WOOD SPECIES:
Olive
SCIENTIFIC NAME:
Olea europaea
OTHER COMMON NAMES:
Olive, Olivewood, Olive Wood
TYPICAL USES:
Commonly used in the creation of fine furniture, veneers, turnery and specialty items.
SOURCES:
Europe, Eastern Africa
AVG BENDING STRENGTH:
25,000 psi
SPECIFIC GRAVITY:
0.72
AVG WEIGHT:
62 lbs/cu.ft.
SAPWOOD COLOR:
Clearly distinct from the heartwood, Olivewood’s sapwood is a creamy gold or yellow color.
HEARTWOOD COLOR:
The heartwood of Olive lumber is typically a light tan or yellow-brown color, streaked with brown and black striping.
GRAIN:
Olivewood grain varies from straight, to interlocked, to wild.
TEXTURE:
A very fine texture with closed pores.
MOVEMENT:
Very high degree of dimensional movement.
DURABILITY:
Olivewood is generally considered to be moderately durable, somewhat resistant to decay but vulnerable to insect attack, especially termites.
BLUNTING EFFECT:
Relatively easy to work, Olivewood exhibits some blunting effect, especially with wild or interlocked grain patterns.
CUTTING RESISTANCE:
Can be difficult to saw, especially cross grain and specifically with interlocked and wild grain patterns.
PLANING:
Despite its relative hardness, Olivewood planes satisfactorily, assuming very sharp cutters.
TURNING:
A superb turning stock, Olivewood is a favorite on the woodworker’s lathe.
BORING:
Boring and drilling operations face some difficulties due to the overall hardness of the lumber.
GLUING:
In general, Olive responds well to most gluing applications.
NAILING:
Pre-drilling is highly recommended.
SCREWING:
Pre-drilling is highly recommended.
POLISHING:
Olivewood polishes to a nice natural finish.
STAINING:
Accepts most dye or stain finishing applications well.
