Botanically, Chakte Kok(Sickingia salvadoriensis) belongs to the legume family. The species is also marketed under the name Red Heart. It is found in the humid forest of Yucatan (Mexico) and is readily available there.
Heartwood: freshly cut fiery red, later darkening from pink to honey-yellow. Sapwood light beige, stands out clearly from the heartwood. The striking red color of the heartwood can be preserved by using UV blockers on the finished surface. The wood is fine-pored, straight-grained with occasionally wavy to irregular grain. This results in considerable variations in the appearance of the wood; very decorative.
The spec. Weight at 12% wood moisture content is 0.65 – 0.70 t/cbm. Chakte Kok is of medium hardness. There is a risk of cracking during drying. Chakte Kok does not contain any tool-damaging ingredients and is therefore easy to plane, mill and polish. The result is smooth surfaces. Pre-drilling may be necessary for screw connections. The dimensional stability is average, the modulus of elasticity is 12,000 – 16,000 N/sqmm, the shear strength is high. Chakte Kok is weatherproof. However, due to the small quantities involved, processing is only common in the higher value range.
Furniture making, fine wood products, woodturning articles, musical instrument making.
Bubinga, padouk, rosewood, satiné
| References: |
Western guitar, Joe Striebel |
| Sources: |
DAHMS (1956) Latin American woods Trop. Forestry Pap.No.20 (1990) Mex.& Belizian Timbers, OFI-Oxford |
