YELLOWHEART

BOTANICAL NAME: Euxylophora paraensis of the family Rutaceae
NOTE: I see the specific epithet spelled "paraense" a lot but I use The Plant List which says it is paraensis.

COMMON NAMES: yellowheart, pau amerello (variant spellings are pau amarello and pau amarelo) Brazilian satinwood, yellow satinwood, satinwood, pequia setim, lima orana, limao-rana, pau setim, boxwood, canary wood or sateen.

"Brazilian satinwood" is almost always used in the U.S.A. as the name of this wood when it is curly/fiddleback. I have seen reports that say that outside of the U.S.A. "pau setim" is the name used instead of Brazilian satinwood. Because the name Brazilian satinwood is more "exotic" than just plain old "yellowheart" or even "pau amarello", some vendors sell non-curly yellowheart as Brazilian satinwood

TYPE: hardwood

COLOR: heartwood is a bright yellow colour, darkening a little on exposure to sunlight and there is little differentiation between heartwood and sapwood, or between spring and summer growth rings. The colour is very consistent across the wood.

Not quite as bright a yellow as osage orange, and not as hard, but more uniform in color and less expensive and does not change color as much with aging.

GRAIN: Fine, uniform, straight grain (very ocassionally, wavy --- see web quote below on pau amarello)

TEXTURE: medium and uniform

PROPERTIES / WORKABILITY: works easily with hand and power tools. Slight blunting effect on cutters. It nails adequately, glues easily and sands to a high polish.

DURABILITY: somewhat durable and has some natural resistance to decay

FINISH: this is not an oil wood, so it finishes with relative ease and fine sanding produces a nice sheen

STABILITY:

BENDING:

ODOR: no distintive taste or odor

SOURCES: confined to non-inundated lands of the lower Amazon region in the State of Para, Brazil

USES: used as a craftwood and for cabinets, furniture, toys, sports goods, parquet flooring, decorative turnings, brush handles, decorative veneer, marquetry and in inlays when a colour contrast is desired. Its bright yellow colour gives it great appeal for speciallty woodworkers that are looking for a wood to highlight their woodcraft project

TREE: trees can grow to more than 130 feet tall and 30" in diameter. It has large leaves upwards of 10" long and 4" wide. It has a wonderful show of creamy white, fragrant flowers.

WEIGHT: 45 to 55 lbs per cubic foot

DRYING: Seasons well with little tendency to checking or cracking

AVAILABILITY:

COST:

web quotes:
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Yellowheart is a common trade name given to several species

Dust can cause skin rashes so take proper care if you have a sensitivity

Pau Amarello can exhibit a curly figure, then known as pau setim. Figured wood of this sort is much more difficult to plane, usually requiring an abrasive sander to avoid grain tearout. I have found that it is also more likely to twist, so store carefully, to preserve your "special" pieces.