Fabrication specification photograph · Konkaya Workshop
Works Layout, Owerri
Across Southern and Eastern Nigeria, timber faces one of the most punishing climatic swings in the world. During the monsoon months from May to October, ambient relative humidity routinely surpasses 85%. Planks left in roadside sawmills absorb moisture greedily, reaching internal moisture contents of 25% to 32%.
Then, almost overnight in late November, the northeastern trade winds sweep in from the Sahara. The Harmattan drops relative humidity down to 20% or lower within 48 hours. When wet timber dries out that quickly in an air-conditioned parlour, the outer grain contracts violently while the core remains saturated. The result is catastrophic: dining table tops split along glue lines, wardrobe doors warp out of plumb, and internal joints pull apart.
At Konkaya, we refuse roadside timber shortcuts. Every plank of Nigerian Iroko, Sapele Mahogany, and Teak enters our Works Layout drying kilns for a continuous 21- to 30-day thermal cycle. We regulate airflow, temperature, and moisture evaporation until the wood reaches a scientifically verified 10% to 12% equilibrium moisture content (EMC).
Beyond kiln drying, we machine concealed longitudinal expansion slots into tabletop subframes. These allow the solid timber to breathe through seasonal humidity shifts without exerting destructive force on fasteners or structural tenons. Finally, every raw cut edge receives a 6-sided multi-stage industrial polyurethane barrier to seal out airborne moisture.
Then, almost overnight in late November, the northeastern trade winds sweep in from the Sahara. The Harmattan drops relative humidity down to 20% or lower within 48 hours. When wet timber dries out that quickly in an air-conditioned parlour, the outer grain contracts violently while the core remains saturated. The result is catastrophic: dining table tops split along glue lines, wardrobe doors warp out of plumb, and internal joints pull apart.
At Konkaya, we refuse roadside timber shortcuts. Every plank of Nigerian Iroko, Sapele Mahogany, and Teak enters our Works Layout drying kilns for a continuous 21- to 30-day thermal cycle. We regulate airflow, temperature, and moisture evaporation until the wood reaches a scientifically verified 10% to 12% equilibrium moisture content (EMC).
Beyond kiln drying, we machine concealed longitudinal expansion slots into tabletop subframes. These allow the solid timber to breathe through seasonal humidity shifts without exerting destructive force on fasteners or structural tenons. Finally, every raw cut edge receives a 6-sided multi-stage industrial polyurethane barrier to seal out airborne moisture.
Workshop Engineering Rule
Every piece of timber cut at Konkaya is seasoned in-house for a minimum of 21 to 30 days to reach 10%–12% equilibrium moisture content (EMC). We seal all six faces of every component with industrial polyurethane moisture barriers to resist coastal humidity and dry Harmattan winds.
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Konkaya Workshop Engineering
Works Layout, Owerri, Nigeria
