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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. Boring Carving Common Names Common Uses Countries of Distribution Cutting Resistance Distribution Overview Drying Defects Ease of Drying Environmental Profile Family Name Grain Heartwood Color Luster Mortising Moulding 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 Strength Properties Texture Trade Name Tree Size Turning Scientific Name Platymiscium yucatanum Trade Name Macawood Family Name Leguminosae Common Names Coyote, Granadillo, Guayacan trebol, Jacaranda do brejo, Koenatepi, Macacauba, Macawood, Trebal, Trebol Regions of Distribution Central America, Latin America Countries of Distribution  [VIEW MAP] Belize, Brazil, Columbia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, Peru, Suriname, Venezuela Common Uses Barrels, Bedroom suites, Billiard-cue butts, Bobbins, Cabinetmaking, Casks, Chairs, Chests, Decorative veneer, Desks, Dining-room furniture, Drawer sides, Drum sticks, Excelsior, Figured veneer, Fine furniture, Furniture , Joinery, Kitchen cabinets, Living-room suites, Musical instruments , Office furniture, Organ pipes, Piano keys, Pianos , Picker sticks, Radio - stereo - TV cabinets, Shade rollers, Shuttles, Sounding boards, Specialty items, Spindles, Spools, Sporting Goods, Stencil & chisel blocks, Sucker rods, Turnery, Umbrella handles , Veneer, Violin bows, Violin Environmental Profile Vulnerable Extinct Endangered Environmental status not officially assessed Distribution Overview Various species in the genus Platymiscium are distributed in continental tropical America, from southern Mexico to the Brazillian Amazon region, and Trinidad. Heartwood Color Brown Tan Bright red to reddish or purplish brown, with rather distinct stripes Sapwood Color White Clearly distinct from heartwood Almost white Grain Even Straight Figure Straight to roey Texture Fine Uniform Even or uniform Fine to medium Darker colored wood has a waxy appearance Luster Medium to high Natural Durability Perishable Highly resistant to attack by decay fungi, insects, and dry-wood termites Wood with high natural rot resistance could last between 15 and 25 years in contact with the ground without chemical protection Odor No specific smell or taste Drying Defects Checking Distortion Slight tendency to warp and check in drying Ease of Drying Rapidly Reconditioning Treatement Little degrade Air dries slowly with little degrade Tree Size Bole length is 10-20 m Tree height is 30-40 m Trunk diameter is 100-150 cm Boring Fair to good results Fairly easy to very easy Good boring qualitites Carving Fair to Good Results Fairly Easy to Very Easy Carves well with ordinary tools to yield clean surfaces Cutting Resistance Easy to saw Low resistance to sawing Mortising Fair to Good Results Fairly Easy to Very Easy Responds well to mortising operations Moulding Fair to Good Results Fairly Easy to Very Easy Moulds well (70+ % of pieces will yield good to excellent results) Planing Fairly Easy to Very Easy Fair to Good Results Good planing properties Resistance to Impregnation Permeable sapwood Resistant heartwood Resistant sapwood Sapwood responds well to preservative treatment Sapwood penetration is usually irregular Heartwood is extremely resistant Response to Hand Tools Responds Readily Responds well to hand tools Routing & Recessing Fair to Good Results Fairly Easy to Very Easy Routs well Sanding Fair to Good Results Fairly Easy to Very Easy Easy sanding operations Clean and smooth sanded surfaces Turning Fair to Good Results Fairly Easy to Very Easy Yields clean surfaces Generally easy turning operations Polishing Fair to Good Results Excellent polishing characteristics Strength Properties Very high density Exceptionally heavy Compression strength (parallel to grain) = high The species has exceptionally high bending strength properties in the air-dry condition (about 12 percent moisture content). It is far stronger, for example, than Hard maple, White oak, or Teak. It is hard and superior to Teak and probably Mahogany. It weighs much more than Hard maple or Teak in the green or seasoned condition Numerical Data Item Green Dry English Bending Strength 18338 21670 psi Density 63 lbs/ft3 Hardness 2406 lbs Maximum Crushing Strength 8674 12093 psi Stiffness 2543 3136 1000 psi Specific Gravity 0.79 Weight 62 51. lbs/ft3 Item Green Dry Metric Bending Strength 1289 1523 kg/cm2 Density 1009 kg/m3 Hardness 1091 kg Maximum Crushing Strength 609 850 kg/cm2 Stiffness 178 220 1000 kg/cm2 Specific Gravity 0.79 References Chudnoff, M. 1984. Tropical Timbers of the World. United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Agriculture Handbook No. 607, Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, Wisconsin.