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Blunting Effect
Boring
Carving
Comments
Common Names
Common Uses
Cutting Resistance
Drying Defects
Ease of Drying
Environmental Profile
Family Name
Grain
Heartwood Color
Luster
Mortising
Moulding
Movement in Service
Nailing
Natural Durability
Numerical Data
Painting
Planing
Polishing
References
Regions of Distribution
Response to Hand Tools
Routing & Recessing
Sapwood Color
Scientific Name
Screwing
Staining
Steam Bending
Strength Properties
Texture
Trade Name
Tree Identification
Tree Size
Turning
Veneering Qualities
| Scientific
Name Couratari panamensis Trade Name Balata blanc Family Name Lecythidaceae |
|
Common Names
Balata blanc, Congolo garepelo, Couratari, Ipipjo, Mari-mori, Oelemali, Tabari, Tauary, Wadala
Regions of Distribution
Central America
Common Uses
Heavy construction, Light construction
Environmental Profile
| Rare |
Heartwood Color
| Brown | ||||||||||||
| Red | ||||||||||||
| Yellow | ||||||||||||
| Purple | ||||||||||||
| Orange | ||||||||||||
| Pink | ||||||||||||
| Red |
Sapwood Color
| White | ||||||||||||
| Yellow | ||||||||||||
| Brown | ||||||||||||
| White to yellow | ||||||||||||
| Pinkish |
Grain
| Figure | ||||||||||||
| Closed | ||||||||||||
| Even | ||||||||||||
| Growth rings (figure) | ||||||||||||
| Straight | ||||||||||||
| Wavy | ||||||||||||
| Mottled (figure) |
Texture
| Fine | ||||||||||||
| Medium | ||||||||||||
| Coarse |
Luster
| Low | ||||||||||||
| Pronounced |
Natural Durability
| Durable | ||||||||||||
| Perishable | ||||||||||||
| Moderately durable | ||||||||||||
| Susceptible to insect attack | ||||||||||||
| Resistant to powder post beetles |
Drying Defects
| Splitting | ||||||||||||
| Checking |
Ease of Drying
| Fairly Easy | ||||||||||||
| Rapidly | ||||||||||||
| Moderately Difficult to Difficult |
Tree Identification
| Bole/stem form is buttressed |
Tree Size
| Tree height is 40-50 m | ||||||||||||
| Trunk diameter is 150-200 cm | ||||||||||||
| Trunk diameter is 100-150 cm | ||||||||||||
| Tree height is 50-60 m | ||||||||||||
| Trunk diameter is 200-250 cm |
Comments
General finishing qualities are rated as satisfactory
Blunting Effect
| Moderate |
Boring
| Fair to good results |
Carving
| Fairly Easy to Very Easy |
Cutting Resistance
| Easy to saw |
Mortising
| Fairly Easy to Very Easy |
Moulding
| Fairly Easy to Very Easy |
Movement in Service
| Excellent Stability - Small Movement | ||||||||||||
| Fair to Good Stability - Medium Movement |
Nailing
| Fair to Good Results | ||||||||||||
| Very Good to Excellent Results | ||||||||||||
| Fairly Easy to Very Easy |
Planing
| Fairly Easy to Very Easy |
| Straight | ||||||||||||
| Figure | ||||||||||||
| Interlocked | ||||||||||||
| Even | ||||||||||||
| Other (figure) | ||||||||||||
| Silver tint (figure) |
Response to Hand Tools
| Easy to Work | ||||||||||||
| Responds Readily | ||||||||||||
| Easy to machine |
Routing & Recessing
| Fairly Easy to Very Easy |
Screwing
| Fair to Good Results | ||||||||||||
| Very Good to Excellent Results | ||||||||||||
| Fairly Easy to Very Easy |
Turning
| Fairly Easy to Very Easy |
Veneering Qualities
| Veneers easily | ||||||||||||
| Veneers moderately easy | ||||||||||||
| Suitable for peeling | ||||||||||||
| No drying degrade |
Steam Bending
| Poor to Very Poor Results |
Painting
| Fair to Good Results |
Polishing
| Fair to Good Results |
Staining
| Fairly Easy to Very Easy | ||||||||||||
| Very Good to Excellent Results |
Strength Properties
| Shrinkage, Tangential = very small | ||||||||||||
| Shrinkage, Radial = very small | ||||||||||||
| Modulus of Elasticity (stiffness) = medium | ||||||||||||
| Bending strength (MOR) = low |
Numerical Data
| Item | Green | Dry | English |
| Bending Strength | 6111 | 9589 | psi |
| Stiffness | 1665 | 1923 | 1000 psi |
| Radial Shrinkage | 2 | % | |
| Tangential Shrinkage | 4 | % | |
| Item | Green | Dry | Metric |
| Bending Strength | 429 | 674 | kg/cm2 |
| Stiffness | 117 | 135 | 1000 kg/cm2 |
| Radial Shrinkage | 2 | % |
References
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