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Boring
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
Movement in Service
Nailing
Natural Durability
Numerical Data
Odor
Planing
Polishing
References
Regions of Distribution
Resistance to Impregnation
Response to Hand Tools
Sanding
Sapwood Color
Scientific Name
Staining
Steam Bending
Strength Properties
Texture
Trade Name
Tree Identification
Tree Size
Turning
Veneering Qualities
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Common Names
Balche, Barbasco, Black cabbage bark, Black cabbage-bark, Cabbage bark, Chaperno, Guaimaro, Haiari, Imbira de sapo, Macaratu, Machiche, Manchich, Marajagua, Sindajapl, Sindjaple, Timbo
Regions of Distribution
Central America, Latin America
Countries of Distribution
[VIEW MAP]
Belize, Brazil, Columbia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Suriname, Venezuela
Common Uses
Axles, Bent Parts, Boat building (general), Bridge construction, Building construction, Building materials, Cabin construction, Cabinetmaking, Chairs, Chests, Construction, Crossties, Desks, Dining-room furniture, Domestic flooring, Drawer sides, Factory construction, Factory flooring, Fine furniture, Flooring, Furniture , Furniture components, Furniture squares or stock, Hatracks, Heavy construction, Kitchen cabinets, Light construction, Living-room suites, Mine timbers, Office furniture, Parquet flooring, Poles, Radio - stereo - TV cabinets, Railroad ties, Rustic furniture, Stools, Sub-flooring, Tool handles, Turnery, Utility furniture, Vehicle parts, Wardrobes, Wheel spokes, Wheels
Environmental Profile
The environmental profile of this species within its natural habitat has not been officially assessed
Distribution Overview
Tropical America, Mexico in particular. It grows on open hillsides and dry plains at lowland or medium elevations, but may also be locally found in high forests and marsh forests on alluvial flats in Surinam.
Heartwood Color
| Brown |
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| Yellow |
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| Orange |
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| Reddish brown |
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| Dark brown |
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The heartwood is yellowish brown to dark reddish brown in color, usually with stripes of a lighter color. Unfinished wood is rather dull
Sapwood Color
| Brown |
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| Yellow |
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| White to yellow |
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| Pinkish |
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| Paler than heartwood |
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| Different than heartwood |
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| Clearly differentiated from the heartwood |
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The thick and clearly distinct sapwood is yellowish brown in color, and has been described as unattractive in appearance
Grain
| Figure |
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| Interlocked |
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| Even |
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| Rippled (figure) |
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| Rays (figure) |
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| Growth rings (figure) |
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| Distinct (figure) |
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| Variable (figure) |
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| Straight |
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| Irregular |
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| Interlocked |
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| Rippled figure |
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| Rays figure |
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| Straight |
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| Irregular |
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| Irregular color |
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| Distinct figure |
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| Clear growth rings (figure) |
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Texture
| Coarse |
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| Fine to medium |
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| Coarse |
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Luster
The luster is low to medium
Natural Durability
| Perishable |
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| Non-durable |
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| Very durable |
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| Moderately resistant to marine borer attack |
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| Resistant to attack from termites (Isoptera) |
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| Resistant to attack from powder post (Lyctid & Bostrychid) beetles |
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| Resistant to attack from pinworms (ambrosia beetles) |
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Heartwood durability varies considerably by species, but L. castilloi is rated as very resistant to fungus and insect attack
Odor
| No specific smell or taste |
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Kiln Schedules
| Kiln Schedule G (4/4); United Kingdom |
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| 8 - B3 (4/4); T5 - B1 (8/4) US |
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Drying Defects
| Splitting |
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| Slight twist/warp |
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Distortion and shrinkage are minimal if the material is dried slowly
Ease of Drying
| Moderately Difficult to Difficult |
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| Easy |
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| Moderate |
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The rate varies from slow to rapid, and depends upon the species
Tree Identification
| Bole/stem form is unknown |
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| Bole/stem form is not buttressed |
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Tree Size
| Bark width is 15-20 mm |
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| Bole length is 10-20 m |
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| Tree height is 10-20 m |
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| Tree height is 20-30 m |
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Comments
General finishing qualities are rated as good
Machiche is a potential substitute for applications where a dark-reddish wood, such as Mahogany is required
Boring
Cutting Resistance
| Easy to saw |
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| Cutting Resistance with dry wood is difficult |
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Movement in Service
The timber is reported have moderate dimensional stability, and exhibits medium movement after manufacture.
