RUBBER WOOD

The rubber tree originates from the Amazon rainforest, increasing demand and the discovery of the vulcanisation process in 1839 led to a rubber boom. By 1875 the British Empire had started trying to cultivate the tree, after several trials and errors germinated seeds were sent to India, Sri Lanka, Singapore and Malaysia. The tree was extensively spread across the British colonies.

By the late 19th century a rubber plantation had been established in Malaya. Today most rubber tree plantations are predominantly in South and Southeast Asia.

Rubber wood is the wood that is harvested and processed from a rubber tree, also known as Hevea brasiliensis, other names include “Para Wood”, “Malaysian Oak” and “White Mahogany”.

Rubber wood plantations are considerable and widespread in the Southwest region of Nigeria. Most of the plantations within Nigeria were established in the beginning of the 20th century as a response to the booming rubber market.

Rubber trees are grown in plantations for the purpose of harnessing rubber latex. The trees produce this latex up until they are roughly 20 years old, between the ages of 20-25 the trees start to decline in their latex production and by the age of 30 most trees stop producing their rubber all together. After which they are no longer viable for latex production. In Nigeria these trees are cut down and used as firewood or to make charcoal, this takes a toll on the environment, emitting large sums of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

Rubber wood is a very sturdy yet flexible wood; it has a slightly yellowish appearance with an open grain texture. The recognition of the trees’ wood has led to a rise in demand for rubber tree products. Overtime it has proven to provide a variety of advantages in terms of cost-effectiveness, eco-friendliness and availability.

Rubber wood products are environmentally friendly since it recycles the trees that are post-latex production. The trees are felled, treated and recycled into wooden furniture and other wooden products.

Woodland Nigeria is highly devoted to sustainability and environmental concerns, which is why we dedicate a team to R&D in treatment methods when reusing felled plantations trees.

TREATMENT PROCESS

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Sawing of Rubberwood Lumber

Rubber wood is susceptible to bacteria and fungi when first cut, so it must be treated quickly. Before treatment, the logs must be milled into rough sawn timber.

Pressurised Preservation Treatment of Sawn Timber

This process takes place inside a vacuum-sealed pressure chamber, which is filled with the treatment liquid. The rough sawn timber are then injected and soaked with treatment liquid that prevents decay and protect it against termite’s infestation. The pressure is progressively increased from 5 up to 10 kgm-3.

Kiln Drying of Sawn Timber

The drying process is done in a Kiln, where excess moisture is removed to attain a uniform moisture level. This allows us to achieve precise moisture levels of 8-10%. This drying process helps in increasing its durability, prevention of surface cracking and splitting. It also enables a decrease in total weight to facilitate cost effective transportation.

Sizing & Sorting of Sawn Timber (Quality Control)

Woodland Nigeria places great emphasis on quality as the rough sawn timber can be damaged if over treated. Once removed from the kiln, highly trained quality control personnel check the processed wood for damage and the correct physical properties. After inspection each piece of wood is resized and sorted accordingly.

Packing, Fumigation & Shipping

Rubber wood is carefully packed in stacking’s of cubic meter bundles and tightly wrapped in waterproof wrappers. This packaging manner ensures freshness, preventing water seepage and staining. Before the rubber wood can be loaded into containers for shipment, it is fumigated, with a light chemical compound to enable its protection from bacteria and fungi infection, a simple spraying of the chemical onto the rubber wood does this.

 WOOD COMPARISON

 FAQs

1.    What is rubber wood and why is WNL wood products referred to as eco – friendly?

Firstly rubber wood is referred to as eco – friendly as it makes use of plantation trees that have already served a useful function. The over aged rubber trees have to be brought down for new rubber trees to be planted. In Nigeria the felled rubber trees are seen as waste, the logs are left to rot away or burnt to make charcoal and the branches are used as firewood (for cooking). Rather than burning the tree, which emits large sums of carbon dioxide into our atmosphere, we treat and recycle the logs, which are used to produce furniture. By doing we reduce the harmful emissions into our atmosphere from tree burning.

2.    What are over-aged rubber trees?

Over-aged rubber trees are those that no longer produce latex and have fulfilled their primary purpose.

3.    Why is it important to treat rubber wood?

It is very important to treat rubber wood immediately after it is cut down in order to prevent the wood from future decay and protect it against termite infestation.

4.    What is rubber wood finger jointing?

Finger jointing is recognized as the most stable method of creating length joints between two solid wood or wooden composite components. Finger jointing is made by cutting a set of complementary, interlocking profiles in two pieces of wood, which are then glued with non-toxic glue. The cross-section of the joint resembles the interlocking of fingers between two hands, hence the name "finger joint". It is used in order to produce very long wood components or to separate out branches and cracks which lower the strength.

5.    What is “MDF” & “HDF” in comparison to rubber wood finger jointed boards?

Medium density fibreboard (MDF) is made up of wood wastage fibres glued together with resin or glue under heat and pressure. It is similar to particleboard but denser. While High-density fibreboard (HDF) is made from wood fibre extracted from chips and pulped wood waste and is denser than MDF as it contains more wood fibre per cubic. MDF & HDF are not hard wood, they are fibreboards. MDF is not be used in applications where a heavy load is not expected to be borne by the board. HDF unlike MDF is strong and more resistant to moisture, which is why it is used mainly as the core material for laminate flooring. Rubber wood finger jointed boards on the other hand are made from solid wood, which make them much stronger than MDF and HDF. It is used to make durable furniture, doors, flooring etc. Rubber wood finger jointed boards can take heavy loads not only because they are made from solid wood but also because they are also finger jointed which adds more strength. Overall Rubberwood finger jointed boards are a superior quality than MDF and HDF Boards.

6.    What wooden products can be made from rubber wood?

So many products can be made from rubber wood, just to name a few:

-Tabletops

-Bar tops

-Chairs

-Stair treads

-Drawers

-Doors & frames (Internal & External)

-Window Frames

-Hard wood flooring

-School Benches

-Skirting boards  

7.    Is rubber wood suitable for outdoor use?

Yes rubber wood is suitable for outdoor use when a penetrating water waterproof coating is applied.