Wenge

[jfc]

For the window seat i am making i have decided to use the wenge i got from Trev . Its been air dried since 1989 , well i assume 89 as there is a chalk date on it so i assume thats the date it went into stick . The boards are 400mm wide plus sap wood and waney edge x 30mm thick . Im doing a 75mm rip and then a 300mm rip to make a frame and a seat .
Question is am i asking for trouble leaving the 300mm wide board as it is . I dont really want to split it and rejoin it .

[engineerone]

since you are likely to need some odd sizes and widths, at the edges, why not split one board to make those, and see what happens, that way you potentially only lose one board.

chose the most crappy looking board, and if that is ok, then the rest should be.

paul

[jfc]

Lets try again eh ;D


The boards are 400mm wide plus sap wood and waney edge x 30mm thick . Im doing a 75mm rip and then a 300mm rip to make a frame and a seat .
Question is am i asking for trouble leaving the 300mm wide board as it is . I dont really want to split it and rejoin it .

[mrgrimsdale]

It should be OK as long as it is ventilated under, if at all close to external masonry

[jfc]

Yup its worst case . External wall and also hiding a 6ft double radiator I will try and vent as much as possible so the seating area doesnt hold the heat and also the external wall gets air flow .

[sainty]

Cold, moist air from the window above, warm, dry air from the radiator below, I can't see any problems

My book says that wenge is "stable once dry, but must be seasoned slowly to prevent degredation." which I think you have pretty much covered. Any chance of venting up through the seat to try and equalise the temp/humidity?


rgds


Stu

[jfc]

Hmmm i think i may put a strip of vents in the 75mm frame by the rad . The top of the rad is exposed and will be covered with a rad cover and fretwork so the heat wont be totally trapped .

oh it does look nice

[thebloke]

Whatever you do, watch out for splinters!! - Rob

[nickw]

You say it has been air dried. Does that include a sensible amount of time in indoors conditions?

[jfc]

Well it was in Trevs loft and then in my workshop so nearly there . It hasnt been sat in my front room for a couple of years if thats what you meen .

[nickw]

In that case it you've got a planer that will take the width, or you are happy to plane it by hand keep it in one piece.

[jfc]

Just been to Hansons and the kind chaps there put it through thier thicknesser for me

[engineerone]

let us have pictures when it goes wrong ;D

hope it does what you want

paul

[Keith]

I think I would fit a ply or MR MDF panel between the wenge and the rad to protect it from the extremes of temperature change.

Plus I would expect it to shrink quite a bit once the heating comes on.

[jfc]

Good idea .

[wizer]

Do us Brits call it Wengie (Like the Yanks)? Or as it's spelled, simply Wenge (Like Penge)

[jfc]

Its wenge ;D

[mrgrimsdale]

Penge? oop north we say pengy

[jonnyd]

I say wengy have seen some stuff very similar called panga panga

[jfc]

Yeah but you aint right oop north ;D


uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Uzae_SqbmDE&feature=related

[paulchapman]

Was that Jacob in the hat and doing the dancing ;D

[promhandicam]

Nov 25, 2008 21:38:49 GMT wizer said:

Do us Brits call it Wengie (Like the Yanks)? Or as it's spelled, simply Wenge (Like Penge)

It is funny you should mention it because the other day I was in a certain timber merchants talking about wood and two of the guys independently of each other pronounced it to rhyme with Penge - I wasn't actually too far from there in fact! At first I wondered what they were going on about until finally it clicked - I'd never heard it pronounced in that way. I've always pronounced it Wengay which is how it is pronounced in D R Congo (ex Zaire) where most of the wood comes from (I know 'cos I lived there for 10 years ) Other than the wood from Congo there is also Wenge Musica BCBG - one of the most well known Congolese bands.

Steve

[promhandicam]

Nov 25, 2008 23:17:16 GMT jonnyd said:

I say wengy have seen some stuff very similar called panga panga

The two are more or less the same species. Panga-Panga comes from East Africa (Tanzania) and Wenge from Central Africa (Congo and Cameroon mainly)

Steve

[mrgrimsdale]

It's like Mugabe; pronounced Mug R Bee.
A northern connection here; Mugabe backwards is pronounced E bar gum

[wizer]

Well it seems I can call it what I want and not look (more) like a tit