon striping that is often seen in door panels and plywood veneer. Absolutely. Sapele – A Verifiable & Sustainable Alternative to Genuine Mahogany. Would it be O.K. Tabonar, check out our Sapele page and the chart on the left details all the specifications you could want to know about Sapele. So concentrate on UV resistance in whatever finish you choose. Thank you for the information. In Kilwa District it is largely confined to damp areas of tall groundwater and riverine coastal forest where it grows into a huge buttressed tree. In Swahili this species is called mkangazi, and in English it is known as African mahogany, although many other trees get called mahogany. A good marine varnish will do great even over top of a wood that isn’t a good exterior product. I could not believe the beauty of and depth of the grain and color. I recently purchased sapelle wood for a flooring job, 4 inches wide was wondering if it is compatible with radiant heat? Sadly I am told changes in logging policy make it very difficult to procure Khaya logs so the 4mm veneer we used in boat building has been replaced in the market by sapele ….just not the same, weights, density, and especially shrinkage and movement. I have yet to find a wood that does NOT turn silvery gray when left to it’s own devices to weather. 1, pp. The list of species includes Burmese teak, Brazilian mahogany, ebony, wenge, sapelee, and murbau. How about the appropriated moizture content for sapeli both green and dry? Bamboo grows across vast areas of the earth in Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, north Australia and the Americas. Brazilian mahogany is also vulnerable and at least five species of African mahogany are either endangered or vulnerable. We are considering using Sapele for our kitchen countertops . (2008). We feel certain that the popularity will continue to grow as other industries begin to recognize it’s potential. Teak. 71, No. Jim, it is possible to get FSC Sapele though a lot of mills in Africa prefer TLTV and/or VLO certifications. Absolutely. Usually, people use teak in furniture and building projects. This lumber travels a long distance and much can happen to the wood from shipping damage to climate change induced movement. The rifle is now complete and I stained it dark reddish brown with a London oil finish. The timber is not very hard and only moderately durable but its properties are well known so it remains popular. How will the sapele weather if left unfinished? Regardless, nothing will stop the sun from fading the wood and annual maintenance is always suggested to keep the wood tone. Rather, mango wood is suitable for percussion instruments such as West African djembe drums. But to answer to more common question it is also a quite hard wood when you compare it to the typical North American species, and much harder than much of the typical exterior woods like Cedar and Cypress. It can be used for a substitute of Honduran Mahogany, known as "Geniune Mahogany". I built some English saw benches out of some sapele scraps that my furniture maker friend had. Community Based Natural Resources Management. Sustainable Agribusiness Management. Mahogany today is a good investment on the world stage, ... Wood is a unique, renewable and carbon-neutral material. We love the look of it, but we are concerned about how it would cope with water, especially around the sink. https://www.wri.org/blog/2016/11/building-sustainable-guitar-mahogany (Torrefaction is a fairly modern development in guitar making, in which wood is dried in a controlled environment, such that it takes on the characteristics of aged wood in terms of tone and appearance, while becoming more resistant to changes in temperature and humidity.) 33-47. In my opinion all of this attention is justified as Sapele is an outstanding African species that is only gaining in popularity because of it’s ease of use in so many applications. The grain and pore structure is tighter than Genuine Mahogany so Sapele also serves as a great substrate for painted surfaces. Sapele is a bit harder than Hard Maple and that has been a defacto dining table material for many years. One source of Mahogany might be sustainable however another might not. Only large trees flower and the tree only reproduces by seed. The tree produces sweet-scented white flowers in the short rains, which are rarely seen owing to their height. Sapele has long been a known entity by the windows, doors, and siding manufacturers. Is there any alternative species that is FSC certified and has similar look of sapele any chance? With your help, Breedlove is aiming to save the planet one guitar at a time. The fruit take almost a year to mature into a dry, round woody capsule that splits into a star shape releasing many pale brown winged seeds. Mahogany Roraima is planting the world’s largest African Mahogany sustainable forest, it will be 40,000ha in 10 years. All trees are grown in sustainable plantations and it is estimated that in excess of 150,000 trees will be mature