
Primavera (Tabebuia donnell-smithii)
Family: Bignoniaceae
Common names: Campeche, Chiapas, Copal, Cortez, Cortez blanco, Duranga, Durango, Flor de zope, Oaxaca, Palo blanco, Pequia marfim, Prima vera, Prima vera mahogany, Primavera, Roble, San Juan, Tabasco, White mahogany
Distributed in: El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua (Central America)
Distribution overview: The geographical distribution of Primavera includes Central America, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Guatemala. The trees are reported to thrive on moist, rich soils, but have also adapted to dry areas.
Common uses: Bedroom suites, Boat building (general), Boat building: decking, Boxes and crates, Building materials, Cabinetmaking, Chairs, Chests, Decorative veneer, Desks, Dining-room furniture, Drawer sides, Figured veneer, Fine furniture, Flooring, Furniture , Furniture, Heavy construction, Interior construction, Interior trim, Joinery, Kitchen cabinets, Light construction, Living-room suites, Millwork, Moldings, Office furniture, Paneling , Paneling, Radio - stereo - TV cabinets, Trimming, Veneer, Veneer: decorative, Wainscotting, Wardrobes
Product sources: Primavera trees are grown also in plantations. Most of the material on the US market is believed to come from Guatemala, where the law requires Primavera logs to be processed and exported in lumber and veneer forms only. Supplies are scarce in the veneer form, but are somewhat available in lumber form in the United States. The material is priced in the costly range. Exports to Europe are very rare.The value and marketability of the material is dictated by the time of year the tree is felled: the sap of the tree rises and fall with the phases of the moon, and the best product is from trees felled in 'the dark of the moon', when the sap is low.
Environment profile: Status has not been officially assessed
Tree size: Trunk diameter is 150-200 cm
Colors: the heart isYellow, Yellow to golden-yellow to orangeand the sapwoodWhite to yellow, Yellow.The grain isWavy, the textureMedium to fairly course and the lusterPronounced
Natural durability: Susceptible to insect attack, Very durable
Odor: No specific smell or taste
Kiln Schedules: T6 - F3 (4/4) US
Kiln Drying Rate: Rapid (<10 days for boards < 32 mm, to <30 days for boards >= 63 mm)
Drying Defects: Slight twist/warp, Splitting
Ease of Drying: Slowly
Comments: General finishing qualities are rated as good Harvesting tree at suggested period reduces sap exudation from log ends It is recommended that the tree be felled in 'the dark of the moon', since unlike trees in the temperate regions, the sap rises and falls with the phases of the moon instead of in winter and spring. Sap attracts insects that may damage the timber Sap content is reported to depend upon the time of yeat the tree is felled Subsituted for hard woods because it works easily in most machining operations
Blunting Effect: Medium effect
Boring: Good results
Carving: Good results
Cutting Resistance: Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult to saw
Gluing: Fairly Easy to Very Easy
Mortising: Finishes well
Moulding: Good moulding properties
Movement in Service: Good moulding properties
Nailing: Pre-Boring Recommended, Thin boards are prone to split
Planing: Very Good to Excellent
Resistance to Impregnation: Sapwood is modertely permeable
Resistance to Splitting: Poor
Response to hand tools: Responds Poorly
Routing recessing: Routing characteristics are good
Sanding: Sanding characteristics are good
Veneering qualities: No drying degrade. Dries flat without splitting, There is slight to moderate drying degrade and the potential for buckles and splits
Steam bending: Seldom used for steam bending applications
Screwing: Pre-boring recommended, Thinner stock requires carefull screwing to avoid splitting ; Turning: Very Good to Excellent Results
Polishing: Very Good to Excellent; Staining: Stains well; Varnishing: Very Good to Excellent;
- Numerical data Metric
- Numerical data English
- Strength properties
- References
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Item |
Green |
Dry |
Metric |
| Specific Gravity |
0,39 |
0,43 |
|
| Density |
|
464 |
kg/m3 |
| Bending Strength |
529 |
768 |
kg/cm2 |
| Crushing Strength |
55 |
60 |
kg/cm2 |
| Hardness |
|
362 |
kg |
| Impact Strength |
|
38 |
cm |
| Shearing Strength |
|
104 |
kg/cm2 |
| Stiffness |
77 |
86 |
1000 kg/cm2 |
| Tangential Shrinkage |
5 |
|
% |
| Radial Shrinkage |
3 |
|
% |
| Weight |
448 |
400 |
kg/m3 |
| Maximum Load |
0,42 |
0,42 |
cm-kg/cm3 |
| Toughness |
|
85 |
cm-kg |
| Static Bending |
287 |
503 |
kg/cm2 |
|
 |  |  |  | | Item | Green | Dry | English | | Bending Strength | 7524 | 10927 | psi | | Crushing Strength | 784 | 862 | psi | | Density | | 29 | lbs/ft3 | | Hardness | | 799 | lbs | | Impact Strength | | 15 | inches | | Maximum Crushing Strength | 3797 | 6103 | psi | | Shearing Strength | | 1491 | psi | | Static Bending | 4087 | 7164 | psi | | Stiffness | 1101 | 1225 | 1000 psi | | Toughness | | 74 | inch-lbs | | Work to Maximum Load | 6 | 6 | inch-lbs/in3 | | Specific Gravity | 0.39 | 0.43 | | | Weight | 28 | 25 | lbs/ft3 | | Radial Shrinkage | 3 | | % | | Tangential Shrinkage | 5 | | % | | Volumetric Shrinkage | 8 | | % | |
