African Pencil Cedar
Scientific name:
Juniperus procera
Other names:
Ol tarakwa
Mtarakwa
Mwangati (Tanzania).
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The tree grows throughout Central and South America; it prefers drier locates, instead of the wet tropical forests. The heartwood is red to dark reddish brown. The grain texture is coarse due to the several large pores and gum ducts. Overall, the wood comes out quite similar to Honduras mahogany in texture and color.
The tree has not reacted well to growing in plantations due to a worm that kills the trees. Also, although utilized for roadside plantings and shade trees, these open-grown trees do not have the quality of wood found in the woods. Therefore, supplies of trees making the premium lumber are not as rich as they once were.
Weight:
Basic specific gravity (ovendry weight/green volume) about 0.48; air-dry density 36 pcf
Use:
Slats for pencil manufacture, furniture, joinery, cabinetwork, tanks and vats shingles, millwork. Cedarwood oil is distilled from the sawdust.
General characteristic:
Heartwood pale red, yellow brown, or purple red, becoming warm red brown on exposure; sapwood narrow, whitish, clearly differentiated. Texture fine; grain straight; quartersawn boards have an attractive figure; noticeable cedar scent. Spiral grain, ingrown bark, and compression wood are common.
Working properties:
Works well with hand and machine tools; being fissile it tends to break and chip in drilling and mortising; glues well, acquires an fantabulous polish; liable to split in nailing
Drying and shrinkage:
Dries moderately rapidly but in larger sizes tends to surface and end check. Kiln schedule T8-B3 is suggested for 4/4 stock and T5-B1 for 8/4. Shrinkage green to 12% moisture content: radial 2.0%; tangential 3.0%.
Durability:
Heartwood is classified as durable and resistant to most forms of insect attack. Moreover, it is extremely resistant to impregnation; sapwood is permeable.
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