>hard
>tough
>beautiful
>dense
>stable
>rot proof
Nothing beats osage orange imho
>>964163
inb4 /lgbt/ jokes
>>964163
Black locust:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robinia_pseudoacacia
We cut one down in my front yard because my mother ran a daycare there and literally the whole damn plant, I mean even the pollen from the flowers, is poisonous.
We made an entire kitchen cabinet set out of it, a dozen rifle stocks, and like at least a thousand axe/tomahawk handles. Finishes up almost exactly like the bowl in OP's pic, like honey and coffee mixed together.
If you burn it it smells like rancid meat being burnt, and yes, the smoke is poisonous.
>>964171
Black locust.. Man I wish I lived a place where it grew. I hear tales about its wonderful watercraft building qualitys.
Too bad osage oranges oils in the wood are not considered food safe.
>>964173
Yeah, I hear that. They aren't common where we were (coastal BC, Canada) so we figured it must have been planted. I had all kinds of ideas for things to make until I realised it utterly toxic so you can't eat with it. Still, it's great for tool handles ect. in a wet, boggy climate like the discovery islands because it kills everything it touches. The roots are still intact and the tree's been gone for decades.
Has anyone dealt with black walnut? I know it's expensive but I have a custom PC case project I want to incorporate dark wood into and this thread has got me wondering.
>>964176
Walnut is essentially a dream to work with until you get into batshit crazy grain, like crowns and burrs. Buying it sucks for the price, the ugly ish sapwood if you want it all dark there will be lots of wastage, and depending on the timber it can be really knotty.
It glues well finishes well turns well. Wood recommend if you've got the cash.
>>964179
Thanks.
Not sure how much I'll be using, but considering the costs of the rest of the project I'll have the money for it.
How does it handle structurally? Some of the functional parts will be quite nimble and need to survive a fairly warm environment. I'll kiln everything as best I can to as dry as I can because of this, but how brittle does it get?
Pic is rosewood. Never worked with, always wanted to. Hardness over 9000!
>>964187
As long as you select you're parts carefully with the grain running the correct way and have nothing to figured grain wise it will be fine.
If I recall under load it's perfectly strong I think under torsional force it suffers a little e.g.youre not going to be able to build a ships mast from it. Essentially it's strong enough to build furniture that lasts hundreds of years but I wouldn't build a house from it.
It can get brittle when working on the end grain if it's overly dry but just rub some spirits on it and it become good again.
Rosewood is lovely to work, just the dust is fucking horrid, gives me nose bleeds unless I work in a respirator, sucks. Some of the Rosewood replacement they are finding are looking good these days I'm becoming more tempted to try them.
>>964176
Working with it now. Replacing all my particle board furniture by making my own with black walnut. Nightstand, L-desk, dresser, TV stand, etc. It's beautiful as fuck. Finished nightstand and desk. Half way into making dresser.
Sawdust smells like Ovaltine. Knots tend to split easily. Sapwood is very light colored, but still beautiful. Expensive, best deal I found for 100 miles, without sacrificing quality is $8.25pbf.
Accept that trying to want it all dark will cost you a lot, there's a lot of sapwood. I applied multiple natural coats of Danish oil, a layer of polyurethane, it looks incredible in a white room.
>>964187
Sturdy enough for me. 3/4 thick 6" wide 72" long boards of black walnut, easily supports two 50 pound monitors, books, lamp, my arms on the desk. I live in the desert everyday is 85F+ with the window open. My pc is blasting out 50C right next to all day. Haven't had any visible issues.
>>964171
Woah woah woah woah woah now. I knew some of it was poisonous but i didn't know all of it was. It's my favorite too since it's basically everything proof, and makes the best axe and hammer handles ever, but I shape it with an angle grinder without a respirator how long do I have to live?
Can someone redpill me on finishing hardwoods that will be used in handles?
I ordered some hickory, osage orange and purpleheart blanks that will be used in tool handles (lathe tools) and I had initially planned on using some pore filler + a few coats of standard Minwax oil-based polyurethane, as I know it is the best for waterproofing the wood and forming a barrier from dirt and crap.