Max. crushing strength = medium 0 Density (dry weight) = 31-37 lbs/cu. ft. 0 Density (dry weight) = 23-30 lbs/cu. ft. 1 Hardness (side grain) = soft Bending strength (MOR) = medium Shrinkage, Tangential = small Shearing strength (parallel to grain) = low Modulus of Elasticity (stiffness) = very low Modulus of Elasticity (stiffness) = low Bending strength (MOR) = low Shrinkage, Radial = small Shrinkage, Volumetric = small Work to Maximum Load = very low Shrinkage, Tangential = very small Shrinkage, Radial = very small Shrinkage, Radial = moderate Weight = moderate Toughness (total work) = very low Surfaces may dent easily Soft Max. crushing strength = low Max. crushing strength = high Hardness (side grain) = very soft Density = medium Crushing strength = medium
Bending strength in the air-dry condition is medium, being much weaker than White oak or Teak
Brown, W.H.,1969,Properties and uses of Tropical hardwoods in the United Kingdom. Part 1,Nonstructural properties and uses.,Conference on Tropical hardwoods SC-5/TN-5, Syracuse UniversityBrown, W.H.,1978,Timbers of the World, No. 9 Central America and the Caribbean,TRADA, Red Booklet SeriesChudnoff, M.,1984,Tropical Timbers of the World,U.S.A. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products,Laboratory, Madison.Clifford, N.,1953,Commercial Hardwoods - Their Characteristics Identification and,Utilization,Sir Isaac Pitman & Sons Ltd. LondonConstantine, Jr., A.J. 1975. Know Your Woods: A Complete Guide to Trees, Woods, and Veneers, Revised by H.J. Hobbs. Charles Scribner's Sons, New York.Dickinson, F.E.,1949,Properties and Uses of Tropical Woods 1,Tropical Woods,13(95,pp1-140Flores Rodriguez, L.J.,1969,Description Caracteristicas y usos de 25 Maderas tropicales,Mexicanas,Camera Nacional de la Industria de la Construccion Serie Maderas de MexicoHarrar, E.S.,1942,Some Physical Properties of Modern Cabinet Woods 3. Directional and Volume,Shrinkage,Tropical Woods,9(71, pp26-32Howard, A.L.,1948,A Manual of Timbers of the World.,Macmillan & Co. Ltd. London 3rd ed.I.U.F.R.O.,1973,Veneer Species of the World,Assembled at F.P.L. Madison on behalf of I.U.F.R.O. Working Party on,Slicing and Veneer CuttingImported Wood Purchasing Guide : A Comprehensive Purchasing Reference for Imported Woods. 20th Edition. 1992. International Wood Trade Publication, Inc. 1235 Sycamore View, Box 34908, Memphis, Tennessee.Kaiser, J. 1990.Wood of the Month Annual - Primavera: the White Mahogany, Supplement to Wood and Wood Products, September 1990. Page 10A.Kline, M. 1982. Cybistax donnell-smithii - Primavera. In A Guide to Useful Woods of the World. Flynn Jr., J.H., Editor. King Philip Publishing Co., Portland, Maine. 1994. Page 124-125.Kryn, J.M.,1954,Roble blanco, Amapa, Mayflower (Tabebuia pentaphylla,U.S.A. Department of Agriculture, Forest Products Laboratory, Madison,Information Leaflet Foreign Woods,1980,10ppKukachka, B.F.,1958,Primavera (Cybistax donnell-smithii,U.S.A. Department of Agriculture, Forest Products Laboratory, Madison,,Foreign Wood Series No.2021Kukachka, B.F.,1970,Properties of Imported Tropical Woods,Forest Research Paper FPL 125Lamb, A.F.A., Wangaard, F.F.,1950,The Gluing Properties of certain Tropical American Woods,Yale Univ. School of Forestry Technical Report,4Lincoln, W.M. 1986. World Woods in Color. Linden Publishing Co. Inc., Fresno, California.Luz Reis, C.N.,1951,Primavera: Important Furniture Wood of Central America,Caribbean Forester,12(2,pp75-83Patterson, D.,1988,Commercial Timbers of the World, 5th Edition,Gower Technical PressPennington, T.D., Sarukhan, J.,1968,Manual para la Identificacion de campo de los Principales Arboles,Tropicales de Mexico,Inst. Nac. Inv. For. MexicoRecord, S.J., Hess, R.W.,1940,American Woods of the Family Bignoniaceae,Tropical Woods,8(63,pp 9-38Record, S.J., Hess, R.W.,1943,Timbers of the New World,Yale University PressRecord, S.J., Mell, C.D.,1924,Timbers of Tropical America,Yale Univ. PressRecord, S.J.,1927,Trees of Honduras,Tropical Woods,10, pp10-47Takahashi, 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.4Titmuss, F.H.,1965,Commercial Timbers of the World,Technical Press Ltd., London, 3rd editionU.S.D.A. Forest Service,1974,Wood Handbook,U.S.A. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service Handbook,72Wangaard, F.F., and A.F. Muschler. 1952. Tropical Woods - Properties and Uses of Tropical Woods, Volume III, No. 98. School of Forestry, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut.Wangaard, F.F., Muschler, A.F.,1952,Properties and Uses of Tropical Woods 3,Tropical Woods,14(98, pp1-190Wangaard, F.F.,1951,The Physical Properties of Tropical Woods,F.A.O. For. & For. Prod. Studies Series No.3 Tropical Woods and Ag.,Residues as sources of pulp,pp10-16Woods, R.P.,1949,Timbers of South America,TRADA, Red Booklet Series
|