MELUNAK (Pentace burmanica)
Trade Name
Melunak
Scientific Name
Pentace burmanica Kurz
Family
TILIACEAE
Common Names
Thethet; Takothet; Kathitka; Daeng amae; Burma mahogany (Myanmar); Kashit (Myanmar); Sisiat pluak (Thailand); Burma mahogany (United States of America); Burma mahogany (United Kingdom); Tassit (Cambodia); Daeng-samaet (Thailand); Thitka (Myanmar); Takalis (Sabah); Melunak (Malaysia); Sisiet (Cambodia); Pinang (Indonesia)
Description Of The Tree
Botanical Description
It is a medium-sized to fairly large tree up to 40 m tall. The bole is straight, up to 100 cm in diameter.
Natural Habitat
Pentace burmanica is reported in lowland evergreen forests up to 300 m of altitude.
Wood Identification
Anatomic Description Of Wood
Wood diffuse porous. Occasionally tyloses common. Vessels per mm2 5 to 20. Vessel-ray pits reticulate and/or foraminate. Simple perforation plates. Intervessel pits small, 7 micras or less. Axial parenchyma in marginal or in seemingly marginal bands. Apotracheal axial parenchyma diffuse and/or diffuse in aggregates. Paratracheal axial parenchyma scanty and/or vasicentric. Axial parenchyma storied. 5 to 8 cells per parenchyma strand. 4 to 10 rays per mm (medium). Rays storied. Homogeneous rays and/or sub-homogeneous rays (all ray cells procumbent). Body ray cells procumbent with one row of upright and/or square marginal cells (Kribs-III). Fibers with simple to minutely bordered pits. Fibers storied.
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Wood Macro Photo Radial Plane
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Wood Micro Photo Of Transversal Section
Availability
Cites Status
Unrestricted
General Wood Description
Odor
It has sour odor, particularly noticeable when freshly sawn.
Color
The sapwood varies from straw-colored to pale reddish brown. The heartwood darkens on exposure to golden or red brown, somewhat like mahogany.
COLOR INDEX (1=Black, 7=Light yellow,white)
4
Grain
It is usually shallowly to deeply interlocked.
Texture
The texture is medium, tyloses are reported.
Luster
It is a lustrous wood.
Natural Durability
The natural durability is from durable to moderate and susceptible to the fungi and insect attack.
Natural durability index (1= Very high durability, 7=Vey low durability)
4
Silica Content
Silica Content: It is non-siliceous. Silica Value: 0
Resistance To Impregnation
The heartwood is reported to be very difficult to treat with preservatives.
Wood Physical Properties
Basic Density or Specific Gravity (O.D. weight/vol. green) (g/cm³)
0.58
Air-dry Density (Weight and volume at 12%MC) (g/cm³)
0.64
Total shrinkage Tangential (Saturated to 0%MC) (%)
7.0
Total shrinkage Radial (Saturated to 0%MC) (%)
4.2
Drying Defects
Kiln Schedules: Kiln drying from green condition to 12% moisture content takes 9 to10 days.
Dimensional stability ratio (Total Tangential Shrinkage %/Total Radial Shrinkage %)
1.6
Wood Chemical Properties
Wood Mechanical Properties
Bending Strength (MOR),12%MC (kgf/cm²)
895
Stiffness (MOE) 12%MC (kgf/cm²)
108187
Compression parallel to fiber 12%MC (kgf/cm²)
494
Shear strength radial 12%MC (kgf/cm²)
110
Janka hardness (side) 12%MC (kgf)
534
Janka hardness (end grain) 12%MC (kgf)
692
Workability
Sawing
Sawing of this species is reported to be rather easy.
Rotary Veneer Cutting
After steaming it is reported to peel well.
Sliced Veneer
After steaming it is reported to peel well.
Machining
Sloping grain may cause tearing, it tends to splinter rather easily.
Planing
Planing operations are good to fair, interlocked grain may cause tearing in radial faces.
Turning
30
Boring
Boring of this species is reported to be easy.
Nailing
It is easy to nail.
Gluing
This species is easy to glue.
Finishing
Filling is necessary.
Response To Hand Tools
It is easy to work with hand tools.
REFERENCED USES
End Uses Summary
HOUSING GENERAL, panelling, FURNITURE AND CABINETS, cabinets, PLYWOOD AND VENEER, Decorative veneer, TURNING, TOOLS, tool handles, agricultural tools, CONTAINERS, truck bodies, truck flooring, NAVAL CONSTRUCTION, OTHER AND MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS, handicrafts, moldings
General Housing
- 10 - Silica in Timbers
Paneling
- 18 - W3TROPICOS Missouri Botanical Garden
Furniture Cabinets
- 21 - Tropical timbers of the world. Part III-Southeast Asian and Oceanian Species.
Cabinet
- 24 - Empire Timbers
Panels, Veneers
- 25 - Directory of Timber Trade Malaysia
Decorative veneer
- 28 - Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries & Forest of Fiji
Turning
- 30 - Embassy of Honduras in Japan
Tools
- 42 - Utilización Industrial de Nuevas Especies Forestales en el Perú.
Tool Handles
- 43 - Maderas de Bolivia (Características y Usos de 55 Maderas Tropicales)
Agricultural Tools
- 44 - Atlas of Peruvian Woods
Truck Body
- 53 - Timbers of the New World
Truck Flooring
- 54 - Bulletin of the Government Forest Experiment Station N.157: Identification of Tropical Woods
Shipbuilding
- 55 - Tropical Timber Atlas of Latin America
Other & Musical Instruments
- 63 - Madeiras do Brazil II
Handcraft
- 66 - Maderas latinoamericanas. VII. Caracteristicas anatomicas. propiedades fisicomecanicas, de secado, y tratabilidad de la madera juvenil de Cordia alliodora (Ruiz & Pav. Oken.)
Molding
- 79 - Padronização da Nomenclatura Comercial Brasileira das Madeiras Tropicais Amazônicas, Sugestão
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