Cordia spp. is found and harvested over a wide range of the tropical Americas from southern Mexico, through Central America and into continental South America as far south as Brazil.<\/p>\n
For the sake of simplicity and common understanding I will refer to Cordia spp.<\/em> from here forward using the common name Louro Preto.<\/p>\n The heartwood of Louro Preto tends to be of a medium brown with a reddish cast (or sometimes olive-colored cast). Darker brown streaks are common. The pale sapwood is sharply demarcated from the heartwood. Sadly, as is very often the case with highly colored tropical hardwood, the color will darken with age and exposure to ultraviolet light.<\/p>\n The grain of Louro Preto can be either straight or irregular.<\/p>\n The texture is fine to medium.<\/p>\n Louro Preto demonstrates a good natural luster when finely finished and polished with the natural oils present in the wood.<\/p>\n Louro Preto is reported to be very durable against rot but there are no definitive data regarding insect attack.<\/p>\n On the whole, Louro Preto is easily worked and machined with good results.<\/p>\n Although Louro Preto has a fairly high amount of natural oils present, gluing is usually problem-free.<\/p>\n Louro Preto is reported to turn and finish well.<\/p>\n Some species sold as Louro Preto may contain silica that will dull cutters.<\/p>\n Louro Preto is reported to have a distinctive and pleasant scent when freshly cut.<\/p>\n Louro Preto prices are likely to be high for an imported hardwood.<\/p>\n Louro Preto is not a commonly imported hardwood; its relatives such as Bocote are much more commonly seen in the United States, so it may prove difficult to source.<\/p>\n In this blog, I almost always recommend several vendors with whom I have done considerable business and in whom I have great confidence. These vendors are: West Penn Hardwoods<\/a>, Bell Forest Products<\/a>, NC Wood<\/a>, WoodTurningz<\/a>, Amazon Exotic Hardwoods<\/a>, Griffin Exotic Wood<\/a>, Exotic Woods USA<\/a>, Got Wood?<\/a>, and Wood Turning Blanks 4U<\/a>.<\/p>\n Sadly at this time, I am unable to locate any bowl blank sizes of Louro Preto although I was able to find one vendor selling pen and knife handle blanks. Some eBay sellers offer spindle sizes, but I have a serious lack of trust in wood identification and sourcing when it comes to eBay purchases.<\/p>\n Woodfinder<\/a> is an excellent website that is dedicated to advertising wood dealers. In your search for Louro Preto this can be an invaluable resource provided you use multiple search terms to capture all the possible listings. I can’t speak to the quality of any of the listed dealers, but Woodfinder does have the advantage of allowing searches to be performed based on location which might allow an interested buyer to visit a listed wood dealer in person to hand pick pieces at a comfortable price.<\/p>\n A significant problem with using Woodfinder is that many vendors are listed for woods that, upon further investigation, they do not offer. I don’t know if perhaps once they did and they didn’t update their listings or if some vendors use a standardized list of woods that include most everything conceivable with the idea that once you land on their page you will find something you want to buy even if you didn’t know it beforehand. It happens to me all the time!<\/p>\n When available, Louro Preto is used most commonly in furniture, cabinetry, veneer, and turned objects.<\/p>\n Louro Preto is not listed in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Appendices<\/a> nor is it listed on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature<\/a> Red List.<\/p>\n To the best of my knowledge, the United States government does not impose and special restrictions on the importation and use of Louro Preto.<\/p>\n I realize that inherent in working with wood is the killing of a part of the natural world that may be slow to return and if I become deeply concerned about this fact, I will have to find a new hobby. I hope that such a time does not come to pass or at least not any time soon. In part because I am concerned about legally and responsibly obtained wood, I am reluctant to buy from sellers outside of well-established and known vendors. I am highly unlikely, for example, to purchase any wood from auction sites, such as Ebay, because of uncertain sourcing and documentation, as well as the potential, even likelihood, of material being misidentified in order to achieve a higher selling price.