Source
Cumaru is available in the forests of Precious Woods, located in the Amazon region of Brazil. The trees have straight trunks with attain diameter till about 120 cm and normally little defects, which makes it possible to produce larger dimensions. The sapwood is just a few cm wide. The so called tonka beans from this tree are used as an alternative for vanilla.
Appearance
The heartwood is yellow brown to red brown often with darker (red) veins and is clearly demarcated from the sapwood. It has a greasy touch and a mild vanilla-like smell. The grain is often interlocked and the texture is medium coarse.
Processing properties
Despite the high density and the interlocked grain, Cumaru can be machined quite well, resulting in a rather smooth surface. Pre-drilling is necessary. Finishing is reported to be good, however it is not easy to glue the heavy timber. The GluGreen® Technology could succesfully be applied to green sawn timber. Drying goes slowly with low shrinkage and less risks of warping or checking.
Application
Cumaru is used for a wide spread of applications in high quality end uses, like park benches, cladding, boardwalks and sound barriers. Due to the available dimensions and high strength it is also used for truck flooring, heavy hydraulic constructions like lock doors and brakers and for the construction sector.
