Figured Marblewood, scientific name Marmaroxylon racemosum, is from Northeastern 
South America. The grain tends to be straight or slightly interlocked; texture is medium with open pores.  The high contrast between the golden body and the much darker streaks give it an appearance somewhat similar to natural marble, hence the common name of "Marblewood" for this species. Marblewood's overall appearance  is very similar to African Zebrawood although Marblewood tends to have a finer texture.   The Marblewood in this special was selected from the cleanest lumber and highest figure available. It is the nicest Marblewood lumber that we have been able   to obtain since 1999!  All boards are kiln dried, surfaced on two sides, and 99% free of checks/other defects. There is only a limited quantity of this unique, highly figured wood. Please purchase quickly to ensure great selection as this is an extremely specialized offering!
    
 Tune in again on Tuesday for this unusual species:
Buckeye Burl
Buckeye Burl (Aesculus californica) is an unusual species. Colors range from blue-black to  golden whites with a nice mixture in between. Buckeye is a very difficult and expensive wood to  mill. Some of the obstacles faced when milling are rocks, sand, dirt, bullets, and rattle snakes.  Yes, rattle snakes inside the voids in the burl! The Base of the tree (root wad) that is underground produces 90% or more of the burl. The burls can range from 50 pounds up to several thousand in their natural state. When converting a burl into usable wood there is usually between 60-75%  waste. Buckeye is processed all the way down to half pen blanks to yield everything possible.  Buckeye is purchased in raw form by the pound and then trucked to our mill. About a third of  the  cost of milling is labor, followed by blades. When the wood dries it loses almost all of its weight.  A block that weighed 7 pounds wet only weighs a little over a pound when it dried. This is why  the burl is sold by the piece so that you get the best value.  Saleable Buckeye will commonly have bark incursions, live edges, and voids in burl eyes.  These are commonly filled with crushed minerals or left as voids to add natural beauty in  finished projects. If you are looking for defect free Buckeye you should limit the size to 12-inches  or less and 3-inches wide or less in 1-inch thick material. If you need larger sizes pick another  species or be prepared to work with and around voids and defects. Although Buckeye is a hardwood  it is much softer than many soft woods. With this in mind it is ideal to stabilize for knives and  pens. Superglue can be used to do this for pens and can save a couple of dollars per pen over stabilizing. Buckeye is often used in decorative boxes and in Electric and Bass guitars.  The amazing patterns  & colors of this wood make it very popular.
Wood of the Week:
Hawaiian Koa, Acacia koa, has been treasured for hundreds of years by the Hawaiians. They have used it for anything from Outrigger canoes, paddles, boxes, furniture, to recently Ukuleles. It is an excellent tone wood which produces a rich, warm sound. Supply of Koa is getting scarce as the Hawaiians have only recently started replanting their beloved Hawaiian Koa trees. Koa is renowned for its iridescent shimmer and luscious color which ranges from tan to warm gold with brown and black accents. The iridescence in this wood is particularly exceptional on the quarter. Workability is similar to Genuine Mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla). It has open grain and works well. 
The History of Wood Turning
    
The origin of wood turning dates to around 1300 BC when the Egyptians first developed a two-person lathe. One person would turn the wood with a rope while  the other used a sharp tool to cut shapes in the wood. The Romans improved the Egyptian design with the addition of a turning bow. Early bow lathes were also developed and used in Germany, France and Britain. Sometime after the turning  bow was developed, a lathe was created that spun when a lever was pumped by  hand. Early lathe workers would sometimes use their bare feet to hold cutting  tools in place while using their hand to power the lathe. In the Middle Ages a  pedal replaced hand-operated turning, freeing both the craftsman's hands to  hold the wood turning tools. The pedal was usually connected to a pole, 
often a straight-grained sapling. The system today is called the "spring pole" lathe 
(see Polelathe). Spring pole lathes were in common use into the early 20th Century.
Do you have more questions?

(541) 273-0925 | (877) 672-5275 |  [email protected] |  http://www.cookwoods.com
1650 East Main St. Klamath Falls, OR 97601