ETIMOE WOOD
Origin
The etimoe is a tree that grows in the eastern and central Africa. It receives the scientific name of Copaifera salikounda and it belongs to the Fabaceae family. Today and for the moment it is known that its forest mass production and its exportation are very low, so it is an endangered species. The main countries in which this tropical hard wood grows are Ivory Coast, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
Colour
The colour of the etimoe wood varies slightly from reddish brown to grey brown, and the sapwood is clearly differentiated from the heartwood.
Texture
The etimoe wood is a hard timber and it is a quite robust material, medium heavy, generally with a straight or slightly interlaced fiber on the surface, while the grain varies from fine to medium size.
Durability
The etimoe wood is moderately resistant to the attack by fungi and termites, as well as to its work applying static bending.
Features
The surface of the etimoe wood usually contains resin, which makes more complicated its craftsmanship. Because of its strong texture, it is normal that during the sawing the tools become dull, that is why it is recommended to use utensils made of ordinary steel or alloys. Gluing and finishing present no problems, while nailing and screwing require performing previous drills. The air drying of varnishes and dyes applied is rather slow but it hardly causes any deformation.
Applications
The most common applications of the etimoe wood are usually for plywoods, veneer for decorative coatings, furniture and joinery, interior or exterior carpentry (floors, stairs, moldings), coatings and shipbuilding. In laminate floors it is usually combined with the use of beech wood, maple wood or English oak wood for more original and elegant results.