Zebrawood (Microbellinia, brazzavillensis)
Trade Names: Zebrawood, Zebrano, Zingana
Origin: West Africa
Range: Cameroon, Gabon, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, lower tropical rain forests.
Uses: Primarily sliced veneer, occasionally rotary cut for face veneer, used for furniture, luxury architectural woodwork, today used especially for dashboard paneling in the automobile industry. It is almost always quarter sliced.
Properties: The heartwood is light grey to yellow with distinct dark brown stripes. Greatly resistant to funghi, insect infestation(particularly termites) and the weather. Zebrawood is extremely dependent on fashion trends although it is a very decorative wood. Degrading are the so-called _barbed wire_ lines which interrupt the black stripes. These effect the uniform appearance of the veneer.
Machining: The wood works easily with all tools. Knife blades are not dulled by the mineral deposits.
Seasoning: The wood must be very carefully dried at a controlled speed because it is very prone to checking and warping.