Bulletwood

Bulletwood

Description

The hard, dense wood of a dilly tree, Manilkara bidentata, native to the Caribbean region. Bulletwood has a deep reddish brown color with a fine texture and straight grain. The heavy wood is hard to finish but can be polished to a high luster. It is exceptionally strong and durable. Bulletwood is used for boat building, furniture, cabinetry, tool handles and wheels. The dilly tree also yields a latex sap called gum balata. Balata gum is used in the manufacture of gold ball covers and rubber belts for machines.

Synonyms and Related Terms

beefwood; doncella; almique; massaranduba; red lancewood; balata;, wild dilly; wild sapodilla; sapodilla (Jamaica); acana jaimiqui (Cuba); nisperillo (Dominican Republic)

Density	56-75 ppcf

Authority

• Random House, Random House, Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, Grammercy Book, New York, 1997

• The American Heritage Dictionary or Encarta, via Microsoft Bookshelf 98, Microsoft Corp., 1998

• F. H. Titmuss, F. H. Titmuss, Commercial Timbers of the World, The Technical Press Ltd., London, 1965

• Kribs, Kribs, Commercial Foreign woods on the American market