Fleetwood RV. Cabinet wood

[Denny Rice]

Take it from a guy who has worked in the RV industry for over 15 years. Those cabinets are not real cherry. Most of the RV industry, including Fleetwood uses the "cheapest" materials they can get their hands on. This includes wrapping cabinets built from particle board with "cherry looking" paper. I have replaced a lot of cabinets in RV's because the cabinet(s) get wet once or twice then swell after they dry out.

[Jim King]

We have about 4 shiploads of Cumala / Banak / Virola (same wood) leave this area of the Amazon each year for the RV and Mobile Home industries in the States and Brazil has much more. There are a large number of sub species included in the above names.

The wormy lower grades are molded and wrapped in a woodgrain plastic to look like wood for moldings and the best grades look like the photo of the cupboards in the photo. As said if it is in a wet environment it will fall apart. Flawless boards can bring $0.80 a bf and the lower grades $0.30 to $0.40 a bf.

Cumala is a fast growing light weight hardwood that grows in flood planes and matures and dies in about 25 years. It is considered a weed here.

Try this link.

http://www2.fpl.fs.fed.us/piper/quer...e-0b9a8166c3ac