What kind of wood is cocobolo?
What kind of wood is cocobolo?
Cocobolo is a tropical hardwood of Central American trees belonging to the genus Dalbergia. Only the heartwood of cocobolo is used; it is usually orange or reddish-brown, often with darker irregular traces weaving through the wood.
Is cocobolo wood durable?
Cocobolo is an exotic wood native to Mexico, Panama, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua, and is favored for custom pool cues, fine furniture and cabinetry, inlays, and musical instruments. The wood is very durable and strong, with a fine texture.
How strong is cocobolo?
Cocobolo (Dalbergia retusa)
| Average Dried Weight | 69 lbs/ft3 |
|---|---|
| T/R Ratio | 1.6 |
| Janka Hardness | 2,960 lbf |
| Crushing Strength | 9,800 lbf/in2 (estimate) |
| Colour | Heartwood is multicoloured with orange, yellow reds, and purples present. Streaks of brown/black often present. Sapwood is a pale creamy yellow/white. |
Is cocobolo wood waterproof?
Cocobolo Dalbergia retusa D. Cocobolo’s distinctive characteristic is its production of natural oils, which provides the wood with a natural waterproof polish.
What is the rarest wood?
Lignum Vitae Considered as one of the rarest wood on earth, lignum vitae have exclusive features that you can’t expect before. The most distinctive part is nothing else but its high oil content.
What kind of oil is in cocobolo wood?
Only relatively small amounts of this prized wood reach the world market, and it is expensive. Cocobolo heartwood contains oil, which lends a strong, unmistakable floral odor even to well seasoned wood and occasionally stains the hands with prolonged exposure.
Where does cocobolo wood grow in Central America?
Cococbolo grows from the Sierra Madres in western Mexico and throughout Central America. High mechanical strength in all categories. Can be brittle. Very difficult to glue, wipe joint surfaces with acetone or denatured alcohol to draw out the oils, then use epoxy for best adherement. Dries very slowly with tendency to end split and surface check.
How big does a cocobolo tree get to be?
Provenance. Cocobolo is yielded by two to four closely related species of the genus Dalbergia, of which the best known is Dalbergia retusa, a fair-sized tree, reported to reach 75–80 ft (23–24 m) in height and 3 ft (0.9 m) in diameter; it probably is the species contributing most of the wood in the trade.
Why are cocobolo trees rare in the world?
Because of the high value of the timber, the trees yielding it have been heavily exploited, so they have become rare outside of national parks, reserves, and plantations. Only relatively small amounts of this prized wood reach the world market, and it is expensive.