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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. Carving Comments Common Names Common Uses Countries of Distribution Cutting Resistance Distribution Overview Drying Defects Ease of Drying Environmental Profile Gluing Grain Heartwood Color Luster Mortising Moulding Movement in Service Nailing Natural Durability Numerical Data Odor Painting Planing Polishing Product Sources References Regions of Distribution Resistance to Impregnation Response to Hand Tools Routing & Recessing Sanding Sapwood Color Scientific Name Strength Properties Texture Trade Name Tree Size Turning Scientific Name Nectandra sp. Trade Name Canelo Family Name Common Names Aguacatillo, Ayui y, Canela, Canelo, Laurel, Pisi, Silverballi Regions of Distribution Central America, Latin America Countries of Distribution  [VIEW MAP] Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Columbia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Suriname, Venezuela Common Uses Bedroom suites, Boat building, Building materials, Cabinetmaking, Canoes, Chairs, Chests, Concealed parts (Furniture), Core Stock, Decks, Decorative plywood, Decorative veneer, Desks, Dining-room furniture, Domestic flooring, Dowell pins, Dowells, Drawer sides, Factory flooring, Figured veneer, Fine furniture, Floor lamps, Flooring, Furniture , Furniture components, Furniture squares or stock, General carpentry, Hatracks, Interior construction, Interior trim, Kitchen cabinets, Lifeboats, Living-room suites, Millwork, Office furniture, Parquet flooring, Plain veneer, Planks, Plywood, Radio - stereo - TV cabinets, Veneer Environmental Profile Status has not been officially assessed Distribution Overview The genus Nectandra consists of about 100 species of trees and shrubs that are widely distributed in tropical America. Highest concentrations are reported to occur in South America. Heartwood Color Red Brown Pink Purple Light reddish-brown to yellowish-brown Greenish to greyish Timber from species in the genus are very similar in characteristics, and are very difficult to differentiate. Heartwood color is brownish yellow with a green cast, or olive to light olive brown. The color turns to blackish brown in some Nectandra species Sapwood Color White Yellow Whitish Brown Sapwood merges gradually into the heartwood in most species Grain Even Straight Figure Straight to roey Texture Fine Medium Medium coarse to coarse Luster The wood has a satiny or silky luster Natural Durability Durable Non-resistant to powder post beetles Susceptible to insect attack Susceptible to termite attack Durability varies with species Darker colored timbers are generally more resistant to attack by decay fungi Odor Wood has a spicy odor Taste ranges from mild to pronounced Drying Defects Slight tendency to check and warp Ease of Drying Variable Dries at a moderate rate with little degrade. Air-dries rather well Nectandra timbers are reported to air-dry at a fast to moderate rate, with little or no degrade Tree Size Tree height is 30-40 m Tree dimensions are reported to vary with species. The trees develop straight boles of good form, and some of them are buttressed Product Sources All trees in the genus are reported to yield timber of good quality for carpentry and general construction. The ITTO reports that timber produced by species in the genus is produced in abundance and is exported regularly. Comments Timber produced by species in the genus are suitable for many of the the same applications as Yellow poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera ) and Birch (Betula) Carving Very good results Cutting Resistance Low cutting resistance Gluing Fairly Easy to Very Easy Good gluing properties Mortising Fairly Easy to Very Easy Moulding Fairly Easy to Very Easy Movement in Service Very stable after kiln drying The timbers are very stable after manufacture, and undergo minimal dimensional changes in response to fluctuations in surrounding conditions Nailing Poor to Very Poor Results Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Planing Poor to Very Poor Results Yields smooth surfaces Yields clean surfaces Responds well to hand and machine tools Excellent woodworking properties Nectandra timbers are reported to have excellent woodworking properties. They plane, turn, bore, mould, mortise, and rout readily and they respond very well to machine and hand tools to yield clean, smooth surfaces Resistance to Impregnation Heartwood is extremely resistant The heartwood is comparable to teak in its water-absorption properties. It is difficult to treat, and is rated as highly resistant. Response to Hand Tools Easy to Work Fairly Difficult to Difficult to Work Easy to machine Routing & Recessing Poor to Very Poor Results Sanding Yields smooth surfaces Turning Fairly Easy to Very Easy Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Painting Takes paint well Polishing Very good Strength Properties Weight = medium Very dense Surfaces may dent or scratch easily Soft Compression strength (parallel to grain) = high The species has high bending strength in the air-dry condition (about 12 percent moisture content). It compares favorably with Teak, which also has high bending strength. Teak, White oak, and Hard maple have high crushing strength. Surfaces may dent or scratch easily since the wood is soft. The weight is medium. The wood has high density Numerical Data Item Green Dry English Bending Strength 8472 12103 psi Density 38 lbs/ft3 Hardness 686 lbs Maximum Crushing Strength 4243 7140 psi Shearing Strength 1448 psi Stiffness 1436 1678 1000 psi Toughness 121 inch-lbs Work to Maximum Load 8 12 inch-lbs/in3 Specific Gravity 0.48 Weight 40 33 lbs/ft3 Radial Shrinkage 3 % Tangential Shrinkage 6 % Volumetric Shrinkage 10 % Item Green Dry Metric Bending Strength 595 850 kg/cm2 Density 608 kg/m3 Hardness 311 kg Maximum Crushing Strength 298 502 kg/cm2 Shearing Strength 101 kg/cm2 Stiffness 100 117 1000 kg/cm2 Toughness 139 cm-kg Work to Maximum Load 0.56 0.84 cm-kg/cm3 Specific Gravity 0.48 Weight 641 528 kg/m3 Radial Shrinkage 3 % Tangential Shrinkage 6 % References Chichignoud, M., G. Deon, P. Detienne, B. Parant and P. Vantomme. 1990. Tropical Timber Atlas of Latin America. International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO, Centre Technique Forestier Tropical, Division of CIRAD, 45 bis Avenue de la Belle Gabrielle, Nogent-sur-Marne, CEDEX, France. Chudnoff, M.,1984,Tropical Timbers of the World,U.S.A. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products,Laboratory, Madison. Lavers, G. M. 1966. The Strength Properties of Timbers. Forest Products Research Bulletin, No. 50. Ministry of Technology, Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London. Record, S.J. and R.W. Hess. 1943. Timbers of the New World. Published on the Charles Lathrop Pack Foundation, Yale University Press, New Haven, CT.