Guaiacum officinale, Lignum vitae is the hardest, heaviest and closest-grained wood known and has a density almost equal to iron. The weight is about 83 lbs. per cubic foot with a specific gravity of 1.3. It also has the ability to withstand the great working pressue of 2,000 lbs. per square inch and has resistance to the action of many mild chemicals and acids. One application is for propeller-shaft bearings in the largest liners.
There are about eight distinct botanical species which are listed and referred to as ironwoods. A few are Billian, Hophornbeam Eastern, Ipil, Mesua, Pau d'Arco, Pau Ferro, Pyinkado, Quebracho, and Hornbeam European. The common name "ironwood" is generally applied to whatever wood in any particular section of the country is considered the densest and the hardest. On Sat, Oct 31, 2009 at 2:56 PM, Timothy Zelazo <[email protected]> wrote: > Cornus florida has a cubic weight per foot of 50 lbs. also used for > golf-club heads. > > Xylia xylocarpa, Pyinkado known as the iron wood of Burma weighs 70 to 81 > lbs. per cubic foot. > > Andira inermis, Partridge wood is about 75 lbs. per cubic foot which > emanates from Venezuela and Colombia. > > Prosopis glandulosa, Mesquite averages 55 lbs. per cu. ft. and found in > Arizona, Texas, and Oklahoma. > > Carpinus betulus, European Hornbeam is considered one of the hardest woods > growing in England. > > Ostyra virginiana, Eastern Hophornbeam is about 51 lbs per cu ft. > > Russ, thanks for the walking stick info. I've experienced the same results > when working the species you mentioned. > > Tim > > > > On Sat, Oct 31, 2009 at 2:21 PM, <[email protected]> wrote: > >> ENTS: >> >> Of all the smaller eastern trees I would give dogwood, Cornus florida a >> vote for one of the hardest woods. Over the years I have used all sorts of >> woods for walking sticks and I have found that dogwood does not split or >> splinter like hickory and it doesn't shred or warp like hophornbeam. >> Hornbeam, Carpinus caroliniana, seems to be fairly soft, it is easy to cut >> with a knife it splits extremely easily and it will rot while you are >> looking at it. >> >> Ostrya viginiana, hophornbeam splits extremely easily and warps very >> badly. >> >> Walking sticks made out of dogwood never split on the point end and with >> daily use will wear at a rate of less than half an inch a year. Nothing >> else compares in terms of wear and no tree I have tried for a walking stick >> has been more stable than dogwood is once it has seasoned. >> >> Oak and ash walking sticks break much easier than dogwood and are much >> heavier >> >> If you make a walking stick out of dogwood it is best to dig out the >> entire tree and trim the roots with loppers. The best size tree is, usually >> about 1" in diameter and has a straight stem for at least four feet above >> the root collar. Carve the handle out of the root ball. You can almost >> always get a very comfortable hook to it. In my walks around the steep >> hills of WV a dogwood walking stick has become my third leg....the one that >> never slips. >> >> When freshly, cut a dogwood tree can be carved into a walking stick with >> just a jack knife but once it dries it is like trying to carve bone. >> >> When completely dried the wood is very light, which would mean it is weak >> if one of the measures of strength is density. >> >> The walking stick in the photo is over five years old. The patina that >> develops from long term use makes it very comfortable to hold and after >> several years of use it becomes a fairly reliable tool.....that hook on the >> end is extremely helpful to pull the tip of a 10' high limb down close >> enough to tie plastic ribbon when you are marking a trail in dense brush. >> >> Other woods may be slightly harder in certain uses but nothing I've >> encountered compares to the utility of a dogwood tree. >> >> >> Russ >> >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: Timothy Zelazo <[email protected]> >> To: [email protected] >> Sent: Sat, Oct 31, 2009 1:52 pm >> Subject: [ENTS] Re: What's the hardest hardwood? >> >> Carpinus caroliniana is American hornbeam (bluebeech, water beech) and >> Ostrya virginiana is Eastern hophornbeam and had the common name "ironwood" >> often applied to this species. The Textbook of Dendrology by Harlow and >> Harrar Fifth Edition published by McGraw-Hill. This was the info they were >> pushing over thirty years ago when I studied forestry. The two trees look >> very different in the forest. >> >> On Sat, Oct 31, 2009 at 1:36 PM, Josh Kelly >> <[email protected]>wrote: >> >>> >>> Don, >>> >>> On the contrary, I think I noted hop hornbeam (Ostrya virgiana) in my >>> earlier post. >>> >>> Josh >>> >>> On Oct 31, 1:11 pm, DON BERTOLETTE <[email protected]> wrote: >>> > Josh- >>> > >>> > I guess that 'ironwood' (aka eastern hophornmeam, American hornbeam, >>> Ostrya virginiana; member of the Betulaceae), member of the doesn't rate in >>> this exotic group? >>> > >>> > -Don >>> > >>> . Learn more.http://www.microsoft.com/windows/pc-scout/default.aspx? >>> CBID=wl&ocid=P.<http://www.microsoft.com/windows/pc-scout/default.aspx?%0ACBID=wl&ocid=P.> >>> .. >>> >>> >> >> >> >> >> >> > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Eastern Native Tree Society http://www.nativetreesociety.org Send email to [email protected] Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/entstrees?hl=en To unsubscribe send email to [email protected] -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
