Has anybody used it for a gun? I thought Kolt might have but couldn't find the thread in a search for cumaru. Anyhow I ordered a piece online and I just got it today. While it is a really nice piece of wood, no bows, warps or knots, the color is a little redder than I was expecting. It isn't like normal teak and feels much denser. Does this sound like Cumaru to you guys? I will post pics when I get home!
Thanks, John K

huh, I did some searching and it is indeed a very dense wood and has a hardness rating of 3540, just under IPE. Apparently one of the 5 hardest woods available...I guess I wont be adding much lead:smthumbup:
It also is a very oily wood and is a great choice for outdoor applications, often used for canoes and decking. I suppose thats why its called Brazilian teak:rolleyes:

I figured I would post my finding for anybody else looking for an alternative to teak. I just hope its not too hard to work with...

oh and heres a pic for those that are wondering...I think it looks quite nice.

Although I do not have any firsthand experience with that specific wood, I know that ipe is extremely brittle. I made handles out of the material, and experienced problems with swelling, and broke several prototypes in half in the process. Tread lightly...

I have never used Cumaru before, but the pics look alot like Padauk. It looks really nice, let us know how it works for you.

I have made a few guns out of Brazillian Teak (Cumaru) It is good - but very heavy. The guns that I made both sink without any lead. They sink even without the shaft in.

So they are fine for scuba, but not so good for freediving gun.

It looks like Paulope to me. Also called ipe.

Hey John - that wood I was wondering about a long time ago was Brazilian cherry (jatoba), and it turned out to be American cherry.

That peice you have there looks like it has the reverse grain patterns of some of the eukalyptus species like jarrah. If it's anything like jarrah, it'll be hard, heavy and can tear and splinter with machining, but the end result should be really nice and very durable.

I think there's a lot of woods out there that marketers pin the name "teak" on the end so that they can up the price.