Common Names:   Acajou de Cuba Acajou de St. Domingue Aguano Caoba Caoba de Santo Domingo Caoba dominicana Caobilla Chiculte Cobano Cuban mahogany Dominican mahogany Gateado Jamaica mahogany Madiera Mahog Mahogany Mongo Purchase Chakte Kok

Mechanical Values

Environmental Profile
The environmental profile of this species within its natural geographical range has not been officially assessed. 

Distribution
The species is reported to be grown mainly in continental tropical America, from southern Mexico to southern Brazil and Paraguay.

Product Sources
Some material from this species is reported to be available from environmentally responsible or sustainably managed sources.

Tree Data
Mature Sickingia trees are reported to grow to heights of about 60 feet (18 m), with a trunk diameter of about 20 inches (50 cm).

Sapwood Color
The sapwood may be uniformly red, pink, or violet rose, but it is frequently variegated. Other sources describe the sapwood as rather pale, with only a hint of pink. The color usually fades to yellowish brown with age.

Heartwood Color
The heartwood, which is reported to be often poorly developed, is rather dark brown in color, and is usually streaked with pink and orange. The combination of colors is reported to produce a striking swirl pattern when the wood is examined on the endgrain. There are reports of wide color variation between boards which makes matching rather difficult and time consuming.

Grain
The grain is typically straight and irregular.

Texture
The texture is rather fine and uniform.

Luster
The wood has medium to low luster.

Odor
Seasoned wood has no characteristic odor, but it has a slightly bitter taste.

Movement in Service
Movement in service is rated as small.

T/R Ratio
2.67
This indicator is more meaningful if it is used together with other drying information and actual shrinkage data in the tangential and radial directions. (Refer to the Numerical Values window).

Natural Durability
The material is reported to be moderately resistant to attack by decay fungi.

Resistance to Impregnation
Sickingia timbers are reported to be highly permeable to preservatives.

Cutting Resistance
Cutting resistance is reported to be rather low.

Planing
Sickingia timbers are reported to plane readily to yield clean surfaces.

Turning
Turning operations are reported to be easy, and turned surfaces are generally clean.

Moulding
The material responds readily to machine tools to yield generally clean surfaces in moulding operations.

Boring
Boring properties are reported to be good, and bored surfaces are typically smooth.

Routing & Recessing
The timber routs rather easily, with good results.

Mortising
Mortising qualities are rated as good, and mortising operations are generally easy.

Carving
The wood carves rather easily with ordinary tools.

Sanding
Sanding properties are reported to be good.

Polishing
The wood polishes well.

Response to Hand Tools
Response to hand tools is reported to be good.

Strength Properties
The species has high bending strength in the air-dry condition (about 12 percent moisture content). It compares favorably with Teak, which also has high bending strength. Its strength in compression parallel to grain is medium, but ower than that of Teak. It is a heavy wood. The wood is high in density. 

Comments
Waste factor is reported to be potentially high because of the difficulty in matching boards that usually vary widely in color. Fine checks and worm holes are also reported to be present. The wood and bark of Sickingia trees yield a red dye that is reported to have commercial applications.