But on my hickory-handled axes I just use boiled linseed oil, because the oldtimers say that the oil is better because it actually penetrates the wood fibers and keeps the handles smoother and more comfortable in the hands, while the tackiness of polyurethane can cause blisters.
![horiz_leavedkoatabletop[1].jpg](https://i.imgur.com/WmPkhpP.jpg "horiz_leavedkoatabletop[1].jpg")
Koa is by far the best looking to me, so I'd have to go with that
>>964163
the wood looks cool, but I had an osage orange go through my windshield. I went to the owner of the tree to ask them to remove it or de-fruit it or something but he refused. I ended up killing the tree
Poplar.
>>964163
on any given day, it's one of three: walnut, maple, or hickory.
>>964163
I really love working with silver maple wood. In my region (appalachia) it's readily available, and I can easily find huge pieces for free. The wood is very strong, but it doesn't get flaky or stringy when cut. It also looks great when sanded glass smooth, and is virtually impossible to crack.
>>964192
I agree with the brittleness. I've had over-dried rosewood shatter like glass on the lathe.
>>964941
Curious about this one. I tried to use poplar for a project once, and it broke so easily I couldn't really do anything with it.
>>965004
It's cheap, straight grained and generally knot free. Define "broke easily".
>>964171
Only the bark and leaves are toxic. It's actually used as firewood for wood stoves, the Polen is in honey that is harvested commercially for human consumption. It's even used as medicine, diuretic/antispasmodic/laxative. You exaggerate a bit.
My first (hand made) desk of birch. Yay or nay?
>>964163
olive wood, hard as fuck and full of knot if you are unlucky but i get it for free from my olive trees and it's beautiful
>>965077
That's really nice
>>965077
Is that a stained piece of birch ply?
Cherry.
>>964163
This. Osage is the bomb diggity.
>mfw a neighbor cut down a 100+ y/o black walnut because he was sick of hitting the nuts with his mower.
I paid him $50 to let me cart away the wood. I've got like 6 cords just sitting in a pile by my shed. The thing was fucking gigantic, took me 3 days just to roll it all over to my house.
A bit of a shame, though. It was a beautiful old tree and the woman that lived there before would let me take as many walnuts as I wanted since I'd shovel her driveway for her in the winter.
>>965635
Hope you seal the ends up otherwise that is all going to split and shake., pay to get the shit kiln dried and planked it's literally pennies to do so if you contact a lumber mill.
>>964163
Always had a soft spot for Jarrah. I made a table in 2006 (not table in pic) and although it had to resharpen every chisel a lot more than usual i appreciate its amazing resilience and multitude of applications.
>>965742
fuck me i miss jarrah. not western australia though. that place is a shit hole.
>>964163
>Not sealing that edge
Muh autism.
>>965077
Finland/10
Nice job senpai.
Georgia pine
>>964163
Pallets
I'm a plain man, I like cedar.
Redgum.
Also buloke makes some pretty good patterns but must be a cunt to work (hardest wood in the world)
>>967270
this is the buloke, I really love the pattern (reminds me of ur mums stretchmarks lmao)
I'd love to get some but it's a protected tree and coming across it is a pain.
I like balsa too just because it brings back fond memories of making models as a kid. Cork is also pretty interesting
>>964927
>redpill
The fuck? Son you're not on /pol/ here, talk like a human being.
>>967279
>talk like a human being
>The fuck? Son
>>964163
Didn't know the trees had any use beyond ornamentation. Those inedible fruits are a pain in the ass, but an interesting curiosity.
>>967737
There are lots of great things about the wood. It's probably the best wood for tool handles bar none, because it has a lot of the qualities of hickory but better. Harder, heavier, but also more resilient and shock resistant. It's rot resistant, so it's the best North American wood for fenceposts. It even burns hotter than hickory. If only the trees weren't so gnarly and small.
Anyone use epoxy finishes on wood?
In particular resins that are best with oven heating as I am looking to use Opticon.
Since it can work on stone I only need to buy one epoxy.
I wouldn't be using it for outdoors or on large pieces but the polish the resin can achieve rivals cut quartz.
>>967272
You'll dull every chisel trying to work with buloke. I've tried.
>>964163
Beautiful.
