Koa

[Adam Cormier]

Hey all,

My better half and I are heading to Hawaii (the big Island, Kona) to get married next week. Why am I posting this fact? Because I have already talked her in to allowing me to pick up some Koa while I'm there ;-)

I really like the look of curly Koa and I have been searching around for some places to drop by while I'm there.

Does anyone have any inside information on a good supplier? I am trying to stay away from online suppliers as I am thinking they would be more expensive then actually going there to pick some up.

Thanks for any assistance!


Adam

[Dan Hintz]

Although HI is a state, do they allow transferring wood (among other plants/animals/insects) to the mainland? I think there would be an issue with throwing a few heavy chunks in your suitcase...

[Lee Schierer]

There was no problem bring back Koa when I visited Hawaii a couple of years ago. It is however expensive so be prepared for sticker shock. I located several wood shops by looking in the telephone directories and entering the addresses in the GPS. You'll also see shops along the streets selling items made from Koa. The places I stopped at were all very friendly and I even got a tour of one man's workshop where he was making Koa furniture.

[Bob Eddy]

When I lived there, several years ago, there was a Koa lumber mill near Hilo. It may not still be there now. They would take their scraps to the local dump and I scarfed many pieces there. Might be worth a try besides visiting a dump is fun anyway. Bob

[Craig D Peltier]

The one thing I heard is you can buy it here cheaper alot of time , unless you find a good tip. There isnt an issue throwing some in your suitcase.

[Rob Sack]

I purchased Koa on two trips to Hawaii years ago. There was a large supplier in Hilo that specialized in Koa and Mango. The first time, I bought a large slab of Curly Koa, paid for it, and had it shipped back via UPS, since it met their size restrictions. The second purchase did not go so well. I picked out a small pallet of Koa and Mango, paid for it including shipping, and had them ship it via cargo ship. It took about six months to get the material. Evidently, I had arranged for shipment though the supplier, which owed the shipper money and the shipper was holding my material at the docks until payment was made for previous shipments. The point is, if you choose to buy more than you can carry, it may pay to make your own shipping arrangements, and by all means, pay for everything with a credit card.

[Matt Day]

I was recently in Kauai and wanted to do the same thing, but apparently they don't have a saw mill on that island and get it all from the main island.

At any rate even if I could get anything I wouldn't have. I would be limited to the size of my luggage, which restricts me to basically turning stock. Arranging shipping back to the mainland would have probably been more of a PITA than just ordering online from the comfort of my office chair. And I didn't want to spend time hunting down wood on our honeymoon. It just seems to me that in this day and age when you can order it online for a decent price, why bother with the hard route of hauling it from the source?

Congrats on the marriage by the way!

[Rob Wong]

Adam, I live on the east side of the Big Island, in Hilo. If you come to this side I can hook you up with a supplier that has a lot of Koa that I use and doesn't charge full retail prices.

Rob
wongr024@hawaii.rr.com

[Brett Robson]

They would take their scraps to the local dump and I scarfed many pieces there. Might be worth a try besides visiting a dump is fun anyway. Bob

While this statement may be true enough, I'd bet a visit to the local landfill might be a hard sell to the newlywed bride there on her honeymoon! :)

[bob svoboda]

I bought some from Aloha Hardwoods just north of Kona town. Not cheap, but they provided shipping and the service was fine.