LIMBA
BOTANICAL NAME: Terminalia superba (syn Terminalia altissima) of the Family Combretaceae.

COMMON NAMES: generally known in the US as afara, korina, white limba, and black limba, it is also known around the world as: afa, afara (nigeria), afia afia, afodonko, afraa, aghan, akam, akom (cameroon), an rin, bale, baya, bese, black limba, blie, bokone, chene limbo, congo walnut, dark afara, dark limba, djombe, edo, egean, egoin, egoin nufua, egonni, egoyin, eji, faraen, frake (ivory coast), fram, frameri, framo, frane, frango, frany, gbararada, ka-ren, kegblale, kojaagei, kojagei, kom, kone, kongo, korina, kosina, kumkunbe, landi, light afara, limba bariole, limba blanc, limba clair, limba noir, limbo, moukonia, mukonja, n'dimba, n'kom, n'limba, noyer, noyer du mayombe, noyer limbo, offram, ofram (ghana), ojiloko, owebala, shingle wood, tra, unwonrom, white afara, and white limba.

TYPE: hardwood

COLOR: There are really three kinds of limba as far as color is concerned. First there is the "normal" tree, in which the sapwood is off-white, sometimes yellowish or even pale brown and the heartwood is similarly colored and not clearly differentiated from the sapwood. These are two types of limba and are virtually indistinguishable although sometimes the heartwood will be darker brown. The sapwood of this version is "white limba" AND SO IS THE HEARTWOOD. THEN there is the third limba, which is the somewhat more rare heartwood which is darker and has varying degrees of irregular black streaking, and THAT is what is meant by "black limba". So in terms of TREES, there is no such thing as white or black limba --- these are terms that are used to distinguish between color/figure variations.

All limba darkens a little with age.

GRAIN: usually straight, but sometimes irregular and/or interlocked

TEXTURE: medium to coarse, generally on the coarse side

PROPERTIES / WORKABILITY: A fairly weak, light wood not used where strength is required and prone to brittleheart (some reports say VERY prone). It saws and planes easily, although experts recommend a reduced cutting angle when planing material with irregular grain to prevent tearing. It works well with hand and machine tools with little blunting effect, sands well, good veneering properties, glues well, good screwing and nailing characteristics but pre-boring is recommended because even though it's fairly light and soft, it has a tendancy to split. Bores easily and well, carves well, turns well.

DURABILITY: perishible, susceptable to attack by powder post beetles, ambrosia beeltes, and termites, and moderately resistant to preservative treatment, especially in the heartwood. Mechanical durability is poor. A couple of reports mention that felled trees require special preventive care to protect the heartwood against deterioration.

FINISH: general finishing qualities are rated as good and my experience is that the luster is medium although some reports say high and satiny. One report says filler needed for a good finish and/or good polish.

STABILITY: low movement in service

BENDING: has poor steam bending properties

ODOR: mild odor and no distinct taste

SOURCES: Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Ivory coast, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra leone, South africa, Togo, Zaire

USES: Prized for guitars (the "black" limba particularly), it is also used for boat building (general), boxes and crates, cabinetmaking, cabinetry, chairs, chemical derivatives, coffins, cooperages, decorative veneer, doors, flooring, fuelwood, furniture, handles, heavy construction, interior construction, interior joinery, joinery, light construction, marquetry, matches, millwork, moldings, office furniture, paneling, particleboard, plywood, posts, pulp/paper products, shingles, sporting goods, tables, turnery, vats, vehicle parts, and decorative veneer.

TREE: height is to 150 feet with a diameter to 6 feet (8 feet trees have been reported), bole is straight and clear up to 90 feet and the tree has broad plank-like buttresses, brittleheart sometimes present.

WEIGHT: reports range from 23 to 34 pounds per cubic foot with most on the higher end of that range

DRYING: dries readily but suffers some some reports mention checking in kiln drying and frequent splits and sometimes distortion in air-drying (some reports say little to no degrade)

AVAILABILITY: readily available in both lumber and veneer

COST: moderate

OTHER COMMENTS:

The wood is very suitable for veneering, and the figured black heartwood is highly favored for decorative veneers for paneling and furniture.

Wood splinters are reported to cause inflammation of the skin in some individuals.

web quotes:
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Limba’s connection to the music world goes back a long way, says Ed Roman, head of Ed Roman Guitars in Las Vegas, NV. “Korina is the holy grail of woods for guitars and has been since Gibson featured the wood in its now classic guitars of the 1950s and '60s,” he says.

The vintage Gibson guitars include the Korina Flying V, with a pale korina body and rosewood fretboard. Issued in 1958, it was billed as the guitar that would allow musicians to “solo their way into the stratosphere.” Modernistic, with space-age overtones, the design is a classic today. Roman speculates that string instrument technicians first used korina as a substitute for mahogany, and it gained popularity because the wood produced a great tone.

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Myles Gilmer, owner of Gilmer Wood Co., Portland, OR, stocks white limba and black limba. “Most of the white or light limba is bought by guitar manufacturers. Gibson introduced the use of limba back in the '50s. The guitars, including the Flying V, weren’t that popular when first introduced, but have gained a following in the last 10 to 15 years.

“You see a lot of people making reproductions of these instruments. Over the years, people have discovered that limba has nice acoustic properties. It has a nice tap tone to it and good sustain,” Gilmer says.

Gilmer explains that limba is one of those woods that gives a reverberation. “Some woods will sound dull or clunky if you tap them, but limba actually has a ring to it. The acoustic properties are slightly different between the white and black limba.”

Gilmer says he usually purchases 8/4 stock that is 7 inches or wider. “You can glue two pieces together to make a 13- to 14-inch guitar block. We sometimes find material that is wide enough for one piece, which carries a premium price.” In addition to guitars, the wood is sometimes used for making dulcimers and mandolins.

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Limba is one of those trees with a split personality. Pictures of the famous classic Gibson guitars made from korina illustrate one guitar made from a light-colored wood and another with a dark brown color and black stripes. Its sapwood and heartwood are usually a uniform light yellow to yellow-brown, but sometimes the tree has a dark heart with a color that ranges from grey to brown with dark black streaks or markings. The logs with the dark heart are rare and yield a variety of interesting grains.

“When some people see white limba and black limba, they assume the wood or veneer comes from two totally different species because they do look very dissimilar,” Gilmer says. He adds that white limba edges out the figured material in popularity for guitar work. The light colored material is liable to blue staining. The dark streaked, figured material is more rare than the clear, lighter material.