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Leadwood J to Q

Holly A-L

This is American Holly, (ilex opaca). The wood has been become rare on the market due to the difficulty in getting white pieces. For decades almost the whole country relied on just one individual who had the special skill and equipment to acquire holly and dry it white. He has now retired. On its own, Holly dries to a grey color with green streaks. It must be dried rapidly and correctly in a vaccuum kiln to get white pieces. Note that holly, when it is polished is at best ivory white with some grain showing. Sometimes it looks whiter when rough cut. These are almost the whitest the wood can be. We currently cannot replace them.

Holly MtoS

High quality pieces of American Holly, now quite a rare wood.

Holly TtoY

American Holly. These tend to have an off white color that looks a little grey in most cases. Dried (all holly must be dried rapidly after cutting). We have sanded these so you can see the true color. Be aware that holly when it is rough cut looks a lot more white than it really is. These actually looked nearly white when they were rough cut. Sanding and polishes shows the color more accurately so we've done that for you.

Kingwood, Brazilian N to P

Koa E to K

Koa is now a rare wood. Any pieces here that are figured would cost us more to replace then the prices for the items. Prices have risen so quickly that we don't plan to buy koa again any time soon.

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.

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.

Koa L to R

Koa is now a rare wood. Pieces of Hawaiian Koa with figure like this are very hard to find for sale anywhere. These are all thin slices and might be a little thicker on one side than the other. The measurements show the smallest thickness area. We have had these for years, and there is no way we can get more stock of the quality you see in most of the pieces shown.