Cocobolo: a dramatic wood painting.

Cocobolo is one of those dramatic looking woods that distinguishes itself by having a figure that resembles a painting by nature - subtle, yet full of contrasts.

It is prized for its beautiful, wild, often variable colors. Its heartwood when cut is a rash of yellow, orange and red with black striping, but the heartwood usually deepens in color. The sapwood is clearly different from the heartwood. It is off-white in color.

Cocobolo's hardness and innate oily nature can give it an almost marble-like feel. This makes it very popular as a speciality wood, especially for carved chess pieces.

A substitute for rosewoods

In addition to its other properties, cocobolo has another factor in its favor: along with goncalo alves, it can be used as a substitute for Brazilian rosewood, which is currently listed as an endangered species and is banned for export under commercial trade.

However, despite this possible market opportunity, Peter Schlobach, president and owner of Crown Hardwoods, said the U.S. demand for cocobolo has been slow.

"For one, cocobolo is hard to find in quantity. It is a very pretty wood, veiny, yellow and red, but the wood is rarely straight and it does not usually come in lengths suitable for paneling. It is mostly restricted to use for specialty items, such as carved birds or sculptured pieces. A craftsman in California might use it to make a very beautiful one of a kind chest.

"It once was used in the dashboards of cars and it is still used to make specialty boxes. You find it in small items in gift shops," said Schlobach.

Schlobach also noted that its minimal usage may also be due to the politics about using rosewood-type woods. "There is a ban on Brazilian rosewood," he said. "And people are reluctant to use woods like it. In Europe, it is probably still used to make knife handles and such and it is probably used to repair rosewood furniture," he explained.

Al Matulevich of the David R. Webb Co. Inc. said his company inventories cocobolo in small amounts, although he sees very little request for it. Matulevich described it as a very pretty and expensive wood - just not widely used or demanded.

A kin to rosewood

Because cocobolo is a member of the Dalbergia family, it is "kin" to the true rosewoods. Cocobolo is a small- to medium-sized tree that grows in the Pacific regions of Central America. Its range includes Panama to southwestern Mexico.

However, this attractive and dramatic looking wood does not grow abundantly. The U.S. Department of Agriculture book, "Tropical Timbers of the World," states that the trees rarely grow taller than 98 feet and often average 75 feet. Diameters average 3 feet. Cocobolo's tree trunks are often fluted and the wood can be "of poor form" according to experts, which cuts down on availability. In addition, the wood is shipped from only two growing areas, usually Costa Rica and Nicaragua in small, round billet form.

Since cocobolo is only found sparsely, its uses are often for small items. In addition to specialty items, cocobolo is a very popular choice for turnery and cutlery handles, wooden trinkets and specialty jewelry. It is also sliced into veneers and used for inlay and as an accent on furniture and also for paneling. Cocobolo is also used for small tool handles and brushbacks. It makes beautiful jewelry boxes and is used for scientific instruments and for musical instruments.

Strengths and weaknesses

Cocobolo is a very hard timber. Its weight averages from 61 to 75 pounds per cubic foot. It is considered a heavy, tough and hard timber with high mechanical strengths. However, cocobolo's limited uses rarely put its strength to the test, except perhaps when used for tool handles.

When freshly cut, cocobolo has a definite pleasing fragrance. It does give off a fine dust when worked that is highly damaging to some people, causing dermatitis which has been compared to the rash caused by poison ivy.

Cocobolo also dries slowly. The U.S. Forest Service recommends a kiln schedule of T1-B1. It has low shrinkage and high stability.

Cocobolo also contains natural oils which gives it the ability to polish to a beautiful natural finish.

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Family Names

Dalbergia retusa of the Family Leguminosae

Other Names

Cocobolo, granadillo, funera, palo negro, nambar, cocobolo prieto

Height/Weight

Weight varies from 61 to 75 pounds per cubic foot. Tree is small to medium with a height range of 60 to 98 feet and average diameter of 3 feet.

Properties

Excellent machining characteristics. Wood has natural oils that allow for good finish but impede gluing. Highly durable wood. Wood is considered more dense than Brazilian rosewood. Moderate blunting of cutting edges.