Tropical wood · Tropical America
Wamara wood
Wamara (Swartzia spp., family Leguminosae) is a tropical timber from tropical America. Dry, its Janka hardness is 3,325–4,060 lbf (14,790–18,060 N), and air-dry it weighs about 65–75 lb/ft³ (1,041–1,201 kg/m³). The figures are from the USDA Forest Products Laboratory's Tropical Timbers of the World, pp. 287–288.
Other names, by country: Naranjillo (Mexico, Honduras, Panama), Parakusan (Guyana), Gandoe, Ijzerhart (Surinam), Alma negra (Colombia), Orura barrialera (Venezuela), Icoje (Peru), Pau ferro, Mututy (Brazil).
Key numbers
- Janka hardness, dry
- 3,325–4,060 lbf (14,790–18,060 N)
- As printed: “Janka side hardness 3,325 to 4,060 lb for dry material.”
- Air-dry density
- 65–75 lb/ft³ (1,041–1,201 kg/m³)
- Basic specific gravity
- 0.87–1.02 oven-dry weight, green volume
- As printed: “Basic specific gravity (ovendry weight/green volume) 0.87-1.02; air-dry density 65 to 75 pcf.”
- Shrinkage, green to oven-dry
- 7.6% tangential
- Radial 3.9%, volumetric 11.2%
One source: USDA Forest Products Laboratory, Tropical Timbers of the World (Chudnoff, 1979 edition), the only published source read for this wood
Strength
Bending strength is the modulus of rupture (MOR); stiffness is the modulus of elasticity (MOE); crushing strength is compression parallel to the grain. The sheet collects these from published tests: it prints 5 data sets, from different tests and sources, so they can differ widely; all are shown, in the sheet's order, each at the moisture content printed beside it, never restated as 12%.
| Moisture | Bending strength (MOR) | Stiffness (MOE) | Crushing strength |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green | 22,870 psi (158 MPa) | 3 million psi (20.7 GPa) | 12,930 psi (89 MPa) |
| 12% MC | 26,370 psi (182 MPa) | 3.63 million psi (25 GPa) | 15,440 psi (106 MPa) |
| Green | 21,400 psi (148 MPa) | 2.48 million psi (17.1 GPa) | 10,500 psi (72 MPa) |
| 12% MC | 32,600 psi (225 MPa) | 3.22 million psi (22.2 GPa) | 16,500 psi (114 MPa) |
| 15% MC | 23,460 psi (162 MPa) | 2.62 million psi (18.1 GPa) | 12,900 psi (89 MPa) |
A dash means the sheet prints no value; none is filled in.
What the data sheet says
- Color, grain and texture
- Heartwood dark brown, reddish-brown: or nearly black, in solid color or somewhat variegated; sharply demarcated from the nearly white to yellowish sapwood. Texture very fine to medium; luster usually medium; grain straight to irregular; without distinctive odor or taste. Dust irritating to some workers.
- Working properties
- The woods are difficult to work because of their high density, but finishes very smoothly and takes a high polish. Workers should be protected from the irritating dust of some species (S. bannia).
- Durability
- Heartwood is very resistant to attack by decay fungi and resistant to dry-wood termites. Not resistant to marine borers.
- Uses
- Inlay, parquet flooring, turnery, furniture, cabinetwork, violin bows, specialty items, suggested as a substitute for ebony.
- Where it grows
- Southern Mexico, through Central America, the West Indies and southward to northern South America; especially abundant in the Guianas and the Amazon region.
Quoted from Tropical Timbers of the World, pp. 287–288, a USDA Forest Products Laboratory work in the public domain.
Work it out for your project
- Rank woods for furniture with the species picker
Weigh wamara against other woods on hardness, weight, movement and color, every figure from the Wood Handbook.