Machinability of Kempili (Lithocarpus Ewyckii (Koth.) Rehd.) and Ubar (Syzygium Sp.) Wood from Borneo Forest

This paper presents information on the machinability of Kempili (Lithocrapus ewyckii (Koth.) Rehd.) and Ubar (Syzygium sp.) for different machining operations at 14 % and 10 % moisture content. Both species are lesser-known species from the Borneo forest of Indonesia. The basic testing procedures followed ASTM D-1666-87. The machining operations applied were planing, shaping, boring, turning, and sanding. The surface quality for determining the machinability were defect percentage and defect-free value. Ten replications were used for each machining property and randomly collected from flat-sawn boards for each wood. The results showed that fuzzy grain defects were found for both species, resulting from all machining operations. Decreasing moisture content from 14 % to 10 % tended to increase the defect-free value of the wood. Wood species significantly affected the machinability of Kempili and Ubar wood in planing, shaping, boring, and sanding operations. Moisture content only significantly affected the machinability of both wood species in turning operation. Based on their defectfree values in all investigated machining operations, both Kempili and Ubar wood have good machining quality. Therefore, both species are recommended as raw materials for producing various wood-based products such as furniture, molding, leaf doors, dowels, or laminated wood.