Occasionally I come across a wood of particular interest, and I will attempt to describe some of them here.
Grafted Walnut Update June 2010
I just received a nice piece of macadamia wood form Hawaii, on New Year's Eve, 2009. Yes, this wood is from the tree that produces macadamia nuts. I've had some before, but this is a larger and particularly nice piece. Just look at the grain!
The image above is right off the resaw, not planed, not sanded, no finish applied. The interesting figure in macadamia is created by medullary rays. These are lines that radiate outward from the center of the log, as shown in the log end view below:
When slicing the wood, the angle at which these rays intersect the face of the board determines the figure that will appear. When the rays are parallel to the face, large "flakes" are visible, if the rays are perpendicular, the flakes are much smaller.
The photo above shows how the the flakes are larger on the upper edge of the board where the rays are more nearly parallel to the surface than they are lower down, where the rays are perpendicular to the surface. A similar effect is seen in quartersawn oak and lacewood. Quartersawn means the boards are cut radially (or nearly so) from the log.
Here is what the piece looked like when I got it. As you can see, it's a half-log section, with bark on one side and a sawn face on the other. It was about 11inches long.
Notice the unusual shape of the log's cross section, almost rectangular instead of the familiar half-round. Unusual, but it increased the yield of useable wood. The first step for me was to plan how to use the log, then to begin cutting it into boards on my resaw (a bandsaw with a very wide blade, designed for cutting thick boards into thin boards, or for cutting logs into boards).
The first cut is shown above. The process is continued until the log section has been converted into boards. The boards then have their ends dipped in wax to reduce "checking" (cracking) and are stacked with "stickers" (spacers) in between to allow air to circulate on all sides. This log was "green", with a moisture content over 36%, the maximum reading on my moisture meter. Air circulating around the wood will dry it, and I would estimate that this wood will be ready to use sometime next summer. The stickered wood is shown below. Note that each piece is identified with its eventual box part on the end.
The stack of wood is then bound together with masking tape and stowed away on an upper shelf in my shop until dry and ready to use.
I was able to get enough wood from this log to make three boxes, one each of BX-05, BX-08, and BX-16. The lids will be bookmatched, and photos of the wood for each lid are shown below.
BX-05 Lid.
The dark area at center right is cambium or bark, and will probably not be present in the finished box.
BX-08 Lid
BX-16 Lid
I expect this wood will lose some of it's pink color while drying. I've used some macadamia before, but none as clear and beautiful as this. Here is a photo of a previous BX-04 in macadamia wood from Florida:
I hope to get a larger supply of macadamia wood, but for now this is all I have. If you would like to reserve one of these three boxes, please contact me by phone or email. The prices will be: $180 for the BX-05 (reserved 1/12/10), $215 for the BX-08 (reserved 1/8/10) and $354 for the BX-16 (sold 7/10).
Update, January 10, 2010: I have obtained a longer piece of macadamia wood from the same source, and from it will be able to make a BX-18 for $660, three BX-04 boxes for $114 each (one reserved 5/26/10) and one BX-02 for $102 (reserved 7/29/10). Any of these may reserved by contacting me by phone or e-mail.
Update, June 11, 2010: Most of the macadamia wood is dry, and I have finished the first box from it, a BX-16. Here are some photos:
The wood is truly gorgeous. Those of you who reserved boxes can expect to receive them in July or August. The BX-16 in the photos has been sold, but those listed above as not reserved are available for order.
July 29, 2010 I just received two more large log sections of macadamia wood from Hawaii. I haven't cut them up yet, but they should provide plenty of wood for boxes in all sizes. So, if you're interested in having a box of a particular size, please let me know.
Plumeria/Frangipani (Plumeria, spp)
Plumeria, also known as Frangipani, produce the flowers from which Hawaiian leis are often made. I recently got two pieces of plumeria wood from Hawaii. Both were oddly shaped with crotches and defects, including bug holes. But, the wood shows interesting figure and I'm looking forward to making boxes with it. I've never seen this wood in use before.
The image above shows a rough slice of the larger plumeria piece, fresh from the resaw.
This is the reverse side of the piece in the previous photo. The center pith (lower left) and numerous tiny pinholes are visible. The color difference is due to the fact that this face was near the outside of the slab and is drier than the freshly exposed face in the upper photo. The image below shows shows the wood obtained from resawing both slabs. the ends have been sealed and the pieces are ready to sticker up for drying.
Having no experience with plumeria wood I'm not sure what will happen to it during the drying process. Crotches are prone to warp and check as they dry. So, instead of listing the boxes I think I can get from this material, I'm going to wait and see what's really available after drying. I should be able to make several boxes in the BX-02, -04, -05, and BX-08 sizes. If you are interested, please send me an e-mail and I will let you know when the wood is ready.
