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Comments
Common Names
Common Uses
Countries of Distribution
Cutting Resistance
Distribution Overview
Drying Defects
Ease of Drying
Environmental Profile
Family Name
Grain
Heartwood Color
Kiln Schedules
Luster
Mortising
Moulding
Movement in Service
Natural Durability
Numerical Data
Odor
Planing
Polishing
References
Regions of Distribution
Resistance to Impregnation
Response to Hand Tools
Sapwood Color
Scientific Name
Strength Properties
Texture
Trade Name
Tree Size
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Common Names
Alexandrian laurel, Aptakas, Beach calophyllum, Beauty leaf, Bintangor, Biotu, Bitanghol, Bitaog, Biyuch, Biyuuch, Btaches, Damanu, Fteh, Ka thang han, Ka thang lan, Legitu, Penaga, Rakich, Tamanou, Tang hon, Wangu
Regions of Distribution
Oceania and S.E. Asia
Countries of Distribution
[VIEW MAP]
Australia, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Vietnam
Common Uses
Balusters, Bedroom suites, Boat building, Boxes and crates, Building construction, Building materials, Cabinetmaking, Canoes, Casks, Chairs, Chests, Concealed parts (Furniture), Construction, Desks, Dining-room furniture, Domestic flooring, Dowell pins, Dowells, Drawer sides, Drum sticks, Excelsior, Fine furniture, Floor lamps, Flooring, Furniture , Furniture components, Furniture squares or stock, Hatracks, Interior construction, Interior trim, Joinery, Kitchen cabinets, Lifeboats, Light construction, Living-room suites, Millwork, Mine timbers, Musical instruments , Precision instruments, Pulpwood, Shipbuilding, Vehicle parts
Environmental Profile
| Generally secure within most of its natural habitat, but note exceptions. |
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| Data source is World Conservation Monitoring Center |
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Classified as vulnerable in the Philippines
Distribution Overview
The ball nut is a native tree of coastal areas of northern Australia. It prefers the relatively sheltered, well-drained sites on sandy beaches and dune systems along the coastline of central and northern Queensland. Although it will persist on the drier parts of the coastline, it grows more vigorously and exhibits greater tolerance to exposure on the higher rainfall areas of the tropical coast. Native to coasts of the Indian and Pacific Oceans, introduced to some places such as Hawaii. Common in Singapore.
Heartwood Color
| Yellow |
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| Orange |
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| Brown |
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| Red |
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| Reddish brown |
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| Color changes with age |
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The color of the heartwood is described as reddish-brown, with darker streaks on longitudinal surfaces. The color is reported to turn dull gray with age. Various woods of Calophyllum are very difficult to differentiate
Sapwood Color
| White |
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| Yellow |
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| Red |
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| Pinkish-brown |
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| Pale straw |
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| Clearly differentiated from the heartwood |
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Grain
| Moderately to severely interlocked |
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Texture
Luster
Natural Durability
| Durable |
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| Perishable |
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| Moderately durable |
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| Non-durable |
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| Susceptible to attack by marine borers and termites |
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Heartwood seldomly attacked by borers, but is is susceptible to attack by termites and marine borers such as shipworms (Teredo spp.) and gribble (Limnoria spp.)
Odor
| No specific smell or taste |
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Kiln Schedules
| T2 - D4 (4/4); T2 - D3 (8/4) US |
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| Schedule A (4/4) United Kingdom. |
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Drying Defects
| Checking |
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| Slight surface checking |
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| Moderate twist/warp |
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| Moderate end spitting |
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Ease of Drying
| Special attention required |
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| Fair |
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Weight down stacks to minimize warping
Tree Size
| Bark width is 10-15 mm |
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| Tree height is 20-30 m |
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| Tree height is 10-20 m |
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| Bark width is 15-20 mm |
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Bole is often crooked and leans at an angle of less than 45 degrees to the ground.
Comments
Deposits in Wood - Wood vessels contain a red deposit.
Ornamental species
The species is highly favored as an ornamental tree. It is also widely cultivated for its oil in many tropical regions.
