A friend of mine gave me this piece of Dipteryx panamensis. It is an incredibly dense wood– it measures 29 x 7 x 4 cm and weighs 881 grams. (11.25 x 2.75 x 1.5 inches, 1lb, 15 oz.), and can have a specific gravity up to 1.09. I will most likely never get another example of this wood, I think it is now banned for export.
I considered making tool handles or something else out of this, then realized there was nothing I could do to improve– it is perfect the way it is. Any shaping or transformation would only diminish it.
Peachey Conservation 