Replies

1. 
   eddiefromAustralia | Sep 22, 2003 03:11am | #1

   I'm away from my reference books Derek, but if memory serves me correctly, you've got some elm (Ulmia sp... from memory)

   No doubt someone (anyone!!!!) will correct me if I'm wrong

   eddie

2. 
   Raats | Sep 22, 2003 05:52am | #2

   Hi Derek,

   This is Raats from Brazil, and if I'm not wrong,I saw this wood in Chile in 1993, when I was trevelling with my wife, they use this wood for shingle, but I'll check it out for you.

   Sorry about my English.

   Raats

1. 
   BrianMcG | Sep 22, 2003 07:50am | #3

   Hi Raats, No need to apoligize for your english my friend. If my Portugese or spanish were half as good as your english I would be a happy man. Your amongst friends, Brian

2. 
   JohnCabot | Sep 23, 2003 06:24am | #4

   Dear Raats; I want to join the other partecipants in welcoming you to the Forum. Your english is excellent. I was in Brasil at the end of August ( my third trip, Sao Paulo and Sao Jose' do Roe Preto) and obviously I did fall in love with such a beautiful country.  I did see so many pieces of furniture done with a variety of tropical woods and I whished I could take some home with me.

   Do not hesitate to partecipate to this forum and ask questions. I read it almost everyday and have learned a lot.

   John Cabot

1. 
   Raats | Sep 23, 2003 06:51am | #5

   Hi John,

   I'm glad you are so happy about Brazil,and your kind words about our furniture and wood, see the site http://www.espasso.com a brazilian store in NYC, where you'll find some of our disigners and their furniture.

   See you soon.

   Raats

1. 
   watkinsjd | Sep 23, 2003 11:39pm | #6

   Ratts,

   Let me add my welcome.  I lived in Rio for a few months in 1980. Loved the people, the music and the food.

   I can't find my English/Portugese dictionary so my spelling might not be correct but I still have saudade for Brasil.  For most readers, we don't have a real English equivelent word but saudade basically means I miss the place.

   John

1. 
   Raats | Sep 25, 2003 07:16am | #8

   Hi Doc,

   I'm surprised to find someone that have lived in Brazil, and thanks to be so kind with my country.

   You are right about the word "saudade", I also have lived in the USA for a short period in 1989, and I really miss your country too.

   See you soon

   Raats

3. 
   forestgirl | Sep 24, 2003 01:48am | #7

   A quick Google indicates that Ulmo is a Chilean wood.  Here's a blurb from Windsor Plywood:
   http://www.windsorplywood.com/tropical_woods/ulmo.html

   Here's the Google:
   http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=wood+exotic+ulmo

   forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl   ;-)

4. 
   jonsherryl | Sep 25, 2003 08:44pm | #9

   Derek, Ulmo is sort of a general purpose timber within it's native range (Chile) used for both construction and furniture making applications. It has good working properties, is fine textured and shapes well. It's about as dense as cherry, usually a little browner in color, sometimes with very attractive striping. Ulmo is not very decay resistant, so, I hope the cross you're making is for the interior of the chapel.

   If you're interested in some botanical trivia, this species (Eucryphia cordifolia) is a member of a very small family called the Eucryphiaceae. In fact Eucryphia is the only genus in the family and it contains only about a half dozen species. The tree is sometimes used as a decorative cultivar, because it produces showy, dogwood-like flowers.

   The interesting thing about this botanical family, though, is that the few species that belong to it are widely separated between southern Chile, in the Western Hemisphere, and across the Pacific in Tasmania and Australia...Suggesting that the ancestors of ulmo were part of the ancient flora of Antarctica when that continent had a warmer climate and was joined with both Australia and South America. There are a few other examples of this sort of split distribution...For example, the "beeches" of the Southern Hemisphere (Nothofagus) are similarly separated and also one of the genera in the mahogany family (Cedrela, AKA Spanish cedar, native to Latin America) is closely related to Australian cedar (AKA toon.)