<\/p>\n However, due to the commercial scarcity of some woods, resorting to auction sites such as Ebay or Etsy may be the only way to obtain some desirable domestic, or in some cases exotic imported, species that are not routinely commercially harvested. The potential risks of buying in these marketplaces have to be balanced against the desire to work with a specific species of wood. That is inherently an individual decision.<\/p>\n I also realize that many, if not most, wood workers do not have endangered species lists memorized, therefore I think it worthwhile and important to do even a small amount of research before purchasing any lumber, domestic as well as imported, to be certain of the potential impact you are having, even in a small way, on threatened or endangered populations. This information is easy to come by and takes only minutes to locate through any Internet search engine, including those you can access on your phone as you are standing in the lumber yard or store. Unfortunately, you simply cannot count on a vendor to tell you a product they are selling is endangered.<\/p>\n In addition to the standard health risks associated with any type of wood dust no further health reactions have been associated with Louro Preto, however, it is very closely related to Bocote, which has been shown to cause cross reactions once an allergic sensitivity to certain woods has been developed. Woods that can cause initial sensitivity include: Pau Ferro, Macassar Ebony, Cocobolo, and most Rosewoods. As always, caution is essential until you are certain you are not sensitive to Louro Preto.<\/p>\n It is important to remember that although many people may, or may not, be sensitive to any given wood, the only experience that truly counts is your own, so use reported side effects as guidance but not as a substitute for cautious and safe practices.<\/p>\n Appropriate protective equipment is therefore always recommended when working with this, or any other, wood, exotic or domestic, unless you have worked with the species before and are certain you are not sensitive to it.<\/p>\n Complete information about health hazards<\/a> associated with a wide variety of exotic hardwoods is available from The Wood Database<\/a>. Additional information about how to best use a dust collection system and personal protective equipment, such as respirators, can also be found through this excellent and comprehensive resource.<\/a><\/p>\n Fortunately, I experienced no negative effects while working with Louro Preto.<\/p>\n I had a very good experience working with Louro Preto. It cut cleanly on the lathe so there was no need for heavy sanding to bring out a very nice natural luster. The grain figure is very nice in my piece of Louro Preto, swirling but not completely wild. Not surprisingly, Louro Preto greatly resembles its genus mate Bocote although it is nowhere near as oily or as dark. I would gladly work with Louro Preto again in the event that I am able to source it once again.<\/p>\n Louro Preto<\/p><\/div>\n All cuts were made using the Easy Wood Tool<\/a> system on my Robust American Beauty<\/a> lathe. Forward chucking was in a Nova Chuck<\/a>, while reverse chucking was done using a Nova Chuck with Cole Jaws. Sanding was with Gold and Green Wave sanding discs from Packard Woodworks<\/a>. Final finish is Shellawax.<\/a><\/p>\n As always, I wish all my readers a great experience in whatever your wood working interests happen to be and to those who like working with lathes especially, do a good turn today!<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I had a very good experience working with Louro Preto.\u00a0 It cut cleanly on the lathe so there was no need for heavy sanding to bring out a very nice natural luster.\u00a0 The grain figure is very nice in my piece of Louro Preto, swirling but not completely wild.\u00a0 Not surprisingly, Louro Preto greatly resembles its genus mate Bocote although it is nowhere near as oily or as dark. I would gladly work with Louro Preto again in the event that I am able to source it once again.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":175,"featured_media":3264,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[135,128,136,137,129,138,139,130],"tags":[154,161,168,171,181,188,200,217,226,230,239,240,241,247],"yoast_head":"\nGeneral Characteristics:<\/h2>\n
Working Characteristics:<\/h2>\n
Pricing and Availability:<\/h2>\n
Common Uses:<\/h2>\n
Sustainability:<\/h2>\n
Health Hazards:<\/h2>\n
My Personal Experiences:<\/h2>\n