Replies

1. 
   deadnuts | Oct 05, 2014 04:15pm | #1

   Peroba, Bubinga, or, lastly, hard maple

   I've never worked with Para wood (aka "brazilan ironwood"), but after researching it's properties in Terry Porters Field Guide I noticed that it has an extraordanarily high specific gravity index of 1.2*. I believe it will be hard to match that density with something locally grown. S.Y.P and Poplar are near half that --and both stain and finish poorly as furniture (IMO).

   YOu might try ordering some  Peroba (sp. gravity of .75) that has similar look and feel (http://www.woodworkerssource.com/Peroba.html) or buy some Bubinga (sp. gravity of .88) which I have found stocked at my local Woodcrafters. If those are too expensive for you or hard to get, then I would personally make the replacement out of hard maple. It is fairly easy to get, strong, stains nicely, and you can layer stains readily in order to get a relatively close grain and hue match. Get enough extra to work some stain samples on.

   * woods with a sp. gravity greater than 1.0 will generally sink in a pool of water.  Another well known  example that won't generally float in water is African Ebony which has a sp. gravity of 1.03. Hard (aka "rock") Maple will float, but it is rather dense at a sp. gravity of .72.

1. 
   jimmiem | Oct 05, 2014 05:32pm | #3

   When I called the retailer where the bed was purchased they told me that Parawood is from Malaysia and also call Rubberwood.  Is Brazalian ironwood the same?

1. 
   [email protected] | Oct 05, 2014 06:44pm | #4

   Rubberwood is the wood of rubber trees grown on the rubber plantations as the trees mature beyond their most productive latex production.  This happens at about 25-years of growth.  It has no relationship to any of the "rosewoods". 

   It isn't really very strong and just about any American hardwood will be as strong or stronger.

2. 
   [email protected] | Oct 05, 2014 04:41pm | #2

   Wood Handbook, Wood as an Engineering Material

   The USDA, Forest Service, Forest Products Lab, has a publiction, "Wood Handbook, Wood as an Engineering Material", availavble as a free download in PDF format.

   It has the engineering data form most commercially used woods in the world.  Para should be in there.  Look up the para and find a more readily available wood with similar properties. 

3. 
   deadnuts | Oct 05, 2014 11:18pm | #5

   a good resource

   Jimmie,

   While researching your furniture piece on the web I came across this site which you may find helpful in selecting a replacement wood:

   http://www.wood-database.com/

   The information on Para wood on this site differs from the information Terry Porter, in his book "Wood Identification & Use" lists for Brazilwood. The wood-database has the sp. gravity of parawood listed in the .5 range.

   However, according to Eric Meier, an author on this site, "between scientific and woodworking standards, there are at least five different ways to express specific gravity". So there is apparently going to be alot of discrepency depending on your source. If you type in "specific gravity" on the search engine of this site, it will go into detail of how SG is defined and used by the scientific and woodworking communities.

   After reading the information on the WD site, I have say that your wood is probaby not as dense as I earlier indicated it might be. If it was sustainably harvested from Malaysia as a defunct latex producing rubber tree (as J&F indicates), then it is probably naturally of a lightish color--not darkish like African Mahogany and of average wood weight and density.  I still think Pine or Poplar would be poor replacments though. Perhaps Soft Maple over Hard Maple though? Soft Maple would be less expensive. Anyhow the WD site may provide you other viable options.

   BTW, this website contains a link to the Center for Wood Anatomy Research which will positivley identify a sample you send (up to 5 per year) for free!  Look at the end of the Wood Identificaiton section of this site for this link.

   Good luck with the project!

1. 
   jimmiem | Oct 06, 2014 06:39am | #6

   Para Wood

   Thank You.  I appreciate the time and effort you put into researching this subject.  I will check out the link you have provided and  send the sample for positive identification.

4. 
   MarkH | Oct 06, 2014 05:44pm | #7

   A fairly common wood here, even in home centers is Ipe.  It's used for decks a lot.   Plenty strong, somewhat difficult to work with because of the hardness.  Also a bit dangerous to breathe the sawdust so use a mask.