For the sake of simplicity and common understanding, I will refer to H. courbaril<\/em> as Jatoba from here forward.<\/p>\n Note: H. courbaril <\/em>is also noted as being sold as Guapinolillo<\/a> but having worked with wood labeled as such, I fail to see any real resemblance between it and Jatoba.<\/p>\n The heartwood color of Jatoba is variable, ranging from a light orangish brown to a darker reddish brown, sometimes with contrasting darker grayish brown streaks. As is common with colored tropical hardwoods, the color tends to darken upon exposure to light. The sapwood of Jatoba is a light grayish yellow which is clearly demarcated from the heartwood.<\/p>\n The grain of Jatoba is typically interlocked, with a medium to coarse texture.<\/p>\n Jatoba demonstrates a good natural luster.<\/p>\n Jatoba is rated as being very durable in regards to rot resistance, and Jatoba is also resistant to termites and most other insects. However, Jatoba has been reported to be susceptible to attack from marine borers.<\/p>\n Jatoba is considered difficult to work with on account of its density and hardness. Jatoba has a moderate blunting effect on tool cutters.<\/p>\n Jatoba also tends to be difficult to plane without tearout due to its interlocking grain.<\/p>\n However, Jatoba glues, stains, turns, and finishes well.<\/p>\n Jatoba is reported to respond well to steam-bending.<\/p>\n Jatoba has no characteristic odor when freshly cut or worked.<\/p>\n Jatoba is widely available in satisfactory sizes and widths as lumber, and Jatoba is also available as flooring planks. Jatoba is comparatively inexpensive for an imported timber.<\/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 Of these vendors, West Penn Hardwoods, Bell Forest Products, WoodTurningz, and Got Wood? are offering Jatoba. Note that West Penn Hardwoods is only offering lumber and Got Wood? markets their Jatoba as Brazilian Cherry. The best selection is with WoodTurningz where an 8″ x 8″ x 2″ will cost you $999! I think this has to be an error. Their price on a 6″ x 6″ x 3″ is only $17.50.<\/p>\n Woodfinder<\/a> is an excellent website that is dedicated to advertising wood dealers. In your search for Jatoba 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 Jatoba is commonly used to make flooring, furniture, cabinetry, tool handles, shipbuilding, railroad ties, turned objects, and other small specialty items.<\/p>\n Jatoba is not listed in the CITES Appendices<\/a>, and Jatoba is reported by the IUCN<\/a> as being a species of least concern.<\/p>\n To the best of my knowledge, the United States government does not place any restrictions on Jatoba.<\/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 Besides the standard health risks associated with any type of wood dust, Jatoba has been reported to cause skin irritation, however, severe reactions are quite uncommon.<\/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 significant difficulties while working with Jatoba.<\/p>\n Jatoba is very dense and quite hard so it cuts slowly. Be patient with it. Jatoba has a very nice color and it cut cleanly along the grain but the cross grain areas were a nightmare of heavy sanding both inside and outside.<\/p>\n Jatoba sanded out nicely and had a nice natural luster. Jatoba took the final finish very well and I was pleased with the results.<\/p>\n Jatoba<\/p><\/div>\n This piece measures 5.5″ x 2″.<\/p>\n Some vendors call Jatoba “Brazilian Cherry” even though Jatoba and true American Cherry (P. serotina) are not remotely related. This naming convention is especially common among flooring dealers. This commercial name may refer to the fact that in its natural color Jatoba resembles stained American Cherry. Jatoba is also a great deal harder and durable than American Cherry, important attributes for a flooring wood.<\/p>\n All major cuts were made using the Easy Wood Tool<\/a> system on my Robust American Beauty<\/a> lathe, although I do use Robert Sorby bowl gouges<\/a> for light final passes before sanding. Forward chucking was in a Nova Chuck<\/a>, while reverse chucking was done using a Nova Chuck with Cole Jaws<\/a>. Sanding was with Gold and Green Wave sanding discs as well as Abranet screens<\/a> 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":" Jatoba is very dense and quite hard so it cuts slowly.\u00a0 Be patient with it.\u00a0 Jatoba has a very nice color and it cut cleanly along the grain but the cross grain areas were a nightmare of heavy sanding both inside and outside.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":175,"featured_media":3742,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[135,128,136,137,129,138,139,130],"tags":[154,168,171,181,183,188,200,217,221,226,230,239,240,241,247],"yoast_head":"\nGeneral Characteristics:<\/h2>\n
Working Characteristics:<\/h2>\n
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Common Uses:<\/h2>\n
Sustainability:<\/h2>\n
Health Hazards:<\/h2>\n
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