Pros and Cons of Framire (Idigbo) Timber
The Pros of Framire
Framire timber (otherwise known as Idigbo or Frameri) is an exotic African hardwood timber which is known for its versatility and stability. It was commonly used between 1930’s and 1960’s as an oak substitute, mainly for British rail carriages. Yellow and light in colour, moderately durable and with a medium texture grain, it looks and performs similarly to oak.
Framire timber today is largely used for internal projects, such as cabinet work, and some external joinery. Due to being light in weight, it is excellent for structured panels and interior use. It is easily mouldable and dries evenly with little degrade, making it a great choice for windows, doors, gates, wooden floors and shutters.
Framire is becoming increasingly difficult to source, for many reasons.
The Cons of Framire
In some Framire, interlocked grain can be present. This provides a certain aesthetic to the wood which is often desirable, however when interlocked the knots can weaken the timber. Further, mature trees can also suffer from brittleheart, which means the wood is low in strength and brittle. Ultimately this means Framire has a few potential defects that we need to look out for when assessing the timber for use.
It’s so important for timber to have traceability, particularly for felling and exporting. Framire timber has become less commonly used over the past several years, losing out due to environmental issues and lack of certification. It is becoming harder to source legally and the chain of custody cannot be proven in some instances.
WL West Timber is a family-owned sawmill & timber merchant in West Sussex with over 155 years’ industry experience. We provide a wide range of air-dried oak and kiln-dried oak timber products and supplies. We also build and install custom projects for our customers.
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