Hawaii trip: discovered Koa wood

[Roger Marty]

Just visited the Big Island of Hawaii. One place I stayed at was filled with trim and furniture made if the most beautiful wood I've ever seen. The grain, the shimmer, the color. Then I visited a market in Hilo and talked to a woodworker selling goods made of the same wood.

He introduced me to Koa wood.

Wow. Sure wish I could acquire some of that stuff!

[Phil Mueller]

I didn’t learn about it until a couple years ago. A friend had “two hunks” of wood in his garage that someone had given him and he asked me if I wanted them. It had been in his garage for 10 years or so. Took it, cleaned it up and discovered it was Koa. Made table tops out of them. It is truly beautiful wood.

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[Lee Schierer]

I brought home a small piece in our luggage, but have yet to do anything with it.

[Larry Frank]

Last year, I was visiting the Big Island and bought Koa at Aloha Woods and had them mail it back. Not cheap but got a couple of nice pieces.

[Derek Cohen]

In Australia we have Tasmanian Blackwood, a near identical cousin. Quite my favourite wood. Expensive. Rats.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aRPRFnfG3_g/VJCoitMLKkI/AAAAAAAAL1Y/-e_TtfajHmk/s1600/photo-773406.JPG (http://woodquestions.blogspot.com/2014/12/tasmanian-black-acacia-australian.html)

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Jim Becker]

Koa is indeed a beautiful species. It's expensive and rare because it's nearly impossible to harvest because of restrictions that limit when and where. I hope I get to make something with it someday myself!

[Ken Kortge]

I brought home a small piece in our luggage, but have yet to do anything with it.

I was just curious about carrying wood from Hawaii to the mainland, so I looked it up.

http://hdoa.hawaii.gov/pi/pq/travel-shipping-information/traveling-from-hawai%CA%BBi-to-the-u-s-mainland/

In general flying with wood is allowed but it must be inspected by the USDA at the airport before leaving Hawaii. I suspect they are looking for insects and fungus.

[Charles Lent]

I found a source for Koa on Oahu some years back and brought a duffle bag of it back with me Pacific American Lumber. It's a lumber yard just off Mokauea St near the ocean in Honolulu. They will sell small pieces from about the size of a pen blank and up. Of course, the price goes up too, and quilted or curly grained Koa is even more expensive. I didn't have any problem with USDA after showing the receipt from where I bought it. They build furniture from Koa there too. A pair of 4' square Koa coffee tables were in the final assembly stages when I was there, likely being built for a hotel lobby or large office reception area. The USDA seems more interested in what you bring to the island than what you take away.

Charley.

[Joe Spear]

I first discovered it about 15 years ago when I saw a musician who had a guitar made out of koa. It was beautiful. Actor Max Gael (Wojo on Barney Miller) lives in Hawaii and has floors made out of koa.

[Derek Cohen]

This rocker is made of Tasmanian Blackwood by Tony Kenway, and was featured in FWW magazine a few years ago. As mentioned earlier, there is little difference with Koa ..

http://s3.amazonaws.com/finewoodworking.s3.tauntoncloud.com/app/uploads/2430/01/06041127/011186120_01_xl-main.jpg

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Bill Dufour]

Where does the OP live. Acacia is the Family that Koa is in. Lots of Acacia is grown in California and probably all over the western USA. I do not think it can take much below freezing temperature.Native to Africa related to the peas and the seed pods look like it.
Bill D.

https://www.treehugger.com/natural-sciences/earths-most-isolated-tree-only-one-around-250-miles-was-struck-and-killed-drunk-driver.html

[Bruce Page]

Koa can be absolutely stunning but it ain’t cheap. Here’s some pics of a mantel clock I made in the mid 90’s for my sister.

[jared herbert]

We have visited Maui the last few years and gotten to know a wood sculptor and a wood turner. I have found a couple places that sell it and I buy some and mail it home to myself in flat rate boxes. The guys I got it from are not retail lumber yards, one was out in the jungle on the north shore of Maui. This fellow had bought a parcