American muskwood (Guarea excelsa)
Family: Meliaceae
Common names: Alligator wood, American muskwood, Bois pistolet, Bois rouge a balles, Cabimbo, Carimbo, Cedrillo, Chahalanti, Chanalanti, Chohalante, Cramantee, Cramantree, Guano blanco, Guarea, Muskwood, Palo blanco, Tololo, Trompillo de plaza, Wild ackee
Distributed in: Belize, Columbia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela (Central America, Oceania and S.E. Asia)
Distribution overview: West Indies, Mexico, Central America, and southern Brazil and Argentina.
Common uses: Beams, Bedroom suites, Boat building (general), Boxes and crates, Building construction, Building materials, Cabin construction, Cabinetmaking, Chairs, Chests, Concealed parts (Furniture), Concrete formwork, Construction, Core Stock, Decks, Decorative plywood, Decorative veneer, Desks, Dining-room furniture, Dowell pins, Dowells, Drawer sides, Excelsior, Factory construction, Figured veneer, Fine furniture, Floor lamps, Flooring, Form work, Foundation posts, Framing, Furniture , Furniture components, Furniture squares or stock, Furniture, Hatracks, Heavy construction, Interior construction, Interior trim, Joinery, Joists, Kitchen cabinets, Light construction, Millwork, Particleboard, Plywood, Shingles, Shipbuilding, Sporting Goods, Turnery, Veneer, Veneer: decorative
Environment profile: Status has not been officially assessed
Tree size: Trunk diameter is 200-250 cm
Colors: the heart isRed, Reddish brownand the sapwoodWhite, Yellow.The grain isWeak figure, the textureUniformand the lusterNon-lustrous
Natural durability: Resistant to wood staining fungal attack, Susceptible to insect attack
Odor: Seasoned wood has slight taste but no distinctive odor
Silica Content: Siliceous
Kiln Schedules: UK=E US=T6D2/T3D1 Fr=5
Kiln Drying Rate: Slow (18-28 days for boards < 32 mm, to 52-84 days for boards >= 63 mm)
Drying Defects: Splitting, Warping can be expected
Ease of Drying: Slowly
Tree Identification: Bole/stem form is straight
Comments: General finishing qualities are rated as good
Blunting Effect: Moderate
Boring: Fairly easy to very easy
Carving: Fairly Easy to Very Easy
Cutting Resistance: Low cutting resistance
Gluing: Fairly Easy to Very Easy
Mortising: Fairly Easy to Very Easy
Moulding: Satisfactory moulding
Movement in Service: Satisfactory moulding
Nailing: Poor to Very Poor , Pre-Boring Recommended
Planing: Very Good to Excellent
Resistance to Impregnation: Sapwood is permeable
Resistance to Splitting: Good
Response to hand tools: Responds Readily
Routing recessing: Routing is easy
Sanding: Good sanding qualities
Veneering qualities: Suitable for slicing, Veneers easily
Steam bending: Satisfactory
Screwing: Fairly Easy to Very Easy, Pre-boring recommended; Turning: Poor results
Polishing: Very Good to Excellent; Staining: Very Good to Excellent; Varnishing: Fairly Easy to Very Easy;
- Numerical data Metric
- Numerical data English
- Strength properties
- References
 |
 |
 |
 |
Item |
Green |
Dry |
Metric |
Specific Gravity |
0,47 |
|
|
Density |
|
560 |
kg/m3 |
Bending Strength |
574 |
821 |
kg/cm2 |
Crushing Strength |
270 |
428 |
kg/cm2 |
Hardness |
|
459 |
kg |
Impact Strength |
|
|
cm |
Shearing Strength |
|
106 |
kg/cm2 |
Stiffness |
82 |
95 |
1000 kg/cm2 |
Tangential Shrinkage |
7 |
|
% |
Radial Shrinkage |
2 |
|
% |
Weight |
560 |
560 |
kg/m3 |
Maximum Load |
0,63 |
0,7 |
cm-kg/cm3 |
Toughness |
|
|
cm-kg |
Static Bending |
|
|
kg/cm2 |
|
 |  |  |  | Item | Green | Dry | English | Bending Strength | 8167 | 11686 | psi | Density | | 35 | lbs/ft3 | Hardness | | 1014 | lbs | Maximum Crushing Strength | 3843 | 6093 | psi | Shearing Strength | | 1510 | psi | Stiffness | 1171 | 1360 | 1000 psi | Work to Maximum Load | 9 | 10 | inch-lbs/in3 | Specific Gravity | 0.47 | | | Weight | 35 | 35 | lbs/ft3 | Radial Shrinkage | 2 | | % | Tangential Shrinkage | 7 | | % | Volumetric Shrinkage | 11 | | % | |
Modulus of Elasticity (stiffness) = very low 0 Hardness (side grain) = soft Bending strength (MOR) = low Max. crushing strength = medium Shrinkage, Tangential = moderate Max. crushing strength = low Density (dry weight) = 31-37 lbs/cu. ft. Shrinkage, Radial = very small Hardness (side grain) = medium Bending strength (MOR) = medium Shearing strength (parallel to grain) = very low Shrinkage, Tangential = small Shrinkage, Radial = small Shearing strength (parallel to grain) = medium Shearing strength (parallel to grain) = low Density (dry weight) = 46-52 lbs/cu. ft. Density (dry weight) = 38-45 lbs/cu. ft.
