Cocobollo
Product Description
Boards are sold per Square Foot. Boards are random widths.
BOTANICAL NAME: Dalbergia retusa of the Family Leguminosae
Dalbergia hypoleuca is reported as a synonym
COMMON NAMES: In Mexico, the tree is called granadillo, but in most places around the world, Dalbergia retusa is known as cocobolo. Other common names are: caviuana, caviuna, cocobolo nambar, cocobolo negro, cocobolo prieto (panama), cocoboloholz, costa rica), foseholz, funera (el salvador), granadilla, granadillo (mexico, guatemala), jacarandaholz, legitimo, melon, nambar (nicaragua), nambar de agui, nambar legitimo, nicaragua rosewood, palisander, palisandre, palisandro, palissandro, pallisander, palo sandro, pau preto, red foxwood, rosewood, uruana
The "granadillo" is widely reported but, I'm confused because I've purchased another wood called granadillo, and it is definitely not cocobolo. I'll get this straightened out.
TYPE: hardwood
COLOR: the heartwood is a mix of brilliant colors ranging from deep reds to an attractive mix of streaks and markings of red, black, purple, yellow and orange. I've seen pieces that were almost pure orange with very dark streaks (one of my samples in the pictures) and other pieces are very dark purple, looking almost exactly like Brazilian Rosewood (another of my samples in the pictures). The heartwood frequently contains violet and light purple when freshly cut, but this deepens to an orangish brown with shades of purple in a matter of days. Sapwood is pale, almost white, not very attractive and clearly demarcated from the heartwood as you can see in many of my sample pics. The amount of figure and contrasting color varies so widely from tree to tree that an inexperienced person could be forgiven for finding it hard to believe that two pieces are of the same type wood.
The wood darkens with age, and without UV finish protection, can turn nearly black.
Boiling the wood in water is reported to remove some of the color, although why anyone would want to do that I cannot imagine.
GRAIN: usually straight, but it is occasionally interlocked
TEXTURE: slightly oily, generally very uniform and fine
PROPERTIES / WORKABILITY: Very hard and heavy with high mechanical strength in all categories. Sands very nicely and Can be sanded and rubbed to a smooth, waxy finish without application of finishing materials. Difficult to glue due to natural oiliness, and some pieces will require wiping with acetone before applying glue. It responds very well to most tools in planing, boring, mortising, moulding, turning, and other machining operations and Worked surfaces generally are very smooth and clean. This is a terrific wood to work with if you can afford it and if you don't find it too gaudy. It rates high for strength but is rarely used for that purpose, although the wood is used to make small tool handles. Screw and nail joints hold well but pre-drilling is recommended. Works well with both hand and power tools. Moderate blunting effect on cutting edges which must be kept very sharp.
DURABILITY: high decay resistance but also resistant to preservative treatments, high mechanical durability and wear resistance, very high resistance to marine borer attack
FINISH: The wood finishes well with normal care but darkens quickly and some experts recommend the use of UV-resistant varnishes and my experience agrees with this. It can be polished to a high natural luster. While it reportedly takes stain well (I find that a little hard to believe because of the oiliness), anyone who stains this wood should be both shot AND hanged, all while being dipped in boiling oil. OK, maybe that's a little extreme, but they should at least be put in a mental institution.
When finishing this wood with polyurethane, great patience is required since it takes approximately forever for the polyurethane to dry, I guess due to the oiliness of the wood. However, it's worth the wait. Most reports say that a wax finish is your best bet.
STABILITY: very stable in service, partially due to the Very low moisture absorption because of the natural oils in the wood
BENDING: nothing reported
ODOR: odor slightly pungent and fragrant when worked --- no characteristic taste. One report says it smells like lilacs while it is being sawn or sanded. I can't smell so cannot add personal experience although I've handled a lot of this species.
SOURCES: Pacific regions of Central America and extending from Panama to southwestern Mexico. Countries include Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama. It is officially classified in some locations as either as extinct, endangered, rare, or vulnerable.
USES: Considered one of the most important woods in cutlery business for knife handles (can be soaked in soapy water with minimal ill effects). Also used for fine furniture and cabinetry and fine inlay work and anywhere that great beauty is desired. Various other reported uses: accent furniture, architectural woodwork, bedroom suites, boards, boxes and crates, brush backs, buttons, cabinetmaking, canes, carving, chess pieces, cutlery handles, decorative veneer, figured veneer, handles, inlay, jewelry boxes, kitchen cabinets, living-room suites, lumber, mirror frames, musical and scientific instruments, musical instruments, office furniture, ornamental work, plain veneer, radio & stereo & tv cabinets, shafts/handles, specialty items such as steering wheels, sporting goods, tool handles, turnery, utensils, veneer, wooden jewelry
TREE: small to medium-sized tree 45 to 70 ft high with trunk diameters of 20 to 30 in.; usually of poor form, which means that veneer is rare.
WEIGHT: very heavy: 62 to 76 lbs per cubic foot. Some reports say it won't float, and I keep forgetting to try that out. They may just mean the green wood, not dried wood.
DRYING: Opinions about drying are mixed. Some say the wood has a tendency to split and check and others say the wood has excellent drying properties, free of surface and end checking. Very low moisture absorption. Most reports say it dries slowly and some reports recommend seasoning the wood in log form before cutting, some say air dry for a while after cutting and before kiln drying, as direct green-to-kiln-drying causes warping and checking.
AVAILABILITY: It is most often available in turning blanks and small pieces, but lumber can be had, though 8" is about as wide as you'll normally find. Larger pieces are available but command a premium.
The dust is widely reported to be particularly irritating to both lungs and skin. Recommend full protection: gloves, long sleeves, a dust mask,.
