Tests show gubas and falcata school chairs can carry heavy loads
September 8, 2015
Contrary to expectation, school chairs made from falcata (Paraserianthes falcataria) and gubas (Endospermum peltatum) – which both produce light wood - have been found as strong as chairs made from lauan (Shorea species) – which yields moderately heavy wood.
This was the result of performance tests done on chairs fabricated forthe Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)- funded project “Sawmilling of Ten Million Board Feet of Logs and Flitches in Caraga for Use of the Department of Education (DepEd) in the Manufacture of School Desks and Chairs (Phase 2).”
According to DOST-FPRDI Director Romulo T. Aggangan, “The DepEd requires that a school armchair can carry a load of at least 35 to 40 kilos, but all the armchairs tested surpassed 2,500 kilos in the load tests, implying that the sample chairs were overdesigned. This also indicates that gubas and falcata can now be used to make DepEd chairs, something which has not been done before.”
“What this means,” says Project Leader Dr. Dwight A. Eusebio, “is that we now have a sustainable wood source for our school chairs as the fast-growing falcata is the most widely planted species in Mindanao, especially in Caraga.”
The performance tests on the chairs were done at the FPRDI National Furniture Testing Center, a laboratory accredited by the Philippine Accreditation Board (PAB), in accordance with PNS ISO/IEC 17025:2005. (Rizalina K. Araral, 01 September 2015)#