>>967737
Osage orange is also right up there with yew, as far as desirability in Bow making
personally i love Mackay Cedar, local cedar from where I live (Mackay, QLD) but the dust from it is extremely irritation. Many people get nosebleeds, I seem to just get a little itchy so it's not too bad.
>>970064
used to live there. visited a few months back. there's some guy who makes like every new building there because there are these weird distinct arch shaped shed type workshops/ storage sheds near the train station that all look exactly the same.
you dont play ingress do you?
>>970077
why are there like a million of these things? are they super comfy?
>>964163
Sycamore, because it can look cool and it gives the dumb things a use besides unlimited firewood.
>>964163
Hop hornbeam is like hickory but harder, love osage and hickory, ash is a dream to work, I love hard maples, and ipe is my favorite tropical wood.
Bamboo is fantastic, too.
I mostly make archery bows.
>>967765
>the best North American wood for fenceposts
Yeah, that would be Black Locust.
>>970961
>Yeah, that would be Black Locust.
Nah, osage orange makes black locust its bitch.
Where do you guys get your hardwood?
Woodcraft charges too much.
HD/Lowes charges too much and their wood is crap.
>>964176
Hey Squamish here.
Got some pencil cedar or juniper from some Parks people clearing some trails in Washington Park in Anacortes.In the photo the two big ones in the middle are it. The smaller ones top and bottom are another favorite: Yew
>>964176
A turned vase made from juniper. Still smells after 3 years
>>964927
I turned my tools handles from boxwood and dogwood.
The top and bottom are early efforts. I split the boxwood one as I didn't take care to select better grain.
I have tons of both. The dogwood came from Lee Valley and I have over 50 pieces of it. Some smaller 1" X 1" got turned into drum sticks for a musician recording in Vancouver a number of years ago. Hint: the record was produced by Bruce Fairburn who said they made "10 albums that all sound the same".
I got really lucky for boxwood. A guy was surveying a house for redevelopment and it had a huge hedge of them. I got 9 pieces over 5 inches across and 2 over 8". I emailed Karl Holtey about how to work it and he said to wax them completely and store them for at least 3 years before trying to work the smaller bits. He said he might have bought some but he was going to stop making tools.
>>965261
I love it too but its hard to get here. I made this French rolling pin from it. The other is mere hard maple also from Lee Valley.
Not sure where you get olive wood. California?
>>965404
I have a huge piece of purpleheart you could buy. Dont want to work with it any more. Brittle and very hard to work.
Did an audio stand last year and the edge took 3 tries to do with a router due to chipping.
>>965745
Even the wood is toxic there. Worked with some gum wood and it gave me asthma again
>>971348
>>971346
>>971341
How do you deal with dust collection on the lathe?
My table saw, router table, bandsaw, and jointer all have good dust collection ports and I never really bothered with wearing dust masks or anything of that sort, but the moment I touch sandpaper to the lathe I start coughing. Do you think dust masks are a requirement for lathe work?
>>971346
Test
>>971352
Test2
>>971351
My lathe is stuck up on a small work surface counter over cupboards. No dust collection except when I stop to vacuum
I should wear a mask but most times when I do, my face shield steams up due to my moist breath on it
>>964176
Me again. People plant a lot of weird trees in BC so some great wood comes along due to developments in the city: Monkey tree wood (looks like Norfolk Island Pine inside), yew, elm, locust, acacia, walnut, boxwood,
>>971348
i'm from italy, we have more or less 500 olive trees.
Every winter between pruning mine and my family olive i get plenty
Curious if anyone here works with Anigre.
A boat I'm wiring is having all the interior work made out of it, apparently it is imported from Africa. That can't be cheap.
Looks good but seems silly to import this shit, but then again this guy has more money than he knows what to do with.
>>972200
You hardly ever work directly with it, they put it in cheap shitty plywood for the core, it's pretty horrible soft weak wood really, unless they are laying veneer on top of it I'm confused why they'd finish a boat in it. Maybe if it's quilted you might but even then it's pretty cheap, here in the UK anyhow
>>972182
Do you sell any?
>>971336
I go to my local lumberyard. Try looking into where your local cabinet shops get their hardwood.
