 Narra (Pterocarpus indicus)
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Common Name(s): Narra, Amboyna (burl) Scientific Name: Pterocarpus indicus Distribution: South-central Africa Tree Size: 65-100 ft (20-30 m) tall, 3-5 ft (1-1.5 m) trunk diameter Average Dried Weight: 41 lbs/ft3 (650 kg/m3) Hardness: 1,320 lbf (5,890 N) Bending Strength: 14,000 lbf/in2 (96,550 kPa) Elasticity: 1,735,000 lbf/in2 (11,970 MPa) Shrinkage: Radial: 2.8%, Tangential: 4.0%, Volumetric: 6.8%, T/R Ratio: 1.4 |
Color/Appearance: Heartwood can vary widely in color, ranging from a golden yellow to a reddish brown.
Grain/Pore: Narra has a medium texture and small pores. Grain is usually interlocked, and can sometimes be wavy, or display a variety of figuring such as: ribbon-stripe, mottle, or curl.
Durability: Narra has good weathering characteristics and is typically very durable regarding decay resistance. It is generally resistant to termite and powder post beetle attack, though there can occasionally be ambrosia beetles present, especially in the sapwood.
Workability: Easy to work with both hand and machine tools, one of Narra’s only downsides is that it has a moderate blunting effect on cutters. Narra turns, glues, and finishes well.
Smell: Narra has a distinct fragrance that lingers even after being worked.
Safety: Although severe reactions are quite uncommon, Narra has been reported as an irritant; most common reactions simply include skin and respiratory irritation. See the articles Wood Allergies and Toxicity and Wood Dust Safety for more information.
Price Range: Price should be fairly moderate for an imported wood; likely comparable to its close brother, Padauk.
Comments: Narra is the same wood species (Pterocarpus indicus) as Amboyna, with Amboyna being the specific name of Narra that is in burl form.
Common uses for Narra include: veneer, furniture, cabinetry, boatbuilding, plywood, turned objects, and small specialty wood items.
Scans/Pictures: The pictures below show the ribbon-stripe patterning that is common on quartersawn sections.
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Narra (sanded) |
 Narra (sealed) |
July 22nd, 2009 at 7:52 am
Most of this is scrounged via cut and paste from other websites but is what I found interesting about this wood
Narra
Pterocarpus indi
Family: Leguminosae (legume The Pea Family)
Other Names: Burmese rosewood, Andaman redwood, and kiabooca wood.
Distribution: Burma, Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands, Thailand and Australia.
The Tree: It is a large deciduous tree growing up to 130 feet tall, with a trunk up to 6 ½’ in diameter. The trunk of the tree is surrounded (or, occasionally, supported) by huge buttresses extending outward and upward for about 15 feet; these are sometimes made into tabletops, the pattern of the grain and the coloring being hardly equaled by any other timber. Flowers are slightly fragrant clusters of yellow or orange-yellow petals.
The Wood: Usually red or rose color, it is sometimes variegated with yellow. The wood is termite resistant and naturally fragrant. A dense wood it weighs in at 40 lb/ft3. Given its ability to take a high polish, it is often finely sliced to produce an extremely decorative veneer. It is also used in a wide variety of musical instruments from violins to the keys on a marimba.
Other Facts: A small chip of the wood placed in water soon takes on an opalescent color because of a substance in the wood cells.
The leaves are supposedly good for waxing and polishing brass and copper.
In folk medicine, it is used to combat tumors, and was widely used in the 16th and 18th century as a diuretic
The flower is used as a honey source while leaf infusions are used as shampoos.
Both flowers and leaves were said to be eaten.
April 18th, 2010 at 3:15 am
excuse me, I watched the veneer and made judge that the veneer is not Narra(Pterocarpus indicus). it is similar to Sapele veneer.