BOCOTE

NOTE: various reports on almost all aspects of this wood are so different that it would appear that there must be several subspecies that are radically different from each other. I'm no expert, so have included what I have found, with comments on my own experience. I got the impression while collecting the information below that this wood is somewhat like the crime scene report in which the detectives conclude that the suspect was a short tall man wearing a dull brown raincoat that was in fact a bright blue parka. My own experience over 20 years may have been limited to one subspecies (I don't know) but it has been very consistent and I add comments where appropriate. In most of the wood descriptions on this site, I don't bother saying "it is reported that ... " because first, it is understood that what I'm saying is mostly 2nd hand reports, and second the reports are mostly in agreement. There is much less agreement about bocote and I have little faith in some of the information I present here, so I add the "it is reported that ..." caveat.

BOTANICAL NAME: Cordia alliodora, Cordia elaeagnoides, and Cordia gerascanthus of the family Boraginaceae. Mostly reported as alliodora, so presumably that is the most common subspecies.

COMMON NAMES: amapa asta (Mexico), anacahuite, barcino, baria (Cuba), bois de rose, canalete (Colombia, Venezuela), cordia, cype, freijo, laurel, loro negro (Argentina), louro pardo (Brazil), Mexican rosewood, peterebi, salmwood, siricote, solera.

The "bois de rose" I'm not so sure about since I think there is a specific rosewood of that name that is very different from bocote.

TYPE: hardwood or softwood? odd, but no one says.

COLOR: reports on color are all over the map, but the one that fits my experience is "ranges from tan to golden brown to pale golden yellow, with irregular dark brown streaks". Other reports say the streaks can be red, or green, or some say black, and that the heartwood is variously "tobacco" colored, dark brown, nearly white, red, and red brown, take your pick. With aging (as you can see in the pictures) I do agree that the heartwood can be tobacco colored or dark brown and the streaks appear almost black. The heartwood is reportedly rather sharply demarcated from the grayish or yellowish sapwood.

GRAIN: varies from straight to roey. On this there seems to be universal agreement. Some also say shallowly interlocked grain. Generally contains wonderfuly curvy lines and swirls. See the pics.

TEXTURE: variously reported as coarse to medium to fine, with a somewhat oily or waxy appearance and feel. I have not experienced "fine" texture; I'd say medium and I agree with the "oily or waxy" but it's not strongly either one. I've also seen comments that it is similar to teak, and I agree although I don't think it dulls tools quite as much as teak.

PROPERTIES/WORKABILITY: machines and glues well, although there are occasional reports that it is somewhat difficult to glue. In my experience, there is no problem gluing it. It is easy to work, responds well to both hand and machine tools, and takes nails and screws well, although I've seen reports that nailing may split it. It dulls tools slightly and with dull tools you can raise a bit of a fuzz, but generally its turnability is easy to moderate.

DURABILITY: variously rated as moderately durable and highly durable and very resistant to marring and denting. My experience is on the high side. It is reported to be highly resistant to insects and decay. Reportedly resistant to preservative treatment and with permeable sapwood.

HARDNESS / STRENGTH: generally reported to be (and my experience supports this) a hard, heavy, strong and dense wood. Compression strength reportedly comparable to mahogany. "Possesses medium strength properties in all categories."

FINISH: will take a moderately high natural gloss and takes stains and finishes well, but anyone who stains it should be shot. Finishes well with wax. Polyurethane finish also good since that highlights the yellow background. The yellow deepens with any finish, but not adversely so.

STABILITY: medium movement

BENDING: good steam bending classification, similar to teak

ODOR: variously reported as "mildly fragrant" and "distinctive dill-like aroma" when fresh

TASTE: nothing distinctive reported

SOURCES: Central America and the West Indies, including Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti and Jamaica. Mostly, it is from Mexico. One report cited Northern Florida.

USES: cabinetmaking, decorative veneer, fine furniture, boat decking, decorative and figured veneer, turnery, inlay work, interior trim, balusters, excelsior, floor lamps, moldings, parquet flooring, and wainscoting. Very popular for knife handles and pens because of the extreme figure available. Reportedly sometimes used as a substitute for mahogany, teak or walnut, but I find that hard to believe because those woods are very mild in appearance compared to most bocote.

TREE: large canopy tree, with some specimens in the natural rainforest reaching up to 120 feet tall and 3 feet in diameter, with a straight cylindrical bole above a narrow buttress. Other reports say the tree is short and rarely gets bigger than one foot in diameter. Given what I have experienced regarding availability, I'd say the smaller estimates are more likely. I've never seen planks over 6" wide advertised anywhere and the availability is mostly in turning squares up to 2".

WEIGHT: variously reported at 34 to 65 lbs per cubic foot when dry, so it's either a light wood or a heavy wood, take your pick. My experience is that it is on the high end of this range, say 60 lbs/cft.

DRYING: one report says it dries easily without degredation, another says it is difficult to dry and readily develops surface checking and end splitting. Kiln schedule T6-D2 is suggested for 4/4 stock and T3-D1 for 8/4. Shrinkage green to ovendry: radial 4.0%; tangential 7.4%; volumetric 11.6%.

AVAILABILITY: readily available, but only in small sizes.

COST: expensive. Expect to pay about $15.00 per B/F for good quality. A 1.5"x1.5"x12" turning stick is typically $5 (and that comes out to $26/BF, but sticks for all woods are higher than BF lumber)

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web quotes:
Because the tree is small, available lumber is short and narrow.

Good substitute for Brazilian Rosewood (Jacaranda) for small projects.

Primarily used in a decorative roll as costs prohibit use for construction of large pieces.

This richly grained tropical hardwood is very scarse and is classified as rare or endangered throughout its natural habitat.

distinctive grain that is flowered to striped

" ... an attractive ray flecked figure if quartersawn" --- my own experience is that this effect is rare, not common as this quote would seem to imply.