Sapele – Mahogany
Botanical Name: Entandrophragma Cylindricum
Other Names: African Mahogany
Source Location: West Africa
Stability: Moderately Stable
Durability in Ground: Moderately Durable
Durability Above Ground: Durable
Density: Approx 640 kg/m3 (approx at 15% MC)
Dimensions: Sapele is currently available in 25, 40, 50 and 75mm thick and 100-400mm wide. We supply in ¼ cut and crown cut mix although we can separate.
Appearance: Sapele is a medium hard and medium weight timber. Planned surfaces are mildly lustrous. The heartwood is pinkish-red when freshly cut darkening to a rich red-brown. The most striking feature is the double spiral grain which produces a very regular stripe or roe figure in quarter sawn material. The texture is fine and even and there is a pronounced cedar-like scent when freshly cut.
Uses: Gifted with both strength and appearance, the timber has a wide range of uses. Sapele is used for furniture, panelling, shop and window fittings, high class interior joinery and all general cabinet working purposes including boat building. Widely used for decorative veneering it is often sliced to show the narrow ‘pencil’ stripe which is a characteristic of the sapele. It is also used for rotary cut plywood.
Tips: Saws easily and cleanly with little waste and works fairly easily with hand and machine tools, although the interlocked grain may be troublesome in planning and moulding. To eliminate picking up in quarter sawn material, the cutting angel should be reduced to 15°C. Takes nails and screws and glue well. It also takes a high polish
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