Thread: Indonesian Bengkirai (Iron wood)

International market use Bengkirai for flooring and decking, never heard for furniture ...
The species which i've seen are more harder then Teak, more difficult to work with as well.
Sharpener is your best friend

Yeah, its the silicon content that worries me. like with teak, silicon is quite high in this stuff. Thats what really buggers the blades, not the hardness of the wood itself. Although it doesnt help.
I agree, it's sold here for decking and flooring too, but I've also known it to be used as furniture for the more adventurous (or just stupid). It finishes quite well. Have you seen any teak furniture (tables, chairs etc)? This stuff would look very simular.
I might give it a try, see how it goes.
Cheers. Gary

is it legal? can you track it back? if its not legal dont touch it.

dadpad, out of interest what do you mean by legal? as in imported into the country illegaly or something else? If I knew there were dealers selling timber at my local railway station I would have done some under-the-tables hahaha.

But no, serious question about legality

If you ever want to hit someone on the head. Hit it with a piece of Ironwood.

Sometimes indonesian wood is illegaly cut from protected areas. or without official sanction of the inonesian autorities. some makes its way to Australia sometimes with forged documents for import.
The legit traders in indonesia are forced out of business by illegal operators.
The same basic rules apply to indonesian timber as to Australian timber.

Nobody really minds a bit of "a lump or two here and there" its the wholesale unoficial rape and pillage of tropical rainforest and uncontrolled clearfelling that the indons are trying to get under controll.

Illegal timber imported into Australia may be poorly processed and can carry pest and disease.

It may even have been legally imported but illegally harvested.

I'm certainly no authority on this subject. Others may know more about this subject.

thanks dadpad, didnt realise those kinds of things went on but now I do

heres what one concerned company has to say about illegal timber. I understand Bunnings also have a "track back" policy for all timber suppliers.
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Do you use renewable timbers?
Yes, "company name" is proud of the integrity of their supply source from Indonesia and Malaysia. In accordance with the Forestry Institute of Malaysia and the Indonesian National Policy of Forestry Management, all timber is supplied under the guidelines of the International Tropical Timber Organisation . "company name" suppliers in these countries comply with the Sustainable Management of Tropical Forests, as set down by the International Tropical Timber Council in Yokohama in December 1991.

These strict guidelines for harvesting requires sound management of selected forests that balances the needs of a renewable source of timber, economy, environment and ecology. These suppliers are committed to utilise and conserve their extensive national wealth in perpetuity for the benefit of present and future generations.
"company name" supports reconciling both production and protection of this beautiful timber known as Kwila or Merbau.
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i have cut and pasted from their website without permission so i have removed their company name.

bugger Bunnies, you know they get a lot of or most of there timber from Gunns, they chop the century old trees down in Tasie,pulp itt and ship itt to Japan for dunny paper. then burn every whatever is left to ashes and then plant there plantation timbers, of cause they would'nt want anything living around there new trees so they poison all the animals too, and all this is happily allowed by the forestries and politicions who share the profits...

and they say indo is bad

...la H

Well said la Huerta

I don't touch Gunns products.

The other problem I imagine you'd have with illegally imported timber, is the introduction of pests and desease because it would not have been inspected and quarantined on the way into the country.

thanks Wild Dingo...felt good to get it all out...


la H

Bangkirai is so not iron wood. Iron wood or ulin (local) or belian/onglen is even harder than bangkirai.
It's legal for this timber moving out of Indonesia, unless it's unprocessed of course and must be under regulated size. Yes, illegal loggers are still out there, but there are also many legal harvester of bangkirai in Indonesia, particularly in Borneo. Besides decking (I don't know about flooring, never heard of any factory here in Indonesia use bangkirai for flooring), I can make fence, trellis, decking tiles, garden furnitures, playhouse, gazebo, shed, hut, pergolas..ah almost everything outdoor, using this type of hardwood.


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