guayacan wood – a perfectly suited hard wood for crafting of cuchillo, “gaucho knife”

Guayacan wood or lignum vitae wood is hard and durable, and is also the densest wood traded. On the janka scale of hardness, which measures hardness of woods, lignum vitae ranks highest of the trade woods.

Various other hardwoods may also be called lignum vitae and should not be confused with it. “the best-known come from bulnesia arborea and bulnesia sarmientoi (in the same subfamily as guaiacum) and are known as verawood or argentine lignum vitae”.

Guayacon wood, aka lignum vitae Argentine, is an exotic wood, native to the tropical regions of north and south america. It is a very hard, dense, and heavy wood, with a fine texture, having a color range from greenish, brown and at times, found in black. Lignum vitae is excellent wood for turning, as well as an excellent material for marine applications for its moisture barrier properties.