Family: Fabaceae
Latin Name: Piratinera Guianensis, meaning Guiana sea pirate.
Origin: Central and South America, particularly Suriname.
Common Names: Amourette, Letterwood, Snakewood, Speckled Wood, Leopard Wood.
The Tree (Characteristics): The Snakewood tree tends to be small and slender, growing only to a foot in diameter and to heights of 40 to 60 feet tall.
Appearance of Wood: Snakewood is reddish-brown with darker brown or black patches throughout. Initially the wood appears deep red in color but when it is exposed to air, it tends to turn to the reddish-brown shade. The wood has a straight grain with a fine texture.
Density: Snakewood is extremely dense and is considered one of the world’s hardest woods. Due to its extreme density, cutting edges need to be at their sharpest to avoid splintering and shattering when working with the wood. Average reported specific gravity ranges from .96 to 1.21 with an average dried weight of 76 pounds per cubic foot. Janka Hardness is 3,800 pounds of force.
Drying and Shrinkage: The drying process for Snakewood is rather difficult as this process almost always leads to the wood cracking. The wood should never be over heated or left in direct sunlight. Shrinkage in Snakewood is reported to be high with average reported shrinkage values are 4.7% Radial, 6.0% Tangential, 10.7% Volumetric.
Working Properties: Due to the density of Snakewood, it can be very difficult to work with. The wood tends to split and splinter very easily. The density of the wood also makes cutting and drilling the wood quite laborious. Although Snakewood is rather difficult to work with it turns well and polishes beautifully displaying an impressive natural luster.
Durability: Snakewood is resistant to attack by decay fungi and dry-wood termites. It is also considered durable but seldom is used in outdoor applications.
Uses: Snakewood can be used for fine furniture, bow-stringed instrument bows, parasols, canes, pens, bottle stoppers, pool cues, tool handles and various tiny turned or specialty objects.
Availability: Experts consider Snakewood to be the World’s Rarest Commercially available species of wood. Get the wood while you can as exportation may become more restricted in the future.