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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.

Madagascar Ebony 71-79

Pieces are shown bare wood, partially sanded in the pictures below. This is what other vendors don't show you. Madagascar Ebony, Diospyros perreiri, is considered to be the one of best types of ebony in existence. The grain is incredibly fine, and sanding is a dream. Specific gravity well over 1.0. and weighs about 67 pounds a cubic foot dried. All are dried with a moisture level between 9 and 11% By far the best type of ebony you can buy, but it is rarely seen on the market at all anymore and I have never seen it sold like this where the buyer can see the bare wood and real color before buying.

Madagascar Ebony M200toM205

Top quality dried Madagascar ebony. It really doesn't get much better than this. Suitable for any use including musical, etc. A dream to work with. We cannot ship this to addresses outside the USA due to international regulations.

Masur Birch 22-34

If a piece shows two figure grades ie: 3A/4A it means that it is in between those grades and the first grade listed is closer to correct. Masur Birch is a highly desired patterned wood from Finland and Belarus mostly. Recent research (2017) has reversed the previous belief that these patterns are caused by beetle attack. Studies have shown that the trees that have these patterns are genetically different from those that don't have patterns. This is a process of natural growth in the tree rather then a response to insect attack. The quality of patterns in these pieces is far above average and required very selective cutting techniques to get this kind of appearance. Notes: There may be a long-term problem getting more, the source country Belarus is in a political crisis.

Masur Birch 35-47

Masur Birch is a highly desired patterned wood from Finland and Belarus mostly. Recent research (2017) has reversed the previous belief that these patterns are caused by beetle attack. Studies have shown that the trees that have these patterns are genetically different from those that don't have patterns. This is a process of natural growth in the tree rather then a response to insect attack. The quality of patterns in these pieces is far above average and required very selective cutting techniques to get this kind of appearance. Notes: Piece 36 has some rounded corners.

Masur Birch 48-49

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.

Lignum Vitae Bowl Blanks

This is a rare offering of genuine lignum vitae bowl blanks in very good quality. All are dried, many years ago. They are rated as A grade instead of AA because I honestly cannot do a total inspection on the bigger ones due to wax. So I downgraded them But: What I can see looks very good, so if there are any defects I would expect them to be minimal. I haven't seen a genuine lignum vitae bowl blank such as #39 (in good condition like this) for sale in years.

Madagascar Ebony 206 to 209

A very rare offering of top grade small bowl blanks in this best type of ebony. Pieces will be sent with a clear finish for protection in shipping. AA grade, at least. No shipping outside USA due to restrictions.