Apitong - Tropical Wood

[Clint Schlosser]

Anyone here have experience with this wood. I inherited a good deal of this wood in planks. I would like to know a few things. From what I have read it has a high silicon content. The wood I have has been air dried for about 40 years or more in a very dry house.

• Finishes that work with this wood
• Longevity
• Wood Movement

[Paul Atkins]

We had a moving van with the floor made from it. Very tough and long stiff splinters. That's all I know.

[Jeff Willard]

http://hobbithouseinc.com/personal/woodpics/apitong.htm

Doesn't tell you much, does it? Let me dig around some.

[Jeff Willard]

Okay, I checked World Woods in Color. To summarize:

High in bending and crushing strength.
Medium resistance to shock loads.
High shrinkage in drying and large movement in service.
High silica content.
Exudes resin when subjected to heat or strong sunlight making finishing difficult. Accepts stain well.
Moderately durable. Liable to attack by powder post beetles. Non-resistant to termites.
Typical uses include: Construction, decking, flooring.

Prolly not the best choice for a fine furniture project, but if you want to build a wagon, it might be the ticket.

[Clint Schlosser]

That is interesting. I can attest to the splinters. After moving the boards into my shop I had to remove about 10 splinters from my hands and arms. I am going to attempt a simple end table with the wood and see how it goes. If it fails I might just scrap the wood and move on to the walnut and oak I have.

[Rob Sack]

I used it for decking around my house. Very durable, full of splinters which get infected quite rapidly, cannot be nailed - must drill and screw, and it doesn't seem to glue very well using Titebond III.

[Ted Baca]

Apitong is a tough wood and as has been mentioned is a choice of deck materials for truck bodies. I sell trucks for a living and see it used quite a bit for flatbeds, seldom van beds as they are enclosed. It is resistant to just about everything. As Rob mentioned it splinters and infects, probably due to the silica content. I would not use it for anything that will ever come in contact with human skin. You will have to develop a huge love for sanding to make it useable. IMO anyway.