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New Woods
Lignum Vitae (genuine) 10 to 21
Genuine Lignum Vitae. These are graded AA, which means we haven’t found any defects in them. Note that color differences are for a couple reasons: most of the wood turns green (this is a patina in most cases on the surface) but some never does. The only way to find out is to wait and see. All of it (at least most of the heartwood) seems to be a deep to medium brown to start.
$6.00 – $21.00
Lignum Vitae (genuine) 1 to 9
Lignum vitae has a storied history but the most known use for the wood is as a bearing for boat drive shafts and for shafts in small dams. Some modern navies are still using this wood for bearings as it is unmatched for longevity under pressure in underwater applications. There is no available man made material that is superior, something very hard to believe but apparently true.
The pieces in this offering are AA grade. AA grade in this wood means that we have not found any defects in the wood and we believe it is suitable for the most demanding use, making bearings. Of course it is suitable for anything else usually done with it, like cutting threads, ornamental turnery, knife handles and more. The wood has been dried, and we’ve had it about 18 years now. These pieces are coated in wax, but as mentioned are dried. We suggest that any wood needs some kind of a finish, including this one.
$10.75 – $23.00
Australian Blackwood GG PLUS pen blanks
Australian Blackwood (acacia melanoxylon) in GG PLUS pen blanks. GG PLUS means there is very good figure on all 4 sides. This level of figure is rare in any wood type. Our pen blanks are always sold dried. Sizes: 3/4 x 3/4 x 5-6 inches long
$11.00
Australian Blackwood GG pen blanks
Australian Blackwood (acacia melanoxylon) pen blanks in GG. Gallery grade means there are at least two very figured sides, or sometimes even 3-4 sides that are figured. Close relative of Hawaiian Koa and very hard to tell apart sometimes. But less expensive, and more importantly, still available unlike Koa which is nearly gone in high figured pieces. Sizes are 3/4 x 3/4 x 5-6 inches long. Pen blanks are always sold dried.
$8.00
Black Palm Squares (ALL DRIED)
Black Palm is one of those unique woods that belong in the list of exotics. It is easy to sand and has some characteristics different from other woods. You’ll find the black part is less absorbent than the white/light part. This means that the light part will darken somewhat if you don’t use a sanding sealer to prevent it from absorbing whatever finish you use. Both appearances are good, but for more contrast use a sanding sealer.
$5.00 – $17.50
Cocobolo A to K
Dried Cocobolo 2 x 2 x 12’s (K is 11.5 inches long). Really nice genuine rosewood, we are lucky to still be able to get this stuff. Most rosewoods are basically off the market, but this is still coming in small amounts, through a permit program.
$31.50 – $33.00
Black Locust Burl pen blanks
Black Locust is a wood that grows in North America and is so durable it is used for fence posts with an expected life of 40 years in wet ground. A long time ago I lived in rainy, humid Southern Maryland and the best fence posts were locust. Pressure treated posts do not last as long.
These are really high quality burl. GG+ means there is very high figure visible on all 4 sides, rare. GG means there is high figure on at least 2 parallel sides, but these have figure on 4 sides. It is hard to get this burl with a burl figure this fine and high grade, making them really perfect for pen blanks. Some finishes make them look darker, especially those that soak into the surface.
$8.20
Boxwood 27 to 38
Genuine Boxwood, dried pieces. Note that the grade is shown under each piece. These are fine grained pieces.
$11.50 – $32.00
Boxwood 17 to 26
Genuine dried Boxwood, fine grain with great quality. IQ grade pieces= All A true buxus, this one is buxus macowannii .
$24.50 – $101.00
Boxwood 4 to 16
Genuine dried Boxwood. This type is Buxus Macowannii. A true buxus species and has a very fine grain, as this was taken from South Africa where it apparently grows quite slowly. Great quality material. It is a lot of labor to make these pieces, but we feel it is worth it to offer material that is top quality.
When pieces are the general size of a Knife handle blank, we just label them as knife blanks. They can be used for all sorts of purposes though.
Grades, see the description for boxwood. TG = Turning Grade, IQ = Musical Instrument Grade, IQ2= Almost musical instrument grade
$17.00 – $42.50