PHYSICAL QUALITIES: Heavy (12th in this list); 45 lbs. per cu. ft.; sp. gr., 0.7333; very strong (1st in this list); elastic (9th in this list); very hard (6th in this list); shrinkage, 5 per cent.; warps badly, very durable; hard to work, tough; splits in nailing.
COMMON USES: Shipbuilding, construction, "tree-nails" or pins, wagon hubs.
REMARKS: Widely planted and cultivated east and west. Likely to be infested with borers.
[Ill.u.s.tration: Radial Section, life size.]
[Ill.u.s.tration: Cross-section, magnified 37-1/2 diameters.]
[Ill.u.s.tration: Tangential Section, life size.]
56
MAHOGANY.
_Swietenia mahagoni_ Jacquin.
_Swietenia_, in honor of Dr. Gerard Van Swieten of Austria; _mahagoni_, a South American word.
[Ill.u.s.tration: Habitat.]
HABITAT: (See map); only on Florida Keys in the United States.
[Ill.u.s.tration: Leaf.]
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE TREE: Height, 40"-50"; diameter, 2" or more, foreign trees larger; immense b.u.t.tresses at base of trunk; bark, thick, dark red-brown, having surface of broad, thick scales; leaves, 4"-6" long, compound, 4 pairs of leaflets; fruit, 4"-5" long, containing seeds.
APPEARANCE OF WOOD: Color, red-brown, sap-wood, thin, yellow; diffuse-porous; rings, inconspicuous; grain, crooked; rays, fine and scattered, but plain.
PHYSICAL QUALITIES: Heavy (14th in this list); 45 lbs. per cu. ft.; sp. gr., 0.7282; very strong (20th in this list); elastic (24th in this list); very hard (1st in this list); shrinkage, 5 per cent.; warps very little; very durable; genuine mahogany, hard to work; especially if grain is cross; somewhat brittle, and comparatively easy to split, nails with difficulty; polishes and takes glue well.
COMMON USES: Chiefly for cabinet-making, furniture, interior finishes and veneers.
REMARKS: Mahogany, now in great demand in the American market for fine furniture and interior trim comes from the West Indies, Central America and West Africa. The so-called Spanish mahogany, the most highly prized variety, came originally from the south of Hayti. The Honduras Mahogany was often called baywood. Botanically the varieties are not carefully distinguished; in the lumber yard the lumber is known by its sources. The Cuba wood can be partly distinguished by the white chalk-like specks in the pores and is cold to the touch, while the Honduras wood can be recognized by the black specks or lines in the grain. Both the Honduras and West India woods have a softer feel than the African wood, when rubbed with the thumb. The Cuba and St.
Domingo wood are preferred to the Honduras, and still more to the African, but even experts have difficulty in distinguishing the varieties.
Spanish cedar, or furniture cedar (_Cedrela odorata_) belongs to the same family as mahogany and is often sold for it. It is softer, lighter, and easier to work.
[Ill.u.s.tration: Radial Section, life size.]
[Ill.u.s.tration: Tangential Section, life size.]
57
OREGON MAPLE. WHITE MAPLE. LARGE LEAVED MAPLE.
_Acer macrophyllum_ Pursh.
_Acer_, the cla.s.sical Latin name; _macrophyllum_, refers to the large leaves.
[Ill.u.s.tration: Habitat.]
HABITAT: (See map); best in southern Oregon.
[Ill.u.s.tration: Leaf.]
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE TREE: Height, 70"-100"; diameter, 3"-5"; stout, often pendulous branches, making a handsome tree; bark, reddish brown, deeply furrowed, square scales; leaves, very large, 8"-12" and long petioles, deep, narrow sinuses; fruit, hairy samaras.
APPEARANCE OF WOOD: Color, rich brown and red, sap-wood thick, nearly white; diffuse-porous; rings, obscure; grain, close, fibres interlaced, sometimes figured, polishes well; rays, numerous and thin.
PHYSICAL QUALITIES: Light in weight (26th in this list); 30 lbs. per cu. ft.; sp. gr. 0.4909; medium strong (47th in this list); elasticity medium (57th in this list); medium hard (31st in this list); shrinkage, 4 per cent.; warps ..........; not durable; rather hard to work; splits with difficulty.
COMMON USES: Tool and ax handles, furniture, interior finish.
REMARKS: A valuable wood on the Pacific coast.
[Ill.u.s.tration: Radial Section, life size.]
[Ill.u.s.tration: Cross-section, magnified 37-1/2 diameters.]
[Ill.u.s.tration: Tangential Section, life size.]
58
SOFT MAPLE. WHITE MAPLE. SILVER MAPLE.
Silver, refers to white color of underside of leaf.
_Acer saccharinum_ Linnaeus. _Acer dasycarpum_ Ehrhart.
_Acer_, the cla.s.sical Latin name; _saccharinum_, refers to sweetish juice; _dasycarpum_, refers to the wooliness of the fruit when young.
[Ill.u.s.tration: Habitat.]
HABITAT: (See map); best in lower Ohio valley.
[Ill.u.s.tration: Leaf.]
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE TREE: Height, 50"-90", even 120"; diameter, 3"-5"; form suggests elm; bark, reddish brown, furrowed, surface separating into large, loose scales; leaves, palmately 5 lobed, with narrow, acute sinuses, silvery white beneath, turn only yellow in autumn; fruit, divergent, winged samaras.
APPEARANCE OF WOOD: Color, brown and reddish, sap-wood, cream; diffuse-porous; rings, obscure; grain, twisted, wavy, fine, polishes well; rays, thin, numerous.
PHYSICAL QUALITIES: Weight, medium (40th in this list); 32 lbs.
per cu. ft.; sp. gr., 0.5269; very strong (19th in this list); very elastic (20th in this list); hard (25th in this list); shrinkage, 5 per cent.; warps, ............; not durable under exposure; easily worked; splits in nailing.
COMMON USES: Flooring, furniture, turnery, wooden ware.