Heavy construction, cogs and shafts, barge and dock fenders, flooring, railroad crossties, pulp mill equipment, tool handles, bearings, turnery. A substitute for lignum vitae.
Cumaru (Brazil)
Almendro (Costa Rica, Panama), Sarrapia (Venezuela, Colombia), Charapilla, Cumarut (Peru).
The Guianas, Venezuela, Colombia, and the Amazon region of Brazil; reaches its best development on well-drained gravelly or sandy sites. Cultivated in many areas for the tonka beans used as a flavoring.
A large overstory tree sometimes to 160 ft in height and trunk diameters to 40 in.; unbuttressed cylindrical boles are generally clear to 60 to 80 ft.
Heartwood: Fresh heartwood is reddish brown or purplish brown with light yellowish-brown or purplish streaks; upon exposure gradually' becomes uniform light brown or yellowish brown;
Sapwood: distinct, narrow, yellowish brown;
Grain: interlocked;
Texture: fine;
Luster: rather low to medium;
Odor and taste: taste not distinctive but may have a vanilla-like or rancid odor.
Appearance and feel: waxy or oily feel;
| Moisture content (%) | Bending strength (psi) | Modulus of elasticity (1,000 psi) | Maximum crushing strength (psi) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Janka side hardness 2200 lb for green material and 3,540 lb at 12% moisture content. Forest Products Laboratory toughness average for green and dry material is 265 in.-lb. (5/8-in. specimen). | |||||||
| 12% | 27,270 | 3,030 | 13,720 | ||||
| Green (74) | 19,290 | 2,690 | 9,020 | ||||
| 12% (24) | 22,400 | 3,010 | 13,200 | ||||
The wood is rated as easy to air-season with a slight tendency to check and with moderate warping; drying was uniformly rapid. No dry kiln data available. Shrinkage from green to ovendry: radial 5.0%; tangential 7.6%; volumetric 12.0%.
The wood is difficult to saw and bore; where severely interlocked grain is not present, the wood planes to a smooth surface. Because of its high density and oily nature, the wood glues poorly.
The timbers have a reputation for being very durable. Laboratory tests also show the heartwood to be very durable in resistance to both brown-rot and white rot fungi. The wood has excellent weathering characteristics.
Heartwood absorption and penetration of treating solutions using both open-tank and pressure-vacuum systems are inadequate. Sapwood is reported to treat well, particularly with a high end-grain exposure.
56. Record, S. J., and R. W. Hess. 1949. Timbers of the new world. Yale University Press, New Haven, Conn.
From: Chudnoff, Martin. 1984. Tropical Timbers of the World. USDA Forest Service. Ag. Handbook No. 607.