Wenge is a hardwood from the central regions of Africa. It has deep brown heartwood with a straight, very coarse texture with oak like pours throughout. It is listed as very durable to both rot and insect attacks. Many finishes will darken this species to a near black appearance, although wenge can have variations in color to include red, yellow, and even sometimes black streaks throughout. Wenge is difficult to machine with variations in density, large open pores, and a blunting effect on edged tools. Wenge is one of the few wood species with widespread (albeit generally mild) reactions to the dust, and splinters with a high likelihood of getting infected if not removed. Wenge has a Janka hardness of 1930 and weighs 5 pounds per board foot.
VARIATIONS AND OPTIONS
4/4 refers to lumber that was cut at 1 inch thickness
15/16ths has been skip planed (a majority of the surfacing work has been done, there may be a few spots that are still rough, but the grain of the particular piece of wood should be visible)
13/16ths is commonly called finish planed. This should be ready for sanding and finish
Ripped 1 edge is lumber that has been run through a straight-line rip saw. This allows for easy squaring on a table saw.
Sanded refers to a select few lumber options that have been run through a belt sander and are 100% finish ready.
5/4 lumber was sawn at 1.25 inches in thickness.
6/4 lumber was sawn at 1.5 inches in thickness.
8/4 lumber was sawn at 2 inches in thickness.
10/4 lumber was sawn at 2.5 inches in thickness.
12/4 lumber was sawn at 3 inches in thickness.