Oak Doors            
                                  Wood Characteristics

Ironaway | VELUX Skylights | Old English Hardware | Garage Doors | Stairways | Hardwood Flooring | Home

Door Galleries:  6-8 Entry Doors | Oak Doors | Mahogany Doors | Walnut Doors | 8 ft Doors | Interior Doors

Until a few decades ago, Bolivian wood was studied very little in the country, because of the lack of specialized technical people and of the adequate equipment to perform test and corresponding exercises.

Fragmented information exists about some various native wood species tested in foreign laboratories. Sometimes, the studies were conducted through restlessness of institutions to governmental standards like " the Bolivian - Argentina Mixed Commission or representatives of all private activity, interested in knowing the property of our wood and to promote a better use of them.

Toward the mid-70's, the countries of the The Andes Pact (Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela) introduced in the sub regions a integral study of the wood that was know little in each country. In this time, they realized that an agreement and installation of two technological wood laboratories, in the cities of Tarija (equipment brought by the university) and Santa Cruz (equipment donated by IDRC of Canada) with the promotion of a national wood investigation began.

They have enough various information of the performed studies or the process of execution about the physics , mechanics societal and anatomical structure characteristics of the Bolivian wood. Lamentably, all this technical information is scattered in different investigation, production, commercialization, and use of the wood, a situation that sometimes gives many places duplicated information. For example, "el jichiturique" is a wood that was studied for its physical properties and initial mechanics through the CDF (Center of Forrest Development ) between 1979 and 1980; but during this time the "Camara" National Forest studied the same wood and found similar information.

Actually, there is a market interest in the country and an international standard through promotion of the use of the tropical wood.

The exertion of the technological investigation in the wood circulation of the results are technical and economically felt by some worlds like Japan, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, the United States, and the European Economic community, and others.

It is hoped that future national and Latin-American standards will keep better dates and technical publications about our wood.

The objective of this present work is bring together the best technical information about our wood, that has been studied in the country and aboard and condensed into documents and distributed. The information refers to the identification of botany, commercial names, physical properties, mechanical properties, workability, preservation, natural durability, and finally the possible uses and applications. In some cases, we were not able to get all of the information. All the information we found is listed in order and has been distributed to the specific countries.

For information to be effective we have consulted various information, personal records,m institutional archives from the world, from the industrial wood companies, Universities, libraries in Santa Cruz, La Paz, Tarija and Yacuiba, and places where material has been relocated.

The information was completed with observation from the authors and accumulated through many long years of work in state and private institutions.

COMMON NAME: Bibosi
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Ficus glabrata H. B. K.
FAMILY: Moraceae

DISTRIBUTION AREA: Seeks subtropical humidity, in transition to tropical humidity, sections of Santa Cruz, Beni, Cochabamba, La Paz, Pando (13)(39)

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE TREE: The total height approximately is 30 meters, treetop large, clear green foliage color, simple alternate leaves, oblong, accumulated root; simple; gray colored bark somewhat rough, after it diminishes, it exudes a white latex color, the shaft of the tree is conic.

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE WOOD: The wood has a pale yellow color, that will change to final brown color; no characteristics of odor and flavor; interwoven grain; little differentiation in growth rings; intensely grain; wide porosity; pores visible through simple viewing, (more than 3 millimeters squared) the median least (0.1 to 0.2mm) and opened, solitary and in multiples of approximately 2 (geminates); medium radius (0.05-0.10mm), visible with a magnifying glass, scarcely moderate (from 2.5 to 5.0mm), some are not straight, absent stratification.

PHYSICAL PROPERTIES:
Density at 12% controlled humidity = 0.57 gr/cm3
Total radial contraction = 3.6%
Total tangential contraction = 7.4%
Appraisal (T/R) = 2.1 moderately stable wood
Total volumetric contraction = 11.1%
Basic weight = 0.48% (average)
Total porosity = 64%
Saturation point of the fibers = approximately 24%

MECHANICAL PROPERTIES:

Lateral resistance at the extraction of nails: 92kg/nai

EXERTION OF STRUCTURAL DESIGN, ACCORDING TO THE ANDES PACT. Flexion = 100 kg/cm2
Parallel Compression = 80 kg/cm2
Perpendicular Compression =15 kg/cm2
Parallel shears =8 kg/cm2
Modulation of average elasticity =90,000kg/cm2
Work corresponds to structural group C. (selected or classified parts)

EXERTION OF DESIGN KGR/NAIL

WORKABILITY:
Wood easy to mechanically process (sawed, finished, sanded, it is successful. In dry air, it has a tendency to twist.

PRESERVATION & DURABILITY:
Wood is permeable, high absorption good in a hot-cold bath of pentachlorophenol at 5 % concentration, results between 203 and 265 kg/m3. It has an elevated absorption in treatment with pressure, results between 596 and 756 kg/m3. Green lumber from the saw is not durable, but proper treatment including chemical baths, air and kiln drying makes it suitable for high quality millwork.

USES & APPLICATION:
Carpentry, cabinetmaking, paneling, (short rotary and together), plywood, sets of drawers, interior work, molding.