Rengas (Melanorrhoea spp.)
Family: Anacardiaceae
Common names: Black varnish tree, Borneo rosewood, Gluta, Hekakoro, Lingas, Rak, Rengas, Straights mahogany, Thayet thitsi, Thitsi
Distributed in: Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam (Oceania and S.E. Asia)
Distribution overview: Indo-Malaysian region, extending into Indonesia and the Philippines.
Common uses: Boat building, Building materials, Canoes, Carvings, Chairs, Chests, Concealed parts (Furniture), Core Stock, Decorative veneer, Desks, Dining-room furniture, Dowell pins, Dowells, Drawer sides, Excelsior, Figured veneer, Fine furniture, Floor lamps, Furniture , Furniture components, Furniture squares or stock, Hatracks, Interior construction, Interior trim, Joinery, Kitchen cabinets, Lifeboats, Living-room suites, Millwork, Moldings, Office furniture, Paneling , Plain veneer, Radio - stereo - TV cabinets, Rustic furniture, Shipbuilding, Stools, Tables , Trimming, Turnery, Veneer
Product sources: Several species in the Melanorrhoea and Gluta genera are mixed and marketed together under the trade name Rengas.
Environment profile: Data source is World Conservation Monitoring Center
Colors: the heart isRed - bright , Yellowand the sapwoodWhite, Whitish.The grain isStraight to irregular, the textureResinous and oilyand the lusterSlightly lustrous
Natural durability: The standing tree is susceptible to Ambrosia Beetle attack, Very durable
Odor: No specific smell or taste
Silica Content: Siliceous
Drying Defects: Slight surface checking, Slight twist/warp
Ease of Drying: Thick Stock Requires Care
Blunting Effect: Severe and rapid due to silica
Boring: Fairly difficult to very difficult
Carving: Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult
Cutting Resistance: Much easier to cut in green condition
Gluing: Fairly Easy to Very Easy
Mortising: Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult
Moulding: Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult
Movement in Service: Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult
Nailing: Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult, Pre-Boring Recommended
Planing: Planes well, to a good finish
Resistance to Impregnation: Sapwood is permeable
Response to hand tools: Yields a smooth, clean finish
Routing recessing: Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult
Steam bending: Excessive resin exudation makes steam bending impossible
Screwing: Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult, Pre-boring recommended; Turning: Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult
Polishing: Requires a filler;
- Numerical data Metric
- Numerical data English
- Strength properties
- References
 |
 |
 |
 |
Item |
Green |
Dry |
Metric |
Specific Gravity |
0,58 |
0,75 |
|
Density |
|
737 |
kg/m3 |
Bending Strength |
814 |
1110 |
kg/cm2 |
Crushing Strength |
53 |
76 |
kg/cm2 |
Hardness |
|
617 |
kg |
Impact Strength |
63 |
83 |
cm |
Shearing Strength |
|
132 |
kg/cm2 |
Stiffness |
139 |
149 |
1000 kg/cm2 |
Tangential Shrinkage |
|
|
% |
Radial Shrinkage |
3 |
|
% |
Weight |
785 |
641 |
kg/m3 |
Maximum Load |
0,63 |
0,98 |
cm-kg/cm3 |
Toughness |
|
|
cm-kg |
Static Bending |
543 |
645 |
kg/cm2 |
|
 |  |  |  | Item | Green | Dry | English | Bending Strength | 11582 | 15800 | psi | Crushing Strength | 759 | 1092 | psi | Density | | 46 | lbs/ft3 | Hardness | | 1362 | lbs | Impact Strength | 25 | 33 | inches | Maximum Crushing Strength | 5898 | 8452 | psi | Shearing Strength | | 1882 | psi | Static Bending | 7737 | 9186 | psi | Stiffness | 1989 | 2126 | 1000 psi | Work to Maximum Load | 9 | 14 | inch-lbs/in3 | Specific Gravity | 0.58 | 0.75 | | Weight | 49 | 40. | lbs/ft3 | Radial Shrinkage | 3 | | % | Tangential Shrinkage | 5 | | % | |
Toughness-Hammer drop (Impact Strength) = very low Resists denting and marring Modulus of Elasticity (stiffness) = very low Heavy Hardness (side grain) = medium Density = high Bending strength (MOR) = low
Chudnoff, M.,1984,Tropical Timbers of the World,U.S.A. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products,Laboratory, Madison.Desch, H. E. 1957. Manual of Malayan Timbers - Volume I. Malayan Forest Records, No. 15. Malaya Publishing House Ltd., Singapore.Desch, H. E. 1957. Manual of Malayan Timbers. Malayan Forest Records, 28(30):315-318.Keating, W.G., Bolza, E.,1982,Characteristics properties and uses of timbers. South East Asia, Northern,Australia and the Pacific,C.S.I.R.O. Div. Chemical Technology,Inkata Press,1Kloot, N. H. and E. Bolza.1961.Properties of Timbers Imported into Australia.Technological Paper No. 12.Division of Forest Products, Commonwealth Scientific & Industrial Research Organization, Melbourne, Australia.Limaye, V.D.1954. Grouping of Indian Timbers and their Properties, Uses and Suitability. Indian Forest Records, New Series. Timber Mechanics, Vol. 1, No. 2, Forest Research Institute, Dehra Dun, India.Limaye, V.D. and B.R. Sen. 1953. Weights and Specific Gravities of Indian Woods. Indian Forest Records, New Series. Timber Mechanics, Vol. 1, No. 4, Forest Research Institute, Dehra Dun, India.Lincoln, W.A. 1986. World Woods in Color. Linden Publishing Co. Inc., Fresno, California.WCMC. 1992. Conservation Status Listing - Trees and Timbers of the World. World Conservation Monitoring Center-Plants Programme, Cambridge, CB3 ODL, United Kingdom.
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