Some reports say it is waterproof .
BOTANICAL NAME: Dalbergia retusa of the Family Leguminosae
Dalbergia hypoleuca is reported as a synonym
COMMON NAMES: In Mexico, the tree is called granadillo, but in most places around the world, Dalbergia retusa is known as cocobolo. Other common names are: caviuana, caviuna, cocobolo nambar, cocobolo negro, cocobolo prieto (panama), cocoboloholz, costa rica), foseholz, funera (el salvador), granadilla, granadillo (mexico, guatemala), jacarandaholz, legitimo, melon, nambar (nicaragua), nambar de agui, nambar legitimo, nicaragua rosewood, palisander, palisandre, palisandro, palissandro, pallisander, palo sandro, pau preto, red foxwood, rosewood, uruana
The "granadillo" is widely reported but, I'm confused because I've purchased another wood called granadillo, and it is definitely not cocobolo. I'll get this straightened out.
TYPE: hardwood
COLOR: the heartwood is a mix of brilliant colors ranging from deep reds to an attractive mix of streaks and markings of red, black, purple, yellow and orange. I've seen pieces that were almost pure orange with very dark streaks (one of my samples in the pictures) and other pieces are very dark purple, looking almost exactly like Brazilian Rosewood (another of my samples in the pictures). The heartwood frequently contains violet and light purple when freshly cut, but this deepens to an orangish brown with shades of purple in a matter of days. Sapwood is pale, almost white, not very attractive and clearly demarcated from the heartwood as you can see in many of my sample pics. The amount of figure and contrasting color varies so widely from tree to tree that an inexperienced person could be forgiven for finding it hard to believe that two pieces are of the same type wood.
The wood darkens with age, and without UV finish protection, can turn nearly black.
Boiling the wood in water is reported to remove some of the color, although why anyone would want to do that I cannot imagine.
GRAIN: usually straight, but it is occasionally interlocked
TEXTURE: slightly oily, generally very uniform and fine
PROPERTIES / WORKABILITY: Very hard and heavy with high mechanical strength in all categories. Sands very nicely and Can be sanded and rubbed to a smooth, waxy finish without application of finishing materials. Difficult to glue due to natural oiliness, and some pieces will require wiping with acetone before applying glue. It responds very well to most tools in planing, boring, mortising, moulding, turning, and other machining operations and Worked surfaces generally are very smooth and clean. This is a terrific wood to work with if you can afford it and if you don't find it too gaudy. It rates high for strength but is rarely used for that purpose, although the wood is used to make small tool handles. Screw and nail joints hold well but pre-drilling is recommended. Works well with both hand and power tools. Moderate blunting effect on cutting edges which must be kept very sharp.
DURABILITY: high decay resistance but also resistant to preservative treatments, high mechanical durability and wear resistance, very high resistance to marine borer attack
FINISH: The wood finishes well with normal care but darkens quickly and some experts recommend the use of UV-resistant varnishes and my experience agrees with this. It can be polished to a high natural luster. While it reportedly takes stain well (I find that a little hard to believe because of the oiliness), anyone who stains this wood should be both shot AND hanged, all while being dipped in boiling oil. OK, maybe that's a little extreme, but they should at least be put in a mental institution.
When finishing this wood with polyurethane, great patience is required since it takes approximately forever for the polyurethane to dry, I guess due to the oiliness of the wood. However, it's worth the wait. Most reports say that a wax finish is your best bet.
STABILITY: very stable in service, partially due to the Very low moisture absorption because of the natural oils in the wood
BENDING: nothing reported
ODOR: odor slightly pungent and fragrant when worked --- no characteristic taste. One report says it smells like lilacs while it is being sawn or sanded. I can't smell so cannot add personal experience although I've handled a lot of this species.
SOURCES: Pacific regions of Central America and extending from Panama to southwestern Mexico. Countries include Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama. It is officially classified in some locations as either as extinct, endangered, rare, or vulnerable.
USES: Considered one of the most important woods in cutlery business for knife handles (can be soaked in soapy water with minimal ill effects). Also used for fine furniture and cabinetry and fine inlay work and anywhere that great beauty is desired. Various other reported uses: accent furniture, architectural woodwork, bedroom suites, boards, boxes and crates, brush backs, buttons, cabinetmaking, canes, carving, chess pieces, cutlery handles, decorative veneer, figured veneer, handles, inlay, jewelry boxes, kitchen cabinets, living-room suites, lumber, mirror frames, musical and scientific instruments, musical instruments, office furniture, ornamental work, plain veneer, radio & stereo & tv cabinets, shafts/handles, specialty items such as steering wheels, sporting goods, tool handles, turnery, utensils, veneer, wooden jewelry
TREE: small to medium-sized tree 45 to 70 ft high with trunk diameters of 20 to 30 in.; usually of poor form, which means that veneer is rare.
WEIGHT: very heavy: 62 to 76 lbs per cubic foot. Some reports say it won't float, and I keep forgetting to try that out. They may just mean the green wood, not dried wood.
DRYING: Opinions about drying are mixed. Some say the wood has a tendency to split and check and others say the wood has excellent drying properties, free of surface and end checking. Very low moisture absorption. Most reports say it dries slowly and some reports recommend seasoning the wood in log form before cutting, some say air dry for a while after cutting and before kiln drying, as direct green-to-kiln-drying causes warping and checking.
AVAILABILITY: It is most often available in turning blanks and small pieces, but lumber can be had, though 8" is about as wide as you'll normally find. Larger pieces are available but command a premium.
The dust is widely reported to be particularly irritating to both lungs and skin. Recommend full protection: gloves, long sleeves, a dust mask,.
Some reports say it is waterproof .
