My sturdy shena
One day I was walking through our neighbourhood. I found two signposts standing next to each other. One signpost had a sign, and the other did not.
I could see immediately that the signpost on the right was a CCA treated gumpole. The signpost on the left was very old, and covered in lichen. The rusty remains of thick steel bolts protruded from near the cutaway section. The rusting bolts had split the top of the post, and the post could no longer be used for holding signs.
The old post puzzled me. So I went home, and came back with a pocket knife. I scraped away the lichen and a grey layer of oxidized wood. The wood underneath was a medium brown colour, and had black streaks running through it. I identified it as Rhodesian teak (Baikea Plurijuga). It is also called Zambian teak, because Rhodesia no longer exists. Baikea Plurijuga is a leguminous plant with very pretty pink flowers. Even though it is called "teak", it is not related to Burmese teak (Tectona grandis).
Rhodesian teak is a very hard, dense and durable wood. It was used for making railway sleepers, because it resisted attack by insects and fungus. The offcuts were used to make parquet flooring. Nowadays railway sleepers are made out of concrete, because there is no more old growth of this timber.
I dug up the post, and brought it home
Rhodesian teak is a very hard, dense and durable wood. It was used for making railway sleepers, because it resisted attack by insects and fungus. The offcuts were used to make parquet flooring. Nowadays railway sleepers are made out of concrete, because there is no more old growth of this timber.
I dug up the post, and brought it home
This is what I was left with, after cutting off the split end
I decided to make a one piece shena. After rough shaping with a hacksaw and a chisel it looked like this:
It is perfectly usable as is. But it looks chunky and clunky. I want to slim and trim it. I would love to make something that resembles '60's era Scandinavian furniture.
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Update 2 December 2014. The pictures below were taken after filing and sanding with 240 grit paper. The wood has a satin smooth feel. It is very pleasant to hold and run your hands over the curves.
I have discovered a lot about Rhodesian teak. It is hard and brittle, and splits and splinters easily. But worst of all, I am allergic to the extractives in the wood! Whenever I work with this timber, I get an itchy rash, and my forearms, nostrils and eyelids swell up. It all makes sense. In order to be durable, the wood has to contain substances that are toxic to fungi and termites.
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Update 6 December 2014.
I glued rubber soles on the feet of the shena, to prevent it from slipping on carpets and ceramic tiles.
I glued rubber soles on the feet of the shena, to prevent it from slipping on carpets and ceramic tiles.
Polishing really brings the grain to life. You can see the characteristic black streaks typical of Baikea Plurijuga.
This photo was taken under fluorescent lights. In daylight the wood is slightly redder than in the picture.
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I enjoy doing pushups on the shena. It is far more comfortable than putting my hands on the ground. So now I do a lot of pushups. I aim for 1000 a week - about 150 a day. I alternate club swinging exercises with a set of 15 - 20 shena pushups. Its very easy to get to my target that way.
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Update 12 December 2014
Walking around my neighborhood, I found this:
It is a creosote treated gum signpost that has rotted and fallen over. Somebody (not me) has placed it next to a Rhodesian teak signpost. The Rhodesian teak signpost has been in the ground over 30 years, while the gumpole probably had less than 10 years service before collapsing.
The problem with pressure treating wooden poles is that the creosote penetrates the low density sapwood, but cannot penetrate the high density heartwood. So the poles rot from the inside out. I often see hollow poles sticking up out of the ground. The unprotected heartwood rots away, while the protected sapwood remains behind.
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Update 19 March 2015
This is what I am talking about.
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Update 25 October 2015
My new training partner.