English walnuts grown in the United States are most often produced on trees in which English (or Persian) walnut (Juglans regia) has been grafted to California black walnut, or "claro walnut" (Juglans hindsii) rootstock. The black walnut rootstocks are better adapted to growing conditions here and produce healthier trees. When the trees are cut down the stumps can be sawed into boards that are black walnut on what was the lower end, and English walnut on the other. I have been making boxes from grafted walnut wood for some time, and it truly is a marvel of nature. It is amazing that the two types of trees can grow together at the graft line to produce a solid wood that is one species on one side of the line, and a different species on the other. Below is a photo of a recent made from grafted walnut.
The left side of this box, a BX-19, is English walnut while the right side is claro walnut. Since the graft line only occurs at one point across a given board, I generally only make larger boxes from this wood. Even if the board is long enough to produce several boxes, the graft line will only appear in one box, maybe two if the board is wide enough. Boxes made from either side of the graft line will be either all English walnut or all black walnut. So, if I'm only going to be able to make one grafted walnut box from a board, I should make as large a box as possible. However, I recently acquired a block of grafted walnut that is just long enough to make BX-05 boxes (8 inches long).
In the image above, the block standing on end has the graft line in it. The lower section is black walnut, the upper section is English. Of the two blocks lying flat, the one on the left is black walnut and the one on the right is English. The grafted box is wider than it is long, and is thick enough to yield ten lids for BX-05 boxes, which I will be making as soon as the wood is dry (summer 2010 or later). The images below show the block being sliced on the resaw, and the resulting stack of lid material.
Each of the ten BX-05 boxes will have grafted walnut for the lid and front, with corresponding side pieces of English and black walnut to match the lid. The back will be either English or black.
The image above shows a sample arrangement of lid and front. If you would like to reserve one of these boxes, please contact me by email or phone. As of July 29, 2010 eight of the ten BX-05 boxes are available. I got a good deal on this material, so the price will be only $150 per box.
Update June 2010 The grafted walnut is now dry, here is a photo of the first box made form it:
The graft line is very pronounced, just to the right of the thumb recess. It is black walnut on the left, and English on the right. This box is sold, but the other nine are available for order.
I use the term "storm woods" to refer to wood salvaged from trees that were blown down by storms. Most of the storm woods I use come from Florida, and most were blown down by Hurricane Charlie in August, 2004 and Hurricane Wilma in October, 2005. I obtained these woods, usually in short log sections or chunks, from people living in South Florida. Some pieces I collected myself on trips to the area.
This is a load of storm wood from Hurricane Wilma that I brought back from Florida in February, 2006 on a borrowed trailer.
I have used several species from these storms. When I sell a box made from one of the storm woods, I donate 10% of the sale price to Florida Fund of CERF, the Craft Emergency Relief Fund. This is a very worthwhile organization that helps craftspeople recover from disasters. The storm woods I consider most notable are listed below.
Black Mangrove (Avicennia germinans). Salvaged in the Florida Keys after Hurricane Charlie. The boxes shown below are BX-08 on the left and BX-17 on the right.
Lysiloma (Lysiloma latisiliquum), aka Wild Tamarind. Most of my lysiloma came from Palm Beach County after Wilma. The boxes shown below are BX-08 on the left and BX-17 on the right.
Florida Rosewood (Dalbergia sissoo). This is Indian Rosewood that was originally planted in Florida as an ornamental tree and has become an invasive species. I particularly like the contrast between the heartwood and sapwood in this wood, and will often bookmatch the lids of boxes to highlight this contrast. The boxes below are a BX-18 on the left, and a BX-07 on the right.
Australian Pine, (Casuarina spp.). Another invasive species, it is not a pine or even a conifer. It is a very hard and dense wood. I have a small amount from Captiva and Sanibel Islands, thanks to Charlie. The photos show a BX-08 on the left and a BX-18 on the right.
Indian Tamarind (Tamarindus indica). Another introduced species, this tree produces a very hard, dense, fine-grained wood. It is a light cream color, unless spalted with black lines and gray streaks.
Spalted Strangler Fig (Ficus aurea). Strangler fig seeds are germinated in the canopy of a host tree of another species. The seedling lives as an epiphyte until its roots finally reach the ground. It eventually grows to completely surround and strangles the host tree.
A strangler fig growing on a palm tree host.
I obtained my first pieces of this wood while vacationing on Captiva Island, FL. The wood was in firewood sized chunks in a pile by the roadside, waiting for the trash collector. It had spalted and rotted so much that it felt extremely light and I was skeptical that it could be used at all. Nevertheless, I tied a couple of pieces onto my kayak trailer and brought them home. The severe spalting necessitated unusual woodworking measures, but the results were worth it, as illustrated in the photos below.
I have used all of my original batch of spalted strangler fig, but obtained some more fresh (unspalted) strangler fig on my last trip to Captiva in March of 2009. I have sawed it up and am forcing it to spalt. It should be ready to resaw and dry soon.
Quilted Bubinga Guibourtia Demeusei
I have been using bubinga with various figure patterns for many years, and lately have come across some with exceptional quilted figure and wonderful color variations. Bubinga grows in West Africa, and is very hard and dense. As you can see in the photo below, left, bubinga trees grow quite large and produce home huge boards. The board I'm holding was originally twice as long, and I've been told that the trees sometimes are tall enough to produce two logs such as the one this board came from before the first branch!
I particularly like the contrast between the heartwood and sapwood. The boards in the right hand image above are mostly sapwood, and don't look very impressive in the rough. But, look at a couple of detail images:
Both of these are unfinished, and the one on the right hasn't been planed. Sometimes I will start with a narrow board with the sapwood along one edge, as in the photo above, left, and will resaw it into two pieces that I then bookmatch together for a box lid. Usually, I will join the sapwood edges together, with the result as shown in a BX-17 below:
Or, I can join the heartwood edges, as in the BX-19 below:
Sometimes the material has both heart and sapwood without bookmatching:
Of course, I can make boxes that are entirely heartwood, and occasionally, entirely sapwood. I have a good supply of quilted bubinga, and should be able to make boxes of any size. I will also often have boxes made of this material on my "Boxes Available for Immediate Shipment" page. If you don't see what you want there, give me a call and I'll be happy to make it for you.
Thuya Burl (Tetraclinis articulata)
The following commentary is about one of my first experiences with Thuya (pronounced too-ya) Burl. This particular slab has been made into boxes and sold, but I have a good supply of thuya from the same source available for new boxes.
I recently bought a beautiful Thuya Burl from my friends at Cormark International. Thuya burls come from Morocco, where they grow on the roots of trees that were cut long ago in the mountainous deserts of this area. It is a quite involved process to find the burls, dig them out of the ground, clean them up, then ship them to the United States. By the time they arrive here they are extremely expensive, and sold by the pound. But, their beauty is worth the expense! The burl I selected is one of the very best (and largest) from Cormark's first shipment of 6000 lbs. of Thuya burls.
The photos above show the burl resting on the tailgate of my truck. You can't tell from these photos, but the grain of the burl is full of wonderful swirls, eyes, and curls. When finished, Thuya burl looks somewhat similar to redwood burl but is more golden brown in color and less red. The wood is much denser and harder than redwood, feels much smoother and takes a deeper polish. Thuya is in the cedar family, and when freshly cut has the aroma of freshly sharpened pencils.
This photo gives an idea of the intense figure in the burl. However, this photo was taken of a chain-sawn surface heavily coated in wax. Just imagine what the wood will look like when it is sanded smooth and hand-rubbed with oil!
I bought a smaller burl last summer, made a few boxes from it and sold them very quickly. This burl is much larger, weighing over 100 lbs., so I will be able to make several boxes from it, mostly in the larger sizes. Before I can make boxes, though, the wood has to be sawn into thinner slabs and allowed to dry fully. It will be a few months before I'm able to start making boxes, depending on how much moisture is in the wood when I begin to dry it. The expense of the Thuya burl will put boxes made from it into the +75% price bracket. If you are interested in pre-ordering one of these boxes, or would like to be notified when some of the boxes are ready, please contact me by e-mail or phone.
I have resawn the burl and stickered it up to dry. It was fairly dry already (18% moisture content), so I expect to be able to begin making boxes from it in a couple of months. The image below shows the stacks of sawn lumber ready to be dried.
The burl provided enough material for 20 boxes: BX-19 (1), BX-18 (3), BX-17 (4), BX-08 (4), BX-05 (1), BX-04 (2), BX-02 (2), BX-01 (3). All of these boxes are available for pre-order at this time. Need some extra encouragement? Look at the next image!
This is a scan of a slice of the burl directly from the resaw, no sanding, planing, or finish applied. The vertical lines you see are saw marks. Burl just doesn't get much better than this, folks!
This wood comes from a log that sank in Lake Huron in the early 1900's and was recently salvaged. The log was in pristine condition, with no decay and no insect damage. I bought a couple of large boards from a wood dealer in Canada. The color is a lovely tan, with lighter sapwood. There is a broad curl through most of the pieces, and the wood has a very nice chatoyance. I got a good deal on this wood, so boxes made from it will be at the regular prices. Most lids will be bookmatched with sapwood down the center, as in the image below.
|
|