What kind of wood is mussivi?

mussivi

Around 2017-2018, due to a reduction in the supply of raw materials, the cost of wood increased significantly. As a result, many manufacturers began to seek alternative solutions and look for new types of wood. Thus, the small balsa wood made its appearance.

Now let's take a detailed look at the mussivi. 

 Mussivi

                                                                    Scientific name: Rhodesian Copalwood, Pterocarpus angolensis

                                                                   Origin: Zambia, Zimbabwe, Angola, Mozambique and other African countries

                                                                   Tree size: 15-18 meters in height, 45-60 cm in diameter

                                                                   Air-dry density: 833 kg/m³

                                                                   Hardness: 2040 lbf

                                                                   Modulus of rupture: 100.86 MPa

                                                                   Modulus of elasticity: 9.14 GPa

                                                                   Compressive strength parallel to grain: 50.9 MPa

                                                                    Shrinkage: Radial 3%; Tangential 7%, T/R: 2.3 

The freshly sawn  mussivi is pinkish-brown, with occasional purple-black stripes. As time goes by, the pinkish-brown parts gradually turn red, while the purple-black stripes gradually fade. It has fine and interlaced grains, so extra care should be taken during processing to avoid splinters. It also has no distinctive smell. 

In terms of physical properties, its hardness of 2040 lbf is close to that of red sandalwood (2200 lbf), and approximately twice that of teak (1070 lbf). Its modulus of rupture, modulus of elasticity, and compressive strength along the grain are all comparable to those of teak. 

Its corrosion resistance and wear resistance are also very good. In particular, its wear resistance is even better than that of some rosewood. Therefore, this type of wood is also suitable for making floors. 

Although it is not a rosewood, it is still a relatively high-quality hardwood. Its expansion and contraction rate is moderate. The most troublesome part is that the tangential shrinkage rate reaches 7%. I asked several experts who have worked with this wood, and they all consistently stated that in actual operation, they found that the expansion and contraction of this wood is indeed quite significant. 

So when preparing the materials, it is necessary to ensure they are well dried, and when making furniture, it is important to leave more space for shrinkage and expansion. 

This time we have a small piece of mussivi board. As can be clearly seen in the picture below, it has a light pink color and purple-black stripes. In the first half of 2016, when the price of wood had not yet risen, mussivi was only around 4,500 yuan per ton. Due to the restrictions on Pterocarpus erinaceus, many manufacturers switched to Pterocarpus indicus, causing its price to increase by about 20%. Although it has risen significantly, in terms of cost performance, it is still quite high. Pterocarpus indicus is relatively easy to saw, and it can be sawn through very easily. I smelled the freshly sawn Pterocarpus indicus and it had a slightly sour smell. It's not unpleasant, but it's not as fragrant as rosewood. It is said that the smell will disappear after a long time. 

Then a comparison was made between water droplets and teak, and of course, the result was the same as with most woods - teak emerged victorious. However, the performance of the mussivi was better than that of the black walnut previously. Firstly, it didn't absorb the water as quickly, and secondly, after the water had completely evaporated naturally, there were no water marks left on the surface of the wood. Therefore, furniture made of small parawood can also be polished without varnish or wax. 

The pictures below show the comparison at 2 minutes, 5 minutes, and 10 minutes after the water droplets were placed. 

Zero minutes 

Two minutes 

Five minutes

ten minutes

As one of the important alternative woods, mussivihas a high cost performance and medium to upper-level physical properties. As long as it is combined with good craftsmanship, it can produce cost-effective Chinese-style furniture. Although it is not a rosewood, it has wood properties that can rival those of rosewood. 

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