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 Comments Common Names Common Uses Countries of Distribution Cutting Resistance Distribution Overview Drying Defects Ease of Drying Environmental Profile Gluing Grain Heartwood Color Kiln Schedules Luster Mortising Moulding Movement in Service Nailing Natural Durability Numerical Data Odor Planing Polishing Product Sources References Regions of Distribution Resistance to Impregnation Routing & Recessing Sanding Sapwood Color Scientific Name Screwing Silica Content Staining Strength Properties Texture Trade Name Tree Size Turning Varnishing		Scientific Name Umbellularia californica Trade Name California laurel Family Name Common Names Bay laurel, California laurel, Myrtle, Oregon myrtle, Pepperwood, Spice tree Regions of Distribution North America Countries of Distribution  [VIEW MAP] United States Common Uses Bedroom suites, Bent Parts, Building materials, Cabinetmaking, Chairs, Chests, Concealed parts (Furniture), Decorative veneer, Desks, Dining-room furniture, Dowell pins, Dowells, Drawer sides, Figured veneer, Fine furniture, Floor lamps, Furniture , Furniture components, Furniture squares or stock, Hatracks, Interior construction, Interior trim, Kitchen cabinets, Living-room suites, Millwork, Moldings, Novelties, Office furniture, Paneling , Radio - stereo - TV cabinets, Rustic furniture, Stools, Tables , Trimming, Turnery, Utility furniture, Veneer, Wainscotting, Wardrobes, Woodenware Environmental Profile Severely overlogged Distribution Overview The only tree in its family found in the western United States, California laurel occurs from Oregon to California, from latitudes 44 degrees to 33 degrees north. It grows in the Coast Ranges, the southwestern Cascade Range and all along the western Sierra Nevada. Its range is limited to within 160 miles east of the Pacific Coast. Many laurel trees are found in parks and riparian areas. Heartwood Color Brown Yellow Greenish-Yellow Golden brown with a reddish cast Darkens when wet Sapwood Color Brown Yellow Pale brown Color not distinct from heartwood Grain Even Closed Figure Irregular Wavy Straight Straight May be wavy or curly Irregular It is described as close, tight, and smooth. California laurel is highly prized for its excellent and swirling stumpwood, clusters, and burls. Material from Oregon exhibits attractive mottled figures which range from fine, delicate dark stripes to heavy splotches, occasionally marked with gold and silver streaks Texture Fine Even or uniform Uniform Medium Firm Luster Low Medium Natural Durability Non-resistant to marine borers Non-resistant to termites Very little natural resistance Resistant to decay Odor Spicy odor - may be strong or mild No characteristic taste Silica Content Siliceous Kiln Schedules T6-A4 (4/4) T5-A3 (8/4) US Drying Defects Splitting Checking Distortion Checking End-Checks may develop due to refractory wood Ease of Drying Medium to High Shrinkage Moderately Difficult to Difficult Logs are often submerged in water in order to develop the darker colors that are so popular with carftsmen, and seasoning requires years of great care to yield the finest color effects. Tree Size Trunk diameter is 100-150 cm Product Sources The material is scarce in the lumber form, but small pieces of wood are often available from dealers at high prices. Supplies of the highly figured Myrtle burls are very limited. They are the highest priced of all American woods when available. Comments The wood is used almost exclusively for wooden novelties of all varieties and sizes. Boring Fairly difficult to very difficult Excellent (95+ pieces out of 100 will yield excellent results) Carving Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Cutting Resistance Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult to saw Slight resistance Gluing Good properties Mortising Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Moulding Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Good moulding properties Interlocked grain and small burls may cause chip-out Movement in Service Stable Nailing Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Holds nails well Good nailing properties Planing Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Fairly Easy to Very Easy Reduced angle of 20 degrees in recommended Irregular grain interferes Resistance to Impregnation Resistant sapwood Resistant heartwood Routing & Recessing Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Sanding Fine grade sandpaper is recommended Screwing Good screwing properties Good screw holding properties Turning Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Wood has excellent turning properties Prized by wood turners Polishing Very Good to Excellent Results Fair to Good Results Good results Resists grain filing Staining Seldom stained, but if color changes are desired, thin coats of dyes and tranparent stains are recommended over pigmented products. Varnishing Highly attractive when coated with clear finishes Strength Properties Bending strength (MOR) = low Hard and heavy. resistant to wearing and marring Numerical Data Item Green Dry English Crushing Strength 1372 psi Impact Strength 30 inches Shearing Strength 1823 psi Stiffness 921 1000 psi Specific Gravity 0.5 0.53 Weight 51 37 lbs/ft3 Radial Shrinkage 3 % Tangential Shrinkage 8 % Volumetric Shrinkage 12 % Item Green Dry Metric Crushing Strength 96 kg/cm2 Impact Strength 76 cm Shearing Strength 128 kg/cm2 Stiffness 64 1000 kg/cm2 Specific Gravity 0.5 0.53 Weight 817 592 kg/m3 Radial Shrinkage 3 % Tangential Shrinkage 8 % References Boone, R.S., C.J. Kozlik, P.J. Bois and E.M. Wengert. 1988. Dry Kiln Schedules for Commercial Woods: Temperate and Tropical. United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory, General Technical Report FPL-GTR-57, Madison, Wisconsin. California Department of Forestry. Comparative Physical & Mechanical Properties of Western & Eastern Hardwoods. Prepared by Forest Products Laboratory, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, California. n/d. Constantine, Jr., A.J. 1975. Know your Woods - A Complete Guide to Trees, Woods, and Veneers. Revised by H.J. Hobbs. Charles Scribner's Sons, New York. Dave Faison. Into the Woods. Personal Communication, 1993. Kline, M. 1978. Umbellularia californica - California laurel. In A Guide to Useful Woods of the World. Flynn Jr., J.H., Editor. King Philip Publishing Co., Portland, Maine. 1994. Page 358-359. Lincoln, W.A. 1986. World Woods in Color. Linden Publishing Co. Inc., Fresno, California. Little, E.L. 1980. The Audobon Society Field Guide to North American Trees - Western Region. Published by Arthur A. Knopf, New York. Niemiec, S.S., G.A. Ahrens, S. Willits, and D.E. Hibbs. March, 1995. Hardwoods of the Pacific Northwest. Oregon State University, College of Forestry, Research Contribution 8, Forest Research Laboratory, Department of Forest Products, Corvallis, Oregon. Panshin, A.J. and C. deZeeuw. 1980. Textbook of Wood Technology, 4th Edition. McGraw-Hill Series in Forest Resources. McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York. USDA. 1988. Dry Kiln Operators Manual, Preliminary Copy. Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, Wisconsin. Western Wood Products Association. 19__. Woods of the Western USA. Published and distributed by the Western Wood Products Association, Yeon Building, 522 S.W. Fifth Avenue, Portland, Oregon.