Geographical Distribution
Panga Panga is properly known as Millettia stuhlmannii. For those of you familiar with exotic wood species, you might recognize that the Millettia genus is also the one to which another exotic hardwood, Wenge, belongs. Wenge is Millettia laurentii and it occurs in a similar geographic range as Panga Panga. Panga Panga grows in a wide band across equatorial Africa, occurring and being harvested in the following countries: Congo, Kenya, Mozambique, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe.
Panga Panga Stylus Pens
General Characteristics
Panga Panga is quite dense and also quite hard, certainly harder than White Oak.
Coloration is easily the most distinguishing feature of Panga Panga. The heartwood is a very dark brown with black streaks, and in this respect it can be indistinguishable from Wenge. Care must be taken when applying a finish because some products, particularly those with an oil base, can cause the wood to become nearly black, which might be the goal is using this wood, as some do, as a substitute for Ebony.
In general, Panga Panga features a straight grain but a very coarse texture. Panga Panga also has very large pores. The presence of these pores can be problematic is the user is seeking to achieve a perfectly smooth or leveled finish. If that is the case, using a filler material that closely matches the color may be the only workable option.
The end grain of Panga Panga is quite diffuse and porous. The large pores occur in no specific arrangement. On occasion, brown and/or yellow mineral deposits may be visible in the end grain.
As might be expected in a wood as dense and hard as Panga Panga, the resistance to rot and insect, including termite, attack is quite high. However, the general cost of Panga Panga timber would tend to rule out uses where these characteristics would be of most value.
Working Characteristics
Due to its high density and hardness, Panga Panga can prove difficult to work with. The wood can present difficulties with both hand and power operated tools.
When using screws or nails it is essential to pre-drill pilot holes, otherwise the wood is likely to split.
All cutting and shaping tools will quickly blunt and require frequent sharpening, due both to the density and hardness, but also due to mineral deposits that are sometimes present. Alternatively, tools that employ replaceable carbide cutters, such as the Easy Wood Tool line, can be used without the need for sharpening, and the time, effort, and equipment required.
Sanding to a smooth finish can be complicated by several factors. As previously mentioned, the porosity of the wood can be quite marked, making filler material necessary to achieve a perfectly smooth finish. The end grain is also pronounced and this will present difficulties for the wood turner who will inevitably have to come to terms with the end grain either by filling and sanding or by accepting a slightly rougher finish than can be achieved with other wood species. This variability is all part of the joy of working with, and using items made from, wood, a purely natural product.
Another problem is that Panga Panga is very prone to splintering. When these splinters enter the skin, they can prove quite problematic and more about that will follow under Health Hazards.
Finally, Panga Panga is reported to have a faint and slightly bitter scent when being worked.
Pricing
Panga Panga is not a wood commonly offered by dealers in the United States. Care must be taken if you are determined to use actual Panga Panga as some dealers will offer Wenge and Panga Panga interchangeably. This shouldn’t present a problem for most users as the woods look and behave virtually identically.
I was able to price actual Panga Pange through Rare Woods USA of Mexico, Maine at $16 for 4/4 and 8/4 lumber. By way of comparison, the same vendor offers Wenge at $20 to $25 for 4/4 through 8/4.
West Penn Hardwoods, from whom I have purchased Wenge bowl blanks in the past, does not currently offer Panga Panga, although they do offer Wenge pen blanks at $2.00 each. They do not currently offer bowl blank sizes of Wenge. I use this source routinely and find them quite reliable and they often offer excellent sales and markdowns.
Bell Forest Products, another dealer with whom I have worked and whom I trust, currently does not offer Panga Panga either, but is offering spindle sized Wenge.
Woodfinder is an excellent website that is dedicated to advertising exotic wood dealers. In your search for either wood, this can be an invaluable resource provided you use multiple search terms to capture all the possible listings. I can’t speak to the quality of any of the listed dealers, but Woodfinder does have the advantage of allowing searches to be performed based on location which might allow an interested buyer to visit a listed wood dealer in person to hand pick pieces at a comfortable price. My experience in searching for Panga Panga was that most of the dealers listed do not actually have Panga Panga in stock, although they might at times do so, or they may be cross referencing Wenge as Panga Panga. Be sure to look at offerings closely if the specific species is of great importance to you.
Uses
The most common uses for Panga Panga are the same as those for Wenge, which include, but are not necessarily limited to: veneer, paneling, furniture, turned objects, and musical instruments. Panga Panga is also used as a substitute for the rarer, endangered, and quite expensive, ebony. In that capacity Panga Panga might be used for a wide range of things including: small and/or ornamental items, such as piano keys, musical instrument parts, pool cues, carvings, and other small specialty items.
Sustainability
Panga Panga is not listed with either the Convention in International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Appendices or the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as being threatened or endangered, but that doesn’t mean that conservation and good forestry practices shouldn’t be of overall concern when working with or purchasing any species.
One source from South Africa, where Panga Panga is quite rare, report that stocks of the Panga Panga trees are in danger of serious depletion in Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Tanzania due the commercial success of the wood. The roots are also commonly harvested for use in traditional medicine and this use contributes to declining stocks. Because of these concerns, some wood workers may choose to exercise caution or discretion in choosing to use Panga Panga in the future, although it seems more responsible a choice than other similar woods such as Ebony which are clearly endangered.
Health Hazards
Although severe reactions are quite uncommon, breathing Wenge wood dust, which as noted is very closely related to Panga Panga, has been reported to cause central nervous system effects, irritation of the skin and eyes, and it also acts as a sensitizer, meaning future reactions to the dust, as well as the dust of other species, may be more severe. Also, Wenge splinters tend to take longer to heal and are more likely to go septic, get infected, than splinters from other woods. Because of the close relationship between Wenge and Panga Panga, it is expected that splinters from the later species are also likely to cause this problem.
Appropriate protective equipment is therefore recommended, as always, when working with any exotic woods, unless you have worked with the species before and are certain you are not sensitive to it. However, given the potential uncertainty about identification, it is possible that one sample might be quite different from another even if labeled the same, and caution is almost always rewarded.
Complete information about health hazards associated with a wide variety of exotic hardwoods is available from The Wood Database. Additional information about how to best use a dust collection system and personal protective equipment, such as respirators, can also be found through this excellent and comprehensive resource.
Fortunately, I have experienced no negative side effects when working with the small pieces of Panga Panga I had on hand.
My Personal Experiences
While I was only privileged to work with two small pen blank sized pieces of Panga Panga I was able to make some observations. I did note that the wood was quite hard with an open grain, although the pores in my pieces were relatively small and filling was not required. I did not detect any oil in the pieces I worked with, but I did note what I describe as the scent of burnt cacao when turning the wood. My pieces were dark brown with lovely black striped figure, and I did also note the rare, but visible, yellow mineral inclusions.
Overall, I enjoyed working with Panga Panga and if given the opportunity, which seems sadly unlikely, I would choose to work with this interesting and beautiful wood again. If you can find samples, I would recommend giving it a try!