Saturday, May 26, 2012

Cypress, The under appreciated aromatic hardwood

Okay, its not technically a hardwood, but its harder than mango.  It has the tensile and compressive strength of Douglas Fir, & the rot resistant properties of cedar. This blonde wood is often curly, always fragrant, and not native or endemic, but readily available.  We like it for its character, incredible stability, and wonderful smell. Currently we have a ton of it in 8/4 4/4 5/4, planks, slabs, shorts and live edge boards.  We have over 1000 board ft. Kiln dried in stock and another 2000 BF drying.




"Miller Time"





Saturday, May 19, 2012

Every Keawe has its thorns and this one had a curl for every thorn


This Keawe tree was salvaged from a backyard in Keauhou. The Neighbors complained that it dropped leaves into their pool and spoiled their view. The owners lamented that the tree was of historic value as it was growing along the trail at Ka pa nui o Kuakini ("The Great Wall of Kuakini"). It is rumored that the tree was planted in the late 1800's to force the trail users to wear shoes. In the end it was taken down, but not forgotten. This tree was over 3ft. in diameter at the base, towered over two houses and was a complicated removal. It yielded a mountain of 4/4 shorts,  4/4 planks and 8/4 slabs. All material is surfaced and kiln dried. As you can see it all has character and curl. Prices start at $10.00 a board ft.





Monkey pod Tree: Pithecellobium Saman

The monkey pod tree is not only beautiful, but it has a really special presence in Hawaii. The monkey pod tree has a single stalk and branches that spread into a wide canopy. They thrive in the Hawaiian islands, more than any other place. Monkey pod wood is often reported as hard and heavy. In Hawaii and elsewhere in the Pacific where it has been used extensively as a furniture wood, the wood is considered easy to work, particularly because of its low shrinkage during drying.  In Hawaii, monkey pod has been the premier craftwood used for carved and turned bowls, and is prized for its large slabs.  These slabs were salvaged from a fifty year old Monkey pod tree that "had to go" according to its owner.  It was growing deep in the Waipio Valley and was so large, that it had to be milled on site. We have a few of these slabs left.  Prices start at $2500.00 a slab.