Wood specie: Bilinga

Botanical name: Nauclea diderrichii
Growth area: Africa

Botanical name:
Nauclea diderrichii

Growth area:
Africa

Quality:
Bilinga is listed in the Dutch best practices guideline NPR5493: 1999, Quality guidelines for deciduous wood in hydraulic engineering works.

Colour of heartwood:
Fresh bilinga heartwood is yellow to orange-yellow, discolouring into orange-red to golden brown.

Colour of sapwood:
Pale yellow to white

Mass density:
Fresh 900-1150 kg/m³

Grain:
Cross-grain, also spiral or undulating grain.

Fissure:
During the drying process, both natural and kiln-drying, bilinga tends towards splitting and fissure; however, hardly any warping occurs. In order to prevent short-term occurrence of head-side fissure, protection of the head ends is recommended. Hair fissure often occurs during the drying process.

Warping:
Virtually no warping.

Mould and insects:
Mould 1. Termites D. Marine borers M.

Durability grade:
1

Gluing:
Good

Machining:
In spite of its hardness, bilinga can be machined rather well. In order to ensure the surface is smooth, a small shaving angle is required for machine shaving (10 degrees) due to the strong cross-grain. Processing dried bilinga has a pronounced blunting effect on saws and chisels.

Dekker range:
Decking 21 x 145 mm and 25 x 145 mm

General applications:
Bilinga is suitable for many construction objects, both indoor and outdoor applications, and as construction wood in hydraulic engineering such as lock doors, slackening structures, weirs, platforms, boardwalks, bridges, bridge decks, purlins etc. Other applications include park benches, fences, gates, pergolas, workshop floors, train floors, cross-bars of railroad tracks, parquet floors, furniture, sculptures and wood turnings, parquetry etc.