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Mixed Burls, 1 to 13

Three burl types, all uncommon in turning blanks. The Kelat burl is very rare on the market, I can find no other current seller. The Mesquite burl it is not rare but hard to find good pieces because Mesquite burls are really small and have large holes in them. Making turning blanks, including pen blanks is not really feasible as they cost more to make then the selling price. Fun to offer though. For the Velvet Tamarind Burl, this is a very rare burl from Laos, and I can find very little else for sale. Ours have the added advantage of me spending hours in multiple sessions gluing the outside, as the burl is full of little slits and cavities. No doubt there are many places inside where my glue could not reach. So plan to glue these more once you get into them, but I did all that could be done from the outside to give you a big head start.

Lignum Vitae 1to8

Genuine Lignum vitae (Guaiacum, very rare and hardly seen for sale anymore. These pieces are all AA grade except #6, which is A grade. AA means that the wood has passed a quality standard of no visible defects that makes it suitable for the most demanding uses, like making bearings (the traditional use of this wood in the past). "A" grade is high quality and may have some odd grain pattern that would make it less suitable for bearings, but fine for any craft use. This wood is highly protected and we've been unable to get any more that was imported before about 17 years ago. We have little left and cannot replace these pieces.

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.

Maple , Figured, 7 to 17

Figured Maple which is completely dried.

Maple Burl 18to27

Maple burl in nice usable squares, not that easy to find in dried pieces like these.

Maple, Figured

Dried pieces in figured maple. Some very high grade figure in these, they all meet the definition for Gallery Grade Plus (GG+) since they have four sided high figure.

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