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Blunting Effect Boring Carving Certified Source Comments Common Names Common Uses Countries of Distribution Cutting Resistance Drying Defects Ease of Drying Family Name Gluing Grain Heartwood Color Kiln Drying Rate Kiln Schedules Luster Mortising Moulding Nailing Natural Durability Numerical Data Painting Planing Polishing References Regions of Distribution Resistance to Impregnation Resistance to Splitting Response to Hand Tools Routing & Recessing Sanding Sapwood Color Scientific Name Staining Steam Bending Strength Properties Texture Trade Name Tree Size Turning Veneering Qualities		Scientific Name Vitex divaricata Trade Name Black fiddlewood Family Name Verbenaceae Common Names Black fiddlewood, Bois a agouti, Bois fidele, Fiddlewood, Higuerillo, Ofoncriollo, Pendula, Pendula blanca, Robel guayo, Roble de olor, Totumillo, White fiddlewood Regions of Distribution Latin America, Oceania and S.E. Asia Countries of Distribution  [VIEW MAP] Cuba, French Guiana, Guyana, Haiti, Netherlands, Puerto Rico [US], Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela Common Uses Boat building (general), Boat building: decking, Boat building: planking, Cabinetmaking, Flooring, Golf club heads, Heavy construction, Joinery, Light construction, Posts, Shingles, Sporting Goods, Tool handles Heartwood Color Red Pink Brown Yellow Orange Brown Dark brown Pale brown Greenish to greyish Sapwood Color Yellow White Pink Well defined Paler than heartwood Different than heartwood Grain Figure Interlocked Other (figure) Growth rings (figure) Other figures are possible or common Interlocked Clear growth rings (figure) Texture Coarse Medium Fine Luster Medium High Slightly lustrous Natural Durability Susceptible to insect attack Non-resistant to termites Non-durable Moderately durable Perishable Non-resistant to powder post beetles Resistant to termites Non-resistant to marine borers Resistant to powder post beetles Moderately resistant to termite (Isoptera) attack Very durable Sapwood susceptible Resistant to wood staining fungal attack Resistant to attack from marine borers Durable Kiln Schedules Dry at a slow speed Drying Defects Distortion Checking Collapse Splitting Internal Honeycombing Possible Slight twist/warp No surface checking No end splitting should be expected Ease of Drying Moderately Difficult to Difficult Fairly Easy Rapidly Slowly Little degrade Kiln Drying Rate Naturally dries at a moderate speed Naturally dries slowly Tree Size Bole length is 20-30 m Trunk diameter is 100-150 cm Tree height is 30-40 m Sapwood width is 5-10 cm Sapwood width is 0-5 cm Tree height is 20-30 m Bole length is 10-20 m Tree height is 40-50 m Bark width is 10-15 mm Bark width is 5-10 mm Sapwood width is 10-15 cm Tree height is 50-60 m Bark width is 15-20 mm Trunk diameter is 150-200 cm Trunk diameter is 200-250 cm Certified Source Certified Source Comments General finishing qualities are rated as satisfactory Blunting Effect Little Boring Fair to good results Fairly easy to very easy Easy Carving Fair to Good Results Fairly Easy to Very Easy Cutting Resistance Easy to saw Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult to saw Cutting Resistance with green wood is easy Cutting Resistance with dry wood is easy Gluing Fairly Easy to Very Easy Fair to Good Results Difficult to glue Mortising Fair to Good Results Very Good to Excellent Results Fairly Easy to Very Easy Finishes well Moulding Fair to Good Results Fairly Easy to Very Easy Good finishing results Nailing Fair to Good Results Fairly Easy to Very Easy Very Good to Excellent Results Planing Poor to Very Poor Results Fair to Good Results Fairly Easy to Very Easy Planes to a poor finish Resistance to Impregnation Permeable sapwood Resistant heartwood Permeable heartwood Resistant sapwood Resistance to Splitting Poor Response to Hand Tools Fairly Difficult to Difficult to Work Easy to Work Responds Readily Easy to machine Routing & Recessing Fairly Easy to Very Easy Fair to Good Results Sanding Fair to Good Results Fairly Easy to Very Easy Satisfactory sanding results Turning Poor to Very Poor Results Fair to Good Results Fairly Easy to Very Easy Good results Good results Veneering Qualities Difficult to veneer Steam Bending Fair to Good Results Painting Fair to Good Results Very Good to Excellent Results Fairly Easy to Very Easy Polishing Fair to Good Results Very Good to Excellent Results Fairly Easy to Very Easy Good results Staining Fair to Good Results Fairly Easy to Very Easy Very Good to Excellent Results Strength Properties Shrinkage, Tangential = small Shrinkage, Radial = very small Density (dry weight) = 46-52 lbs/cu. ft. Numerical Data Item Green Dry English Density 47 lbs/ft3 Weight 46 37 lbs/ft3 Radial Shrinkage 2 % Tangential Shrinkage 6 % Item Green Dry Metric Density 753 kg/m3 Weight 737 592 kg/m3 Radial Shrinkage 2 % References Brooks, R.L., et al,1941,Durability tests on Untreated Timbers in Trinidad,Caribbean Forester,2(3,pp101-119 Little, E.L., Wadsworth, F.H.,1964,Common Trees of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands,U.S.A. Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Handbook,No.249 Longwood, F.R.,1961,Puerto Rican Woods - Their Machining Seasoning and Related Characteristics,U.S.A. Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Handbook,No.205 Marshall, R.C.,1934,Trees of Trinidad and Tobago,Government Printer Port of Spain Trinidad Record, S.J., Hess, R.W.,1943,Timbers of the New World,Yale University Press 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