Australian Beefwood

Specs

Common Names

Beefwood

Scientific Name

Grevillea striata

Origin

Western Australia

Appearance

Beefwood is a medium to dark reddish brown with lighter reddish grey rays, (perhaps giving it a visual similarity to raw beef: hence the name). Like other woods that exhibit the strongest figure in quartersawn pieces, (such as Sycamore), Beefwood has the most pronounced figure and displays the largest flecks when perfectly quartersawn; this is due to the wood’s large medullary rays, whose layout can be seen the clearest when looking at the endgrain. Has a fairly coarse texture and straight grain. Endgrain: Diffuse-porous; small to medium pores in tangential rows; solitary and tangential multiples of 2-3; deposits in heartwood occasionally present; growth rings indistinct; very wide rays easily visible without lens; parenchyma banded, diffuse-in-aggregates.

Avg. Dried Weight

60 lbs/ft3 (965 kg/m3)

Janka Hardness

2420 lbf

Modulus of Rupture

13,630 lbf/in2 (94.0 MPa)

Elastic Modulus

2,030,000 lbf/in2 (14.00 GPa)

Crushing Strength

7,830 lbf/in2 (54.0 MPa)

Shrinkage

Radial: 3.5%, Tangential: 5.8%, Volumetric: 9.3%, T/R Ratio: 1.7

Durability

No data available.

Workability

Fairly difficult to work because of its high density and tendency to tearout during planing. Beefwood turns, glues, and finishes well.