Cumaru

PHOTO
DESCRIPTION	Color varies from a golden tan to a reddish brown with some dark grain accents throughout the wood.
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN	South America (Brazil)
BOTANICAL NAME	Dipteryx Odorata
OTHER NAMES	Almendrillo, Brazilian Teak, Tonka, and Tonquin Bean
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES	This wood has a bending strength of 14,793 psi.
WORKING PROPERTIES	Difficult to saw and bore. Where severely interlocked grain is not present, the wood planes to a smooth surface. Because of its high density and oily nature, the wood glues poorly. It nails and screws well; pre-boring is necessary.
DURABILITY	Cumaru is very durable. The heartwood has shown to be very durable in resistance to both brown-rot and white rot fungi. The wood has excellent weathering characteristics.
SEASONING	Cumaru is rated as easy to air-season with a slight tendency to check and with moderate warping; drying was uniformly rapid.
USES	Outdoor Decking, flooring, cogs and shafts, heavy construction, barge and dock fenders, railroad crossties, pulp mill equipment, tool handles, bearings, turnery. A substitute for lignum vitae.
COMMENTS	The cumaru tree is cultivated in many areas for the tonka beans used as a flavoring, which have a vanilla-like flavor.