Bagalunga (Melia composita)
Family: Meliaceae
Common names: Bagalunga, Betta bevu, Ceylon cedar, Ceylon mahogany, Dingkurlong, Eiswe, Heb-bevu, Kattu-veppu, Labshi, Lunumidella, Maha limbu, Malabar neem wood, Malabar nim wood, Malaveppu, Malei vembu, Nimbarra, White cedar
Distributed in: Bhutan, India, Sri Lanka (Oceania and S.E. Asia)
Common uses: Boat building (general), Boxes and crates, Cabinetmaking, Fuelwood, Furniture, Handles: general, Matches, Mine timbers, Musical instruments, Plywood, Tool handles, Vehicle parts
Tree size: Trunk diameter is 200-250 cm
Colors: the heart isReddish brown, Yellowand the sapwoodWhite, White to yellow.The grain isStraight, the textureMediumand the lusterMedium
Natural durability: Sapwood is susceptible to wood staining fungal attack, Susceptible to attack from termites (Isoptera)
Odor: Has an odor
Drying Defects: Distortion, Moderate end spitting
Ease of Drying: Thick Stock Requires Care
Tree Identification: Bole/stem form is straight
Comments: General finishing qualities are rated as good
Blunting Effect: Little
Cutting Resistance: Easy to saw
Planing: Fairly Easy to Very Easy
Resistance to Impregnation: Resistant sapwood
Response to hand tools: Responds Readily
Sanding: Very Good to Excellent Results
Veneering qualities: Veneers easily, Veneers moderately easy
Polishing: Very Good to Excellent; Staining: Fairly Easy to Very Easy;
- Numerical data Metric
- Numerical data English
- Strength properties
- References
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Item |
Green |
Dry |
Metric |
Specific Gravity |
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Density |
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336 |
kg/m3 |
Bending Strength |
176 |
254 |
kg/cm2 |
Crushing Strength |
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kg/cm2 |
Hardness |
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kg |
Impact Strength |
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187 |
cm |
Shearing Strength |
|
62 |
kg/cm2 |
Stiffness |
71 |
84 |
1000 kg/cm2 |
Tangential Shrinkage |
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% |
Radial Shrinkage |
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% |
Weight |
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kg/m3 |
Maximum Load |
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cm-kg/cm3 |
Toughness |
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cm-kg |
Static Bending |
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kg/cm2 |
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 |  |  |  | Item | Green | Dry | English | Bending Strength | 2509 | 3623 | psi | Density | | 21 | lbs/ft3 | Impact Strength | | 74 | inches | Shearing Strength | | 882 | psi | Stiffness | 1017 | 1199 | 1000 psi | Weight | 21 | 17 | lbs/ft3 | |
Density (dry weight) = 15-22 lbs/cu. ft. Toughness-Hammer drop (Impact Strength) = very high Shearing strength (parallel to grain) = very low Modulus of Elasticity (stiffness) = very low Density (dry weight) = 23-30 lbs/cu. ft. Bending strength (MOR) = very low
Brown, W.H.,1978,Timbers of the World, No. 3 Southern Asia,TRADA, Red Booklet SeriesDesch, H.E.,1948,The Cedars,Wood 13(2) pp40-3Desch, H.E.,1954,Manual of Malayan Timbers (2 vols,Malayan Forest Records,no.15Little, E.L., Wadsworth, F.H.,1964,Common Trees of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands,U.S.A. Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Handbook,No.249Nazma,1981,A handbook of Kerala Timbers,Kerala Forest Research Institute Research Report, No.9Pearson, R.S., Brown, H.P.,1932,Commercial Timbers of India,Govt. Printer Calcutta,2 vols
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