Guajac

Lignum Vitae/Sanctum – Guayacan; lat. Guaiacum officinale

It comes from western India, the northern coast of South America. It grows best on the island of Domingo and Cuba. Its name Guayac comes from the natives in the West India, who call it that.

During processing, it has a very pleasant, soft scent, almost like perfume.  In the parenchyma, or in the tissue, there is a black-green, fragrant and medicinal guaiac resin, which can be found in wood up to 25%, i.e. a quarter of the weight. The resin flows from the cut places and is collected in containers or the scent is extracted by dry distillation. In the past, among other things, it was used in the production of medicines for lung diseases and as an admixture in perfumes. Thanks to this property, the wood received the name "Lignum sanctum", which means Holy wood.  The wood is very hard and heavy, among the hardest in the world. The weight of 1m3 can reach up to 1.4t. According to the JANKA hardness scale, it reaches up to 4390 lbf, which is four times the hardness of common oak.

As for the processing, it is one of my favorites. The wood on the cut gradually oxidizes and acquires a warm green tinge with lighter and darker layers.