Wood - Being a Brief Digression

I will take a break from the narrative at the moment to mention some of the wood I have encountered in working on this project. Now, the relatively little I know about wood comes from the courses in Materials Science and Strength of Materials (taught by the brilliant Steve Plumb at SUNY Ulster) plus the occasional home project. Following last years experience where we learned how heavy and hard the local wood is it behooved me to learn more by both reading and talking with Ambrosio and others about it. Here's what I have learned.

There are four types of wood commonly encountered in the region: Nispero, Chingongo(?), Corotu and Laurel. Nispero is the principle wood we have used in our construction. It is very heavy and very hard. We pre-drill both sides of lumber for screws and partially (well more than halfway) through one side for nails. Even then, our nail bend rate is quite high though the locals, especially Daniel, do better. Part of the reason for this is the fact that it is fresh cut (less than 6 weeks) and not kiln dried like we are accustomed to stateside. Remember, Ambrosio cuts this to spec using a chainsaw - 2 x 4s and 3 x 3s and anything in between. Every time we carry it around on the platform I am reminded of those construction site signs that proclaim "71 days without an injury"or such. I would not like to get clocked with a Nispero 2 x 4.

I know almost nothing about "Chingongo" or if I am even spelling it correctly. Nothing comes up on a Google search. I know Ambrosio told me that the rafters and joists of the pavilion are made of it, not Nispero.

Laurel is a beautiful red-brown tones hardwood that we encountered when we were walking around Isla Colon waiting to  fly out. We passed by an open street shop of a woodworker making hand carved bowls and carving boards from it.

Corotu (in Spanish there is an accent over the "u"). The Corotu (Enterolobium cyclocarpum) is a huge, majestic tree with amazingly intricate upper branches and fine feathery leaves. It goes by several different names in parts of Central America, and apparently, has been the national tree of Costa Rica since 1959. There is no entry for it in the English version of Wikipedia, but it is available in the Spanish one. It is awaiting translation. Next time I have a few spare weeks I'll give it a shot. In reading the entry over the one thing that quickly caught my eye is that it has antibacterial properties against Staph aureus, is good for digestion and is useful for treatment of hemorrhoids. The spa at the J W Marriott in Rio Hato and the restaurant in the Gamboa Rainforest Resort are named for it. There is one in the courtyard of the Marriott and it is simply enormous.

I tried using the photo above as my computer background shot but it seriously did not make any visual sense. Just too damn big.

For a better sense of perspective this shot is of the lower left corner view of the first photo - note the steel 4 x 4 post that is supporting the horizontal branch in the foreground