Armstrong, F.H.,1960,The Strength Properties of Timber,Forest Products Research Laboratory, London Bulletin,No.45Belize,1946,42 Secondary Hardwood Timbers of British Honduras,British Honduras Forest Department Bulletin,No.1Boone, R.S., C.J. Kozlik, P.J. Bois, E.M. Wengert. 1988. Dry Kiln Schedules for Commercial Hardwoods - Temperate and Tropical. USDA, Forest Service, General Technical Report FPL-GTR-57, Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, Wisconsin.Brazier, J.D., Franklin, G.L.,1967,An Appraisal of the Wood Characteristics and Potential Uses of some,Nicaraguan Timbers,FAO for Forest Products Research Laboratory, Princes RisboroughCaribbean Commission,1952,Information on properties of timbers gathered by questionnaire and,collated in the secretariat of the Caribbean Commission including some,related data from technical literature.,Caribbean Commission, Port of Spain, Trinidad Caribbean Timbers, their,Utilization and Trade within the area CTUTA/1/Doc.7 + App.1-18Chudnoff, 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,HMSOFlores Rodriguez, L.J.,1969,Description Caracteristicas y usos de 25 Maderas tropicales,Mexicanas,Camera Nacional de la Industria de la Construccion Serie Maderas de MexicoForest Products Research Laboratory, U.K.,1938,The Properties of Cramtree. Guinea excelsa H.B.K. from British Honduras,Forest Products Research Laboratory, Princes Risborough Project 22,Investigation 25 pp12Forest Products Research Laboratory, U.K.,1967,The Steam Bending Properties of various timbers,Forest Products Research Laboratory, Princes Risborough, Leaflet,No.45Forest Products Research Laboratory, U.K.,1969,The Movement of Timbers,Forest Products Research Laboratory, Princes Risborough Technical Note,No.38Forests Products Research Laboratory, U.K.,1956,A Handbook of Hardwoods,Forest Products Research Laboratory, Princes Risborough, Department of,Science and Industrial Research, Building Research EstablishmentGomez-Vazquez, B.G.,1981,Wood structure and potential end uses of some lesser known Mexican timber,species,Thesis for Msc. Univ. Wales BangorHMSO. 1981. Handbook of Hardwoods, 2nd Edition. Revised by R.H. Farmer, Department of the Environment, Building Research Establishment, Princes Risborough Laboratory, Princes Risborough, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire.Lavers, G. M.1966.The Strength Properties of Timbers.Forest Products Research Bulletin, No. 50.Ministry of Technology, Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London.Lavers, G.M.,1983,The Strength Properties of Timber (3rd ed. revised Moore G.L.,Forest Products Research Laboratory, Princes Risborough, Building Research,Establishment Report (formerly Bulletin No.50)Marshall, R.C.,1934,Trees of Trinidad and Tobago,Government Printer Port of Spain TrinidadMarshall, R.C.,1939,Silviculture of the trees of Trinidad and Tobago - British West Indies,O.U.P.,LondonPennington, T.D., Sarukhan, J.,1968,Manual para la Identificacion de campo de los Principales Arboles,Tropicales de Mexico,Inst. Nac. Inv. For. MexicoSmith, D.N.,1959,The Natural Durability of Timber,Forest Products Research Laboratory, Princes Risborough, Building Research,Establishment Record,No.30Swabey, C.,1941,The Principal Timbers of Jamaica,Department of Science and Agriculture Jamaica Bulletin No.29
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