English name: Sapelli
Latin name: Entandrophragma cylindricum
Family: Meliaceae
Genus: Entandrophragma
Other name(s): Sapele, Sapelli, Sapeli, (Cameroon), Undianuno(Angola, Congo), Assi, Dilolo(Gabon), Saele-wood, Ubilesan( Nigeria), Penkwa( Ghana), Aboudikro( Ivory Coast), Bobwe,Libuyu, Lifake( Zaire), M `boyo( Central African), Muyovu( Uganda).
Features: Heartwood is a golden to dark reddish brown. Color tends to darken with age. Besides the common ribbon pattern seen on quartersawn boards, Sapele is also known for a wide variety of other figured grain patterns, such as: pommele, quilted, mottled, wavy, beeswing, and fiddleback.
Trees and distribution: Large trees, up to 30m, more than 1m in diameter, distributed in West Africa, Central Africa and East Africa.
Material: Grain is interlocked, and sometimes wavy. Fine uniform texture and good natural luster. Heartwood ranges from moderately durable to very durable in regard to decay resistance. Moderate insect/borer resistance. Sapele can be troublesome to work in some machining operations, (i.e., planing, routing, etc.), resulting in tearout due to its interlocked grain. It will also react when put into direct contact with iron, becoming discolored and stained. Sapele has a slight blunting effect on cutters, but it turns, glues, and finishes well. Sapele has a distinct, cedar-like scent while being worked.
Applications: Veneer, plywood, furniture, cabinetry, flooring, boatbuilding, musical instruments, turned objects, and other small wooden specialty items.