Nailing
| Pre-boring recommended |
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| Difficult to nail |
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Planing
| Planes to a satisfactory finish |
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| Ease of planing is moderate |
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Most machining operations, including planing, turning, mortising, boring, and moulding are fairly easy, although the timber is described as hard. The material responds well to sharp cutters to produce clean surfaces without too much difficulty
Resistance to Impregnation
Most species in the genus are rather difficult to treat with wood preservatives
Response to Hand Tools
Sanding
Turning
| Turns with moderate ease |
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| Good results |
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| Easy to turn |
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Veneering Qualities
| Suitable for peeling |
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| Veneers easily |
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| Veneers moderately easy |
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Steam Bending
Polishing
| Fair to Good Results |
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| Good results |
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Staining
The wood takes finishes well, except polyurethane. Finishing is reported to highlight irregularities in the grain to make the normally dull wood rather attractive
Strength Properties
| Density (dry weight) = 53 - 60 lbs/cu. ft. |
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| Modulus of Elasticity (stiffness) = high |
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| Max. crushing strength = very high |
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| Bending strength (MOR) = very high |
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| Toughness (total work) = high |
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| Shrinkage, Tangential = moderate |
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| Shrinkage, Radial = moderate |
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| Shearing strength (parallel to grain) = very high |
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| Shearing strength (parallel to grain) = high |
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| Max. crushing strength = high |
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| Hardness (side grain) = very hard |
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| Bending strength (MOR) = high |
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Numerical Data
| Item | Green | Dry | English |
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| Bending Strength | 18567 | 25938 | psi |
| Density | | 56 | lbs/ft3 |
| Hardness | | 2805 | lbs |
| Impact Strength | 40 | | inches |
| Maximum Crushing Strength | 9680 | 13101 | psi |
| Shearing Strength | | 2920 | psi |
| Stiffness | 2298 | 2572 | 1000 psi |
| Toughness | | 335 | inch-lbs |
| Work to Maximum Load | 15 | 19 | inch-lbs/in3 |
| Specific Gravity | 0.63 | | |
| Weight | 57 | 55 | lbs/ft3 |
| Radial Shrinkage | 4 | | % |
| Tangential Shrinkage | 7 | | % |
| Volumetric Shrinkage | 13 | | % |
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| Item | Green | Dry | Metric |
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| Bending Strength | 1305 | 1823 | kg/cm2 |
| Density | | 897 | kg/m3 |
| Hardness | | 1272 | kg |
| Impact Strength | 101 | | cm |
| Maximum Crushing Strength | 680 | 921 | kg/cm2 |
| Shearing Strength | | 205 | kg/cm2 |
| Stiffness | 161 | 180 | 1000 kg/cm2 |
| Toughness | | 385 | cm-kg |
| Work to Maximum Load | 1.05 | 1.33 | cm-kg/cm3 |
| Specific Gravity | 0.63 | | |
| Weight | 913 | 881 | kg/m3 |
| Radial Shrinkage | 4 | | % |
| Tangential Shrinkage | 7 | | % |
References
Belize,1946,42 Secondary Hardwood Timbers of British Honduras,British Honduras Forest Department Bulletin,No.1
Boone, R.S., C.J. Kozlik, P.J. Bois, E.M. Wengert. 1988. Dry Kiln Schedules for Commercial Hardwoods -Temperate and Tropical. USDA, Forest Service, General Technical Report FPL-GTR-57, Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, Wisconsin.
Chudnoff, M.,1984,Tropical Timbers of the World,U.S.A. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products,Laboratory, Madison.
Clifford, N.,1953,Commercial Hardwoods - Their Characteristics Identification and,Utilization,Sir Isaac Pitman & Sons Ltd. London
Lavers, G. M. 1966. The Strength Properties of Timbers. Forest Products Research Bulletin, No. 50. Ministry of Technology, Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London.
Lavers, G.M.,1983,The Strength Properties of Timber (3rd ed. revised Moore G.L.,Forest Products Research Laboratory, Princes Risborough, Building Research,Establishment Report (formerly Bulletin No.50)
Perpetua Hardwoods. Sea Star Trading Co. - Purveyors of Fine Wood. Newport, Oregon. Personal Communication, 1993.
Takahashi, A.,1975,Compilation of data on the Mechanical Properties of Foreign Woods (Part 2,Central and South America,Shimane University, Japan, Research Report on Foreign Wood No.4
WARP. 1995. Getting to Know LKS:Machiche - Lonchocarpus castilloii. Published Results of Test Conducted Students at the Woodworking Centre of Ontario, Conestoga College Under the Supervision of Dennis Harlock and John Buss. Understory, Volume 5, Number 1, Fall/Winter, 1995. Page 9.
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