Swiss Pear

Durability:

The heartwood is non-durable and liable to insect attack, but the wood is permeable for preservative treatment.

Mechanical Properties:

Because pear is only available in fairly small sizes its strength is relatively unimportant for the uses to which it is applied. It is a fairly tough, very stable timber, but not used for steam bending purpose.

Seasoning:

The timber dries slowly with a marked tendency to warp and distort. It is best to kiln dry the wood for best results. There is very small movement in service.

Uses:

  • Widely used for fancy turnery and excellent for carving
  • Brushbacks, umbrella handles, measuring instruments such as set squares and T–squares
  • In Europe it is used for recorders, and when dyed black, for violin and guitar fingerboards and piano keys
  • Selected logs of suitable diameter and clean bole are sliced for decorative veneering, the quartered surfaces often displaying a large mottled figure
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Description

Pear’s heartwood is pinkish-brown in colour with very fine rays and pores, straight grained and a very fine and even texture. Weight about 700 kg/m³ (44 lb/ft³); specific gravity .70.

Additional information

Latin Name

Pyrus communis

Family Name

Rosaceae

Distribution

Europe, including the UK, and Western Asia

Also know as

Wild pear, choke pear (UK)