Cutting Resistance
| Material with interlocked grain can be difficult. |
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Sawn surfaces can be wooly
Mortising
| Interlocked grain effects mortising |
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| Difficult to mortise |
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Moulding
| Requires very sharp cutting edges |
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Very sharp edges required to keep grain from tearing
Movement in Service
| Excellent Stability - Small Movement |
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| Medium |
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Moderate dimensional stability can be attained after seasoning. Medium movement can occur after manufacturing.
Planing
| Special attention required |
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| Poor planing characteristics |
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Interlocked grain makes planing difficult. Recommended that sharp cutting edge and reduced cutting angle are used
Resistance to Impregnation
| Resistant heartwood |
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| Resistant sapwood |
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| Sapwood is easily treatable |
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| Heartwood is moderately resistant |
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Response to Hand Tools
| Fairly Difficult to Difficult to Work |
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| Easy to Work |
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| Wood usually has interlocked grain, making it more difficult to work with hand tools |
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| Special attention required |
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For best results cutting edges should be kept sharp. Interlocked grain commonly causes tearing
Polishing
| Requires a filler |
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| High polish |
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Strength Properties
| Compression strength (parallel to grain) = high |
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Bending strength in the air-dry condition (about 12 percent moisture content) is high - comparable to Teak. Maximum crushing strength, or compression strength parallel to grain, is high. Some familiar species with high crushing strength parallel to grain include Hard maple, Teak, and White oak. It is fairly hard, resisting wear, denting, and marring fairly well. It is heavy. The density is high
Numerical Data
| Item | Green | Dry | English |
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| Bending Strength | 9067 | 14205 | psi |
| Crushing Strength | 1162 | 1714 | psi |
| Density | | 39 | lbs/ft3 |
| Hardness | | 1426 | lbs |
| Impact Strength | 31 | | inches |
| Maximum Crushing Strength | 4312 | 7223 | psi |
| Shearing Strength | | 2132 | psi |
| Static Bending | 6426 | 9269 | psi |
| Stiffness | 1365 | 1668 | 1000 psi |
| Toughness | | 523 | inch-lbs |
| Specific Gravity | 0.51 | 0.55 | |
| Weight | 45 | 38 | lbs/ft3 |
| Volumetric Shrinkage | 10 | | % |
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| Item | Green | Dry | Metric |
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| Bending Strength | 637 | 998 | kg/cm2 |
| Crushing Strength | 81 | 120 | kg/cm2 |
| Density | | 624 | kg/m3 |
| Hardness | | 646 | kg |
| Impact Strength | 78 | | cm |
| Maximum Crushing Strength | 303 | 507 | kg/cm2 |
| Shearing Strength | | 149 | kg/cm2 |
| Static Bending | 451 | 651 | kg/cm2 |
| Stiffness | 95 | 117 | 1000 kg/cm2 |
| Toughness | | 602 | cm-kg |
| Specific Gravity | 0.51 | 0.55 | |
| Weight | 721 | 608 | kg/m3 |
References
Chowdhury, K.A. and S.S. Ghosh. 1958. Indian Woods - Their Identification, Properties and Uses, Volume I - Dilleniaceae to Elaeocarpaceae. Published by the Manager of Publications, Delhi, India.
Chudnoff, M.,1984,Tropical Timbers of the World,U.S.A. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products,Laboratory, Madison.
Desch, H. E. 1957. Manual of Malayan Timbers. The Malayan Forester, 28(30):315-318.
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.
Keating, W.G., Bolza, E.,1982,Characteristics properties and uses of timbers. South East Asia, Northern,Australia and the Pacific,C.S.I.R.O. Div. Chemical Technology,Inkata Press,1
Lauricio, F. M., Bellosillo, S. B. 1966. The Mechanical and Related Properties of Philippine Woods, The Lumberman, 12(5):A-H.
Limaye, V.D. 1954. Grouping of Indian Timbers and their Properties, Uses and Suitability. Indian Forest Records, New Series. Timber Mechanics, Vol. 1, No. 2, Forest Research Institute, Dehra Dun, India.
Limaye, V.D. and B.R. Sen. 1956. Weights and Specific Gravities of Indian Woods. Indian Forest Records (New Series). Timber Mechanics. Volume 1 No. 4. Manager of Publications (Publisher, Delhi.
WCMC. 1992. Conservation Status Listing - Trees and Timbers of the World. World Conservation Monitoring Center-Plants Programme, Cambridge, CB3 ODL, United Kingdom.
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