Replies

1. 
   jhounshell | Jan 17, 2006 04:07pm | #1

   This is all I could find:

   Suar wood is an average hardwood with a straight grain making it easy to carve and finish with a high gloss. It is a native rain tree of South America but has been dispersed throughout the tropics for at least 100 years.

   Suar is a fast-growing and easily replaceable wood and is very popular outside of the tropics because it's crisscrossed, interlocking grain keeps the wood from cracking when moved to drier climates.

   The colour of the wood varies greatly between the center and outer edges of the tree. Therefore very interesting multi-coloured sculptures are crafted with this wood.

   Because the trunk is huge in mature trees, Suar wood is very suitable for creating very large sculptures, however items are usually no larger than 75 centimeters (33 inches) long.

1. 
   pagoda | Jan 17, 2006 06:44pm | #2

   Thanks for the info as i wasent  sure i had the right spelling due to the fact the person i was talking to  did not have english  as a first language

   Several of the carvings  aside from being  about 4' in dia  were about 6' high and made me wonder if they were several pieces glued together to get so large

   Your right about the appearence of different colours in the wood

   I was told it takes over a month for a good carver to create  one of these works of art

   I was also told it  takes about 4 men to move one

   .

2. 
   John_D | Jan 18, 2006 12:54am | #3

   Sounds interesting -- why, do you think, do we not hear more about it as a candidate for making furniture?My goal is for my work to outlast me.  Expect my joinery to get simpler as time goes by.