Replies

1. 
   blewcrowe | May 21, 2008 06:59pm | #1

   Lemme bounce the idea off my wood supplier.

2. 
   Jimurock | May 21, 2008 08:01pm | #2

   Although of S. American origin, most rubbertrees are found in Asia, esp. India, where they are planted for harvesting latex.  They become too old for that purpose at a relatively young age, and are then harvested for wood.  I doubt if much is imported into N. America as lumber, because it's heavily used in factory made furniture from India, China etc.  Most of the cheap kitchen dining sets, TV-tray sets and the like, found in big-box and furniture stores here are made from rubberwood.  Table tops are often made from finger-jointed strips, I imagine because boards come in small sizes -- there's certainly no waste. 

   It's from the same family as maple, so if you can't find rubberwood that might be your best bet.

   Jim

1. 
   saschafer | May 21, 2008 08:52pm | #3

   "It's from the same family as maple..."

   I'm not sure where that idea comes from, but it does seem to be floating around the internet a lot. The rubber tree, in the spurge family (Euphorbiaceae), is not at all related to maple, in the soapberry family (Sapindaceae).

   I'm guessing that it may have originated in a comment where tapping rubber trees for latex was likened to tapping maples for syrup.

   Nearly all euphorbs have a milky, often toxic, sap. The most well known euphorb in North America is poinsettia. Another familiar species is spotted spurge, the bane of gardeners around the world.

   -Steve

    

1. 
   Jimurock | May 21, 2008 09:37pm | #4

   OK.  It has a number of other daft names also with "oak" and "teak" in them.  Perhaps it got the maple misidentification because unstained finished maple looks acceptably like it.  Wouldn't fool a woodworker, but most people can't tell the difference between wood finishes.  I used hard maple myself to match a rubberwood table for someone.  Not my proudest moment, matching an imported kitchen table!

   Jim

1. 
   HowardAcheson | May 22, 2008 06:57pm | #5

   "Rubberwood" = "Parawood".Howie.........