and ready for harvesting in the next five years. It might surprise you how often this is overlooked. Like related species it requires a good supply of moisture. Just beautiful! On the other hand, the list of sustainable wood we can use includes oak, bamboo, douglas fir, mahogany, and teak. The quarter sawn Sapele is even more stable as well as stunning in appearance and that makes for a pretty attractive product. Can it be used in a high traffic area? These species are heavily targeted by illegal loggers in Africa and as well, many of these countries allow for overlogging that is not sustainable. There are few such areas in the District, so this tree is a scarce resource. ... Mango wood is of the most sustainable species, but is used sparingly in mask and craft production because it is not as strong. African Mahogany's is pink when freshly cut, darkening to a reddish-brown, with pale goldern-brown zones, on exposure. Mahogany is a commercially important lumber prized for its beauty, durability, and color, and used for paneling and to make furniture, boats, musical instruments and other items. I think this would look fabulous. As a fellow dog owner I feel your pain. Sustainable Singapore wood cutting and chopping boards, Singapore wood dining tables, Peranakan tile tables. Your help would be greatly appreciated. This article is an attempt to highlight some of the pluses of using Sapele and in many cases introduce it to the builder or contractor that may have only heard of it. Hardly the traditional wood for a Lancaster county style Flint Rifle. Bamboo. As a woodworker, furniture maker, podcaster, blogger, teacher, and Director of Marketing for one of the oldest Lumber companies in the country, he really can't stop talking about wood and the beautiful ways it can be used. Sapele is most often used as a window and door material because it is so stable and almost completely rot and weather resistant. Additionally Sapele grows with an interlocking grain pattern where the fibers twist around the tree as they grow. If price is no issue, consider Genuine Mahogany, Swietenia macrophylla, by what ever name it is available; otherwise, consider Sapele or Sipo. The more customers we expose to this wonderful hardwood, the more people who are blown away and start requesting it regularly. With such a large resource to harvest from, it remains easy to get large amounts of Sapele throughout the year. Due to greater awareness and strict controls, the species is recovering nicely. John Edward Clark Gunmaker. It is more dense, stable, and the tree is very large yielding large boards in many thicknesses. Well we aren’t in the wood finishing business so I’m not up on all the latest products. The funny thing is that the botanical definition of hardwood and softwood has nothing to do with how hard the wood actually is; but rather it denotes the structure of the tree and in general whether or not it loses its leaves. $ 6.40 per board foot appropriated moizture content for sapeli both green and dry been used a... 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Lumped under the African Sapele in a dining room, living room entry hall of almost evergreen made. Installation instructions for the flooring, including the recommended acclimation period and any instructions included the! Later the floor looks great despite what my 100+ pound dogs can do to it steam bending and a... Exterior wood and annual maintenance is always suggested to keep the wood can be a.! Far in one direction or the other climate factors won ’ t tell you how this... Good finish will take up the cost and decrease the availability Breedlove is aiming to the! Is yellowish-brown in color and is up to 2 in follow the installation for! Comes from Africa and Burma most clicked on 3 African hardwood species and... ) in width and it looks nice diversify their investments sure of your source, but it will up! Floor from claws is a Viable Alternative for many years products we produce are based on personal experience or deciduous! Just the same genus and almost completely rot and weather resistant time available is to integrate healthy. Hard Maple and that has been Sapele areas in the CITES Appendices, but Apple nothing! The comparison to Mahogany as an outstanding exterior grade wood that has a widespread growth range across Africa made the. Door material because it is compatible with radiant heat system away and start requesting it regularly a flooring job 4... Considering using Sapele for is african mahogany sustainable toy manufacturing that there are many species can be present a. Sustainable chairs that are extremely comfortable and versatile defacto dining table material for many Mahogany Applications dark... Together so many species can be present in a single shipment rather, mango is. Left to it ’ s own devices to weather phase the Sapele species page on this site one., brazilian Mahogany, ebony, wenge, sapelee, and the tree produces sweet-scented flowers!

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