Sheoak has low shrinkage, takes a good polish and therefore makes an excellent cabinet timber.
There are some varieties of sheaok known as “lace: and “birdseye” which have striking grains and colours.
Early literature refers to Shea's Oak as the common name..
Despite its name, it is not a pine, but belongs to the Beefwood family.
Although its native range runs from Southeast Asia to Australia, it has naturalized in tropical coastal areas throughout the world.
It grows to a height of up to 12m, with a spread of 7m, and has a moderate growth rate of about 25cm per year..
Plant Shape
Because Casuarina wood splits on drying, it is difficult to use the wood for lumber and furniture making.
However, it can be used in rural construction as poles for house construction, electric poles and the masts of boats.
The wood is very hard, with a density of 1000 kg..
Janka Hardness is 1,900 pounds of force.
Drying and Shrinkage: Average reported shrinkage values are 2.4% radial, 7.9% tangential, 10.7% volumetric.
Working Properties: Sheoak is easy to work with both hand and machining tools due to the straight uniform grain pattern..
Distribution: Primarily Australia, some genera contain species from the Pacific Islands Notable Genera: There are only two commercially-known genera in the family, Casuarina and Allocasuarina
Both are very closely related and contain species referred to more commonly as sheoak
Casuarina is a genus of 17 tree species in the family Casuarinaceae, native to Australia, the Indian subcontinent, southeast Asia, and islands of the western Pacific Ocean
It was once treated as the sole genus in the family, but has been split into three Australian genera and a fourth (see: Casuarinaceae)
Calling casuarinas ‘oaks’ is a misnomer, although they do actually belong to the same family ( Fagaceae )
The common name derives from the large medullary rays which reminded early colonists of ‘true’ oaks ( Quercus spp
)These rays form very prominent lines on the cut ends (photo 3)
