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I traded [someone?] a couple Engelmann tops for a back and side set of yellow wood that has a highly curled figure in it. I can't remember the exact name of the wood but it was something like Movangabi? Does that ring a bell with anyone?

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tim...
http://www.mcknightguitars.com

I have some too Tim, but its buried in the wood stack, one of my students gave it to me with the name written on ... i think its more like movenge or something

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Tony Karol
www.karol-guitars.com
"let my passion .. fulfill yours"

Tim, I believe it is Movingui. I bought some from Don Williams at New England Tonewoods before the swap meet began.

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Don Atwood
Arlington, VA

Is it movingui aka african satinwood?

Here's some from Bob C

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GregH
Fot Wuth

You see it spelled a few different ways:
Movinghi

I found some details on Movingui in the USDA Forest Products Lab Pub#2159- sounds like the same stuff:


Distemonanthus benthamianus Baill.
Movingui Family: Leguminosae-Caesalpiniaceae
Movingui grows in the eastern part of Liberia and in many other rain forest areas of West Africa. The average height of the tree is 90 feet, but under the best conditions for growth it may be 125 feet tall.
The average diameter is 2-1/2 feet, but it may reach 4-1/2 feet.
The bole often has weakly developed buttresses. It is free of branches,cylindrical,. and more or less straight.
The sapwood is narrow, straw colored, and distinct from the lemon-yellow to yellowish brown heartwood. Some of the heavier timbers are darker brown and may have dark streaks. Sometimes a yellow deposit is present in the pores that under moist conditions acts as a direct
dye on textiles. It can be bleached with bleaching powder. The wood is fine textured and has a high luster. The grain is often interlocked or wavy, and some logs produce beautifully figured timber. Limited
tests show that up to 1. 3 percent of silica may be present in the darker, dense wood, although the less dense, pale wood may contain practically none .
The wood is usually hard and moderately heavy, weighing 37 to 48 pounds per cubic foot with an average of 42 pounds in air-dry condition.
In a limited number of tests its bending properties were rated as moderate .
...snip...
The light-colored wood of low density and low silica content has only a moderate blunting effect on cutting edges, but the heavier, darker siliceous wood causes rapid blunting. Gummy material may cause overheating of the saws. Saws with teeth tipped with tungsten carbide are recommended. The timber works fairly readily with other machine and hand tools, It tends to char when bored, but it finishes cleanly in most operations. Because of the interlocked grain, tearing occurs on quartersawn stock in planing and molding unless the cutting angle is reduced to 20°. It stains and polishes well, and only a moderate amount of filler is required. The wood may split when nailed. It can be glued easily .

Movingui is used for joinery, door frames, windows, and sills. Because of the presence of the yellow dye, the wood should not be used for laundry equipment or any construction where it is in contact with wet clothes.
(!)

Cheers
John

Tim-
Let us know how it sounds, please!

At $18/bf, this is a pretty attractive candidate for budget b+s sets.

Cheers
John

Well my best guess, at this point, is that it will sound like Mahogany (since my inner sides and back are Mahogany)

Thanks for the input. Yes, I think that is the correct name of the wood.

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tim...
http://www.mcknightguitars.com

Tim, yes that would be Movingui that you traded with myself. The latin name that John references doesn't ring a bell with me, I will check my notes tomorrow I think I have that written down.

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David White, Toronto

"All my favourite singers can't sing."

African Satinwood "Movingui" "Distemonanthus benthamianus"
Sapwood is pale yellow and not very different looking than the heartwood. The grain can be irregular, interlocked or wavy. These traits produce some very interesting and bold figures. Clear mid, bright treble, in between that of maple and rosewood.

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Beautiful and unusual tone woods at a reasonable price.
http://www.rctonewoods.com/RCT_Store
The Zootman
1109 Military Rd.
Kenmore, NY 14217
(716) 874-1498

Movin' Guy?

Thanks for chiming in David White. It was a bear to bend even at .040". The wild grain ended up with some facets (potato chips) in the cutaway but I think I can salvage it. It really is beautiful wood.

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tim...
http://www.mcknightguitars.com

Tim, glad you think it's pretty wood.

I checked my notes and (no surprise) Bob, John, and Greg have the correct Latin name, I was mixing it up with something else.

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David White, Toronto

"All my favourite singers can't sing."