Bera (Guaiacum officinale)
Family: Zygophyllaceae
Common names: Bera, Bois de gaiac, Bois de gayac, Bois sant, Brush-back trade, Congo cypress, Franzosenholz, Gaiac, Gaiac franc, Gaiac male, Gaugo jaune vert, Gois de gayae, Guaiacan, Guaiaco nero, Guaiacum wood, Guajacan, Guajak, Guajakholz, Guayacan, Guayacan blanco, Guayacan negro, Guayacan prieto, Guiacholz, Guiaco, Hoaxacan, Holy wood, Indian wood, Ironwood, Legno benedetto, Legno di guaiaco, Legno nefritico, Legno santo, Legnoguiaco, Lignum sanctum, Lignum sanctumholz, Lignum vitae, Palo santo, Pockenholts, Pockholz, Pokhout, Vera, Wayaca, Wood of life
Distributed in: Bahamas, Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guadelope [France], Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Panama, Puerto Rico [US], United States, Venezuela (Central America, Latin America, North America, Oceania and S.E. Asia)
Common uses: Bearings & bushings, Boat building (general), Fuelwood, Furniture, Golf club heads, Heavy construction, Marine construction, Mathematical instruments, Railroad ties, Shade rollers, Sporting Goods, Tables, Turnery
Environment profile: Abundant/Secure
Tree size: Trunk diameter is 150-200 cm
Colors: the heart isRed, Yellowand the sapwoodWhite to yellow, Yellow.The grain isVariable figure, the textureMedium
Natural durability: Susceptible to insect attack, Very durable
LightInduced Color Change: Darker
Kiln Schedules: Kiln Drying Rate (in days) is slow
Kiln Drying Rate: Slow (18-28 days for boards < 32 mm, to 52-84 days for boards >= 63 mm)
Drying Defects: Resin Exudation, Severe end splitting
Ease of Drying: Thick Stock Requires Care
Comments: General finishing qualities are rated as good
Blunting Effect: High to severe
Boring: Fairly easy to very easy
Carving: Fairly Easy to Very Easy
Cutting Resistance: Easy to saw
Gluing: Fairly Easy to Very Easy
Mortising: Fairly Easy to Very Easy
Moulding: Fairly Easy to Very Easy
Movement in Service: Fairly Easy to Very Easy
Nailing: Fairly Easy to Very Easy, Poor to Very Poor
Planing: Fairly Easy to Very Easy
Resistance to Impregnation: Resistant sapwood
Response to hand tools: Responds Readily
Routing recessing: Fairly Easy to Very Easy
Sanding: Fairly Easy to Very Easy
Steam bending: Very poor
Screwing: Fair to Good Results, Fairly Easy to Very Easy; Turning: Good results
Polishing: Very Good to Excellent; Staining: Very Good to Excellent;
- Numerical data Metric
- Numerical data English
- Strength properties
- References
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Item |
Green |
Dry |
Metric |
Specific Gravity |
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Density |
|
1105 |
kg/m3 |
Bending Strength |
804 |
1248 |
kg/cm2 |
Crushing Strength |
521 |
741 |
kg/cm2 |
Hardness |
|
1333 |
kg |
Impact Strength |
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cm |
Shearing Strength |
|
155 |
kg/cm2 |
Stiffness |
140 |
161 |
1000 kg/cm2 |
Tangential Shrinkage |
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% |
Radial Shrinkage |
5 |
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% |
Weight |
1089 |
913 |
kg/m3 |
Maximum Load |
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cm-kg/cm3 |
Toughness |
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cm-kg |
Static Bending |
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kg/cm2 |
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| | | | Item | Green | Dry | English | Bending Strength | 11442 | 17761 | psi | Density | | 69 | lbs/ft3 | Hardness | | 2940 | lbs | Maximum Crushing Strength | 7422 | 10552 | psi | Shearing Strength | | 2205 | psi | Stiffness | 1999 | 2304 | 1000 psi | Weight | 68 | 57 | lbs/ft3 | Radial Shrinkage | 5 | | % | Tangential Shrinkage | 8 | | % | |
Density (dry weight) = >75 lbs/cu. ft 0 Max. crushing strength = high Density (dry weight) = 67-75 lbs/cu. ft Shearing strength (parallel to grain) = medium Modulus of Elasticity (stiffness) = high Hardness (side grain) = very hard Bending strength (MOR) = medium Bending strength (MOR) = high Shrinkage, Tangential = moderate Shrinkage, Tangential = fairly large Shrinkage, Radial = large Shrinkage, Radial = fairly large Modulus of Elasticity (stiffness) = medium Max. crushing strength = very high
Berni, C.A., Bolza, E., Christensen, F.J.,1979,South American Timbers - The Characteristics, Properties and Uses of 190,Species,C.S.I.R.O Div. Building ResearchBolza, E.,1976,Timber and Health,Div. Building Res. C.S.I.R.O. AustraliaBrown, 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 SeriesBrush, W.D.,1938,Foreign Woods - Lignumvitae (Guaiacum Species,United States Department of Agriculture, Forest ServiceChudnoff, M.,1984,Tropical Timbers of the World,U.S.A. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products,Laboratory, Madison.Farmer, R.H.,1972,Handbook of Hardwoods,HMSOFoster, E.L.P.,1944,Lignum vitae (With some remarks regarding Red Kutch,Indian Forester (70) 370-1Howard, A.L.,1948,A Manual of Timbers of the World.,Macmillan & Co. Ltd. London 3rd ed.Lamb, A.F.A., Wangaard, F.F.,1950,The Gluing Properties of certain Tropical American Woods,Yale Univ. School of Forestry Technical Report,4Little, E.L., Wadsworth, F.H.,1964,Common Trees of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands,U.S.A. Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Handbook,No.249Longwood, F.R.,1962,Commercial Timbers of the Caribbean,U.S.A. Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Handbook,No.207Marshall, R.C.,1934,Trees of Trinidad and Tobago,Government Printer Port of Spain TrinidadPatterson, D.,1988,Commercial Timbers of the World, 5th Edition,Gower Technical PressRecord, S.J., Hess, R.W.,1943,Timbers of the New World,Yale University PressRecord, S.J.,1921,A Study of the Woods of the Zygophyllaceae with reference to the True,Lignum vitae of Commerce - its sources, properties, uses and substitutes,Yale University School of Forestry Bulletin,No.6Smith, E.E.,1954,The Forests of Cuba,Maria Moors Cabot Foundation,U.S.A. Publication, No. 2Swabey, C.,1941,The Principal Timbers of Jamaica,Department of Science and Agriculture Jamaica Bulletin No.29Takahashi, 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.4Timber Development Association Ltd.,1955,World Timbers (3 Vols.,Timber Development Association Ltd.Timber Development Association,1943,Timber Leaflet no. 86 Lignum Vitae,TRADA Timber leafletTitmuss, 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,72Woods, R.P.,1949,Timbers of South America,TRADA, Red Booklet Series
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