Hardwood treasures of the South Pacific

PNG water gum. It is also found in Malaysia and Papua New Guinea as kelat and in Australia as satin ash.

Properties are widely varying: heartwood color from gray-brown to reddish-brown to chocolate-brown with a purple cast; grain from straight to interlocked, wavy or irregular; texture from medium to fine, and weight from moderate to heavy. Moderate in strength and durability, it is prone to end splitting and face checking when kiln dried from green. It works fairly easily with a blunting effect on cutting edges. Pre-boring is required for nailing. It accepts glue, stain and polish.

Water gum is used for furniture and cabinet work, ship building, general construction and joinery, light flooring, tool handles, turnery,

Story at a Gftane

Rugged Solomon lslands north of Australia are 93% covered by tropical rain forests. big export business features diverse selection of hardwoods.

sporting goods, hardboards and blackboards. Treated wood goes into piles and railway ties, selected logs into decorative veneers.

Less suited for rougher applications is kauvula (EndosPermum medullosum), also called endospermum, sasa and hongopo bY Solomon Islanders. It is also grown in Papua New Guinea as New Guinea basswood and Fiji.

Upon exposure, kauvula's heartwood matures from cream-yellow to straw-biscuit. The grain is usually straight, but occasionally interlocked or wavy, and coarse in texture.

The light, soft, weak, non-durable wood has poor strength and steam bending properties, making it unsuitable for construction work. It does work easily with hand and machine tools, yet tends to be woolly due to interlocked or wavY grain. Straight-grained material provides a clean, smooth finish. It nails, screws and glues well, and may be stained or polished to a nice finish.

Selected grades are used for furniture, cabinetry, light framing, internal joinery, light flooring and turnery. It also goes into plywood and decorative veneers for paneling and doors.

Dovid Billingsley

Croig Kincoid

George Hommonn

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