Domestic Woods from the USA
MAPLE is commonly used with many of my bowls because once fully cured, it is very stable.
- Curly, Birdseye, spalted, and burly with color variations from cream to red to brown.
- Holds different finishes well, from matte to shiny gloss.
CHERRY becomes more beautifully rich as time passes, and typically has wild figures or burls.
- Like all fruit woods, these blocks must be fully cured to 6-12% moisture content.
WALNUT is another staple wood for my artwork, especially for a dark contrast against lighter woods, like Holly or Ash burl.
- Each of the 21 species of Walnut display a unique tone of brown and figuration.
The number of wood species I have available is vast. I use only the most figured wood blocks, usually from the "crotch" of two branches, the gnarly compressed areas of the trunk, and from burl knots. The uglier the wood... the better. I hand-select each and every block.
- Burls knots are wildly figured, the most valuable, and extremely rare in trees.
- Basically they are like warts, usually caused by stress from injuries, infections, or environmental factors.
Exotic Woods from the World
AMBOYNA BURL is a cultured wood from the Narra Tree grown in Southeast Asia.
- These Rosewood trees have been humanly "enhanced" for hundreds of years to grow theie beautifully unique burl knots.
- Removing these burls usually does not injure the tree, as they are basically warts on the tree. So people of Southeast Asia have devised a system that generates the burls.
- Amboyna Burl is considered a thirty year harvest.
WENGE from Central Africa is an excellent contrast wood.
- Wenge is similar to Ebony and Ziricote, which I also use occasionally, and acquired long before these trees became endangered.
CHECHEN BURL is also known as Caribbean Rosewood.
- Sometimes called black poisonwood, because of the dangers from its sap and sawdust.
- I have gotten skin rashes from turning Chechen before, and always wear a respirator mask when turning, regardless of the wood type.
- On a side-note, Yew is the most dangerous, toxic wood, until it is fully finished. Especially its seeds.
I have been collecting wood blocks for over 20 years, and have a huge stock inventory of 400+ species. I am limited only by my imagination.