Pink Birch

Overview

Pink Birch fits well into specialised markets due to its attractive figure, fine texture and excellent machining and finishing properties. Suitable for a range of high quality end-uses including furniture and cabinet work, joinery, sliced decorative veneer, feature panels and cupboard doors. Also suitable for flooring in light traffic conditions.

Botanical Name:	Schizomeria.
Standard Trade Names:	Pink Birch. Bea bea. Pacific Maple.
Other Names:
Origin of Product:
Grade:
Availability:	Available ex-stock in kiln dried sizes from 50 to 250mm wide by 25mm thick
Species information for this product:	Pink Birch is the common name for a number of species which form a medium to large tree throughout the region from Papua New Guinea, Bismarck Archipelago to North Queensland and the Solomon Islands. It occurs in lowland and montane forest. In the Solomon islands, it is represented by only one Species, generally scattered but locally common. A light to medium hardwood with colours ranging from grey, brown to solid pink and very attractive figure when cut on the full quarter. It is a highly decorative wood suitable for niche marketing. An attractive and appealing timber for architects, furniture designers and furniture manufacturers. The larger per cent of the timber is pinkish-brown in colour, but it can be pink-brown or red-brown with white deposits. The sapwood is not distinctly different from the Heartwood. Quarter-sawn faces exhibit a fine ribbon or striped figure and a fine zigzag tracery is apparent on back sawn material. The grain is variable, and Pink Birch has a good strength to weight ratio. The timber should be treated as soon as possible after felling and milling, to avoid blue stain and pinhole borer attack. It seasons readily; 25mm quarter sawn boards can be kiln dried from green with little degrade. The back sawn material is subject to twist and cupping. Material should be quarter sawn for optimum drying results, low shrinkage and stable in-service.

Names
Family:	Cunoniaceae.
Species:	Schizomeria. S. serrata Hochr. syn. S. floribunda Schltr. S. katastega Mattf. S. parvifolia Perry. S. clemensiae Perry. S. ilicina (Ridl.) Schlt

Properties

Properties
Density:	540-620 Kg/m3 @ 12% m.c
Durability:	Class 4: Non-durable.
Colour:	Pink-brown or red-brown.
Texture:	Fine and even; lustrous.
Grain:	Usually Straight.
Figure:	Fine, decorative ribbon figure on quarter sawn faces. Fine tracery pattern on back-sawn faces.
Permeability:	Class 3: Heartwood is resistant; erratic and non-dependable to pressure impregnation.

Workability
General:	Excellent working and finishing properties.
Sawing:	Saws well; some slight furring on the face of green material.
Planing:	Excellent characteristics; clean, smooth finish.
Blunting:	Minimal.
Boring:	Good characteristics.
Turning:	Very good characteristics, sharp arrises.
Nailing:	Nails well, good holding ability.
Gluing:	Glues well with all adhesives.
Finishing:	Takes stain and polish very well; finishes with a high polish; satin lustre.

Mechanical

Mechanical Properties
Strength:	SD3.
Structural Grade:	F27 (select grade, seasoned).
Hardness (Janka):	5.0kN (seasoned), 4.0kN (unseasoned).
Max. Crushing Strength:	63MPa (seasoned), 33Mpa (unseasoned).
Modulus of Elasticity:	16GPa (seasoned), 14GPa (unseasoned).
Modulus of Rupture:	64MPa (seasoned), 33MPa (unseasoned).

Seasoning
General:	Very good drying characteristics.
Movement:	Low.
Shrinkage:	Very low.