Specification
Dark Red Meranti is a 100% clear grade hardwood that is native to Southeast Asia. It is often used as an alternative to Mahogany.
Appearance
- Colour – Sapwood is purplish in colour and not clearly demarcated from heartwood. Heartwood is dark brown to deep red and sometimes deep purple. Conspicuous white dammer or red streaks.
Characteristics
- Strength – High bending strength in air-dry conditions (12% moisture approx.). Compares favourably with Teak. Maximum crushing strength medium, which is lower than Teak. Moderately hard.
- Weight – High – about 670 kg/m³
- Ease Of Drying – Slowly and fairly difficult to dry. Warping may occur. Thick material may check and end split.
- Movement In Service – Small – Dimensional stability after seasoning and holds shape well.
- Preservative Treatment – Heartwood varies from resistant to very resistant. Sapwood fairly permeable to permeable.
Working Properties
- Sawing – Generally easy to saw but the presence of interlocked grain may cause sawn surfaces to be fibrous
- Moulding – Moulds easily to produce clean surfaces
- Routing – Usually easy to rout with machine tools
- Planing – Generally easy to plane and work in most operations, a reduced cutting angle to 20 degrees is recommended where there is interlocking grain
- Boring – Relatively easy
- Mortising – easily and cleanly with sharp tools
- Steam Bending – Poor
- Turning – Generally good
- Carving – Generally good
- Screwing – Good
- Nailing – Good
- Gluing – Good
Finishing
- Polishing – Good
- Staining – Satisfactory
