Greetings:
I am planning on a Hawaiian vacation in the autumn. I figured a few BF of some Hawaiian hardwood would make a good souvenir. Anybody have a suggestion of a place on the islands where I should look? I checked through Woodfinder but only found a wholesaler. Googling turned up a list of what looks like hardware/lumberyards.
I am familiar with Koa, but what other woods should I look for? I am only interested in a couple of BF in the luggage, not much. I don’t want to resaw tiki heads.
TY
Stan
Replies
Stan,
I've been fortunate enough to have had access to a good bit of windfallen timbers from Hawaii, and so don't have specific info on retail sources. Your luck may vary, based on which island you visit. I'll dig into some bookmarked cites on my home computer and hopefully find more.
The main thing to offer you presently is a suggestion for a timber other than koa. Try Milo. It used to be quite plentiful on Maui, but, as it grows down by the water, has been pushed out by property development. Its heartwood is a deep chocolate brown, and its sapwood ranges from a rosy-pink to cream. The transition between them in a piece can look terrific. It also has a kind of spicey aroma when planed. I've found it works nicely with handtools, including planes. It is sometimes used along with koa in guitars and ukuleles.
Monkeypod is another timber you may ask about. Funny, I've seen guys carving idols in this, as well as koa and milo on roadsides in Maui recently.
Cheers,
Greg
I bought some Koa a few years ago on the Big Island. I think the company was Winklers in Kona. I was given a tip by a woodworker I met on Kuaui. I think he said they have place on Oahu also. They let me pick through their stack and shipped it for me.
Thanks guys
I found a website for Winklers with all the info I need.
Aloha
Stan
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