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Clicking any heading in the main data area (at right) will scroll the page back to this top position. Use the following links to jump to the associated section in the main data. Blunting Effect Boring Carving Comments Common Names Common Uses Countries of Distribution Cutting Resistance Distribution Overview Drying Defects Ease of Drying Environmental Profile Family Name Gluing Grain Heartwood Color Kiln Schedules Luster Mortising Moulding Nailing Natural Durability Numerical Data Odor Planing Polishing References Regions of Distribution Resistance to Impregnation Response to Hand Tools Routing & Recessing Sanding Sapwood Color Scientific Name Silica Content Strength Properties Texture Trade Name Tree Size Turning Scientific Name Tristania sp. Trade Name Brush box Family Name Myrtaceae Common Names Brush box, Kanuka, Keruntum, Malabayabas, Melaban, Meraban, Pelawan, Rong Leang, Selunchor, Selunsur, Swamp box Regions of Distribution Oceania and S.E. Asia Countries of Distribution  [VIEW MAP] Australia, Hawaii [US], Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines Common Uses Bearings & bushings, Bobbins, Building construction, Building materials, Bushing blocks, Cabin construction, Construction, Domestic flooring, Factory construction, Farm vehicles, Flooring, Handles, Heavy construction, Machinery parts, Mine timbers, Pallets, Parquet flooring, Picker sticks, Shade rollers, Shafts/Handles, Shuttles, Specialty items, Spindles, Spools, Stencil & chisel blocks, Sub-flooring, Sucker rods, Tool handles, Umbrella handles , Wheels Environmental Profile Status has not been officially assessed Distribution Overview Various species in the genus Tristania are distributed in the Indo-Malayan region and extend into Australia, the Philippines, and Indonesia. Six of the species are represented in the rocky shores, lowland, and hill or mountain forests in the Malay Peninsula. Some species in the genus have also been introduced into other regions. Heartwood Color Brown Red Reddish brown Pinkish brown Grey brown Darkens after prolonged exposure Dark brown The wood is typically unfigured Sapwood Color White Sapwood merges gradually into the heartwood Pinkish Dark red brown to purple brown Width is up to 2 inches (5 cm) Grain Closed Interlocked Wavy Occasionally wavy Interlocked Texture Medium Coarse Medium Fine Luster Low Somewhat lustrous Natural Durability Durable Heartwood is moderately resistant to attack by termites and marine borers Heartwood has moderate resistance to attack by decay fungi Odor No specific smell or taste Silica Content High Contains silica Accumulations commonly range from 0.04 to 0.22% of ovendry weight, but can as high 3.4%. Silica levels of 0.05% is generally believed to be enough to affect the machining properties of timber. Kiln Schedules T3-C2 (4/4) ; T3-C1 (8/4) US/T3-C2 (4/4) ; T3-C1 (8/4) U Drying Defects Ring Shakes Checking May warp May collapse and distort May check Ease of Drying Thick Stock Requires Care Little degrade Fairly Easy Very difficult to dry due to tendency to collapse Air-Drying is suggested before kiln drying. Shrinkage can be higher than normal in collapsed wood Tree Size Bole length is 30-40 m Tree height is 30-40 m Tree height is 40-50 m Tree height is 50-60 m Tree height is 60-70 m Tree height is greater than 70 m The trees are reported to develop boles that are typically irregular and large buttresses. T. conferta is reported to develop boles of good form on plantations in Hawaii Comments Hard and durable The genus Tristania is reported to produce hard and durable timber that are highly suited for making rice pestles, axe-handles, mallets, golf heads, and paddles. The common name Pelawan, used to refer to timber from the lowland forests in the Malay Peninsula, is indicative of the durability of the wood. Blunting Effect High to severe Severe blunting effect on cutting surfaces Blunting effect on cutting edges may be rather severe, because the timber is very dense and tends to be abrasive Boring Fairly difficult to very difficult Carving Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Cutting Resistance Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult to saw Very difficult to saw Gluing Fair to Good Results Fairly Easy to Very Easy Mortising Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Moulding Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Nailing Pre-Boring Recommended Fair to Good Results Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Planing Poor to Very Poor Results Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Difficult to plane and machine in most operations due to high density Tristania timbers are very dense and contain high levels of silica. They tend to be rather difficult to plane and work with most tools, but can be dressed to a smooth finish Resistance to Impregnation Permeable sapwood Resistant heartwood Resistant sapwood Heartwood is extremely resistant Response to Hand Tools Responds Poorly Very difficult to work with hand tools Routing & Recessing Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Sanding Fair to Good Results Yields relatively smooth surfaces Easy to sand Turning Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Excellent Polishing Good results Strength Properties Very heavy Very hard Compression strength (parallel to grain) = high Bending strength (MOR) = high It is very hard, and may be difficult to process with ordinary tools. It is very resistant to wear. The wood is exceptionally heavy. It weighs much more than Hard maple or Teak in the green or seasoned condition Numerical Data Item Green Dry English Bending Strength 13916 21462 psi Density 61 lbs/ft3 Hardness 3025 lbs Maximum Crushing Strength 6174 10275 psi Stiffness 1862 2401 1000 psi Toughness 72 inch-lbs Specific Gravity 0.78 Weight 60 49. lbs/ft3 Radial Shrinkage 5 % Tangential Shrinkage 9 % Item Green Dry Metric Bending Strength 978 1508 kg/cm2 Density 977 kg/m3 Hardness 1372 kg Maximum Crushing Strength 434 722 kg/cm2 Stiffness 130 168 1000 kg/cm2 Toughness 82 cm-kg Specific Gravity 0.78 Weight 961 785. kg/m3 Radial Shrinkage 5 % References Chudnoff, M.,1984,Tropical Timbers of the World,U.S.A. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products,Laboratory, Madison. Desch, H. E. 1954. Manual of Malayan Timbers - Volume II. Malayan Forest Records, No. 15. Malaysia Publishing House Ltd., Singapore. Eddowes, P.J. 1977. Commercial Timbers of Papua New Guinea - Their Properties and Uses. Forest Products Research Center, Office of Forests, Department of Primary Industry, Papua New Guinea. Schneider, E.E. 1916. Commercial Woods of the Philippines: Their Preparation and Uses. Bulletin No. 14. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Forestry, Manila, Philippines.