timber (£) • The U. S. Forest Products Laboratory schedule that appears 
most appropriate for k/k stock is T6-D2 (10). Limited tests at the British 
Forest Products research Laboratory resulted in the following shrinkage 
data on kiln drying from the green condition to a moisture content of about 
10 percent (2) : 
Tangential l/2 to 5/8 inch per foot , or 
k.O to 5*0 percent. 
Radial l/k to 5/16 inch per foot, or 
2.3 to 2.k percent. 
Durability 
Odoko is not resistant to decay, but it can easily be treated with pre- 
servatives (2, 6). 
Working Characteristics 
The wood is rated moderately easy to work. It finishes smoothly in planing 
and molding and takes a good polish, but some care is needed to prevent 
chipping in certain operations because of a slight brittleness. Quarter- 
sawn surfaces sometimes tend to flake. The timber is liable to split in 
nailing, but it has good gluing and screwholding characteristics (2, 6). 
H. A. Cox (^) reported that logs from Nigeria showed a tendency to develop 
radial splits sometimes reaching to the circumference of the log during the 
process of cross-cutting to lengths suitable for the veneer cutting machine, 
This made peeling difficult, for the veneer tended to break across as it 
was removed from the peeler. 
Uses 
Odoko is a good general utility timber somewhat similar to beech. It should 
prove useful for table tops as in bakeries and laundries, brush backs, shoe 
heels, and domestic woodenware (2, 6). 
Structure 
Growth rings are not distinct. Pores are small and not visible without a 
lens. Wood parenchyma is absent or very sparse. Pays are conspicuous 
on the cross section but not on the tangential section; they are notably 
high and prominent on the radial surface where they stand out as lighter 
than the background (8, 9, 11). 
Report No. 1973 
