Gidday All,

This is not really a wood working project but I reckon this is the best place to find out info about timber properties.

I am designing a prototype sheet metal hydroforming die and would appreciate some advise on the timber selection. The die will have a steel casing with internal features made from hardwood, some turned features and some shaped by table router. The timber will be under a very large amount of compression, perhaps as high as 15 MPa of pressure.

Could anyone please recommend suitable timbers for this purpose, or perhaps a pointer to some property tables for hardwoods. Thank you.

Regards, Rod.