What is Canary Wood?
- Species Classication: Centrolobium spp.
- Other Names: Canarywood
- From: Central and South America
- Used for: Flooring, veneers, boatbuilding, furniture, cabinetry, and turned items.Canary Wood is a tropical exotic species of lumber. The heartwood is streaked with color, ranging from pale yellow-orange to deep orange, all the way to a dark brown . We see many pieces that contain bright ruby red streaks of color mingled throughout. The grain is usually straight, but we occasionally see wildly patterned grain.The natural distribution of Canary Wood ranges from Panama to Southern Brazil. Trees grow 65-100 feet tall and average 2 to 3 feet in diameter. It is a dense hardwood, very resistant to rot, termites and marine borers, and has a Janka hardness of 1520.
In its native countries, Canary Wood is often used in general construction as well as in boatbuilding. At Goosebay we see it used in building furniture and turned objects. Live edge slabs of Canary Wood are very popular with our customers. The sapwood is a soft creamy light yellow. The stark contrast with the vividly streaked heartwood is gorgeous.
The wood is easily worked with hand or machine tools. It glues, turns and finishes well. It has good acoustic properties and tends to have good stability of movement over time.
As with most exotics, the bright colors of Canary Wood will darken and somewhat homogenize with prolonged exposure to light.
According to Wikipedia, the name canarywood may also be used locally for various species from Southeast Asia and Australia.
Source: The Wood Database, Eric Meier, 2016