Looking for wood species in Asia for strip planking

tropical wood for planking

Shorea species= Philippine mahogany

also, would Cryptomeria japonica be useful?....It is plantation grown in Japan and some growers even use robots to prune the branches off, resulting in clear wood. It is the number one lumber species in Japan. I do not know how rot resistant it is.

 

Here's a picture of Catalpa, as you can see the pores of the wood are deep and organised by layers. The weight is about 650kg/M3 it's flexible and resistant on breaking: it will bend first before to break. The price in China is about 150Euro/m3 in tree. The yellow Cedar i'm using now for cold-molding is more weak and a little more light, price is 300Euro/M3 for 1st quality timber.

David

www.solalelouna.com
www.morosof.com

 

while i have seen Catalpa planted around here (new england) it is considered a weed tree.....whether through ignorance or lack of demand, no one uses it for anything, not even firewood.....assuming we are talking about the same tree (Catalpa speciosa), a tree with leaves shaped like an elephant's ears and long bean- like seedpods following fragrant white flowers in mid-summer....i think it is in the Bignonia family, related to Magnolia....i would NEVER consider using Magnolia in a marine application....i am in the nursery business with a forestry education, not a boatbuilder, but i do have some knowledge about the characteristics of various woods.....what is the local wood used for boatbuilding?.....that is what you should look for first

 

Wood Species

Darien,

Sec for strip planking, the Pinus elliottii ( Pitch Pine - Slash Pine) is one of the finest species you might find for your purpose. The Tectona grandis, (teak) is good, but personally I would take the P. elliotti. The Larix spp and others are less suitable.
Other good species are: White Seraya, any species of the Khaya, Entandrophragma as well as the Swietenia.
Any Agathis australis would do also, but I cannot believe you will find that specie in Cambodge.
Other good Pinus species are: P. palustris, P. echinata, P. taeda, P. caribea, P. serotina.
If you find any Pseudotsuga meziesii, you have a perfect wood to make masts and booms. Watch also: Picea sitchensis.
The specific weight of the P. elliottii is around 0.55 (550 kg per m3); the others vary from .55 to .65 (Tectona grandis)
Make sure that you degrease those pinewoods very good (as well as the T. grandis) Don't use white spirit etc. but Methylethylketon; be careful this stuff is dangerous for your respiratory system and explosive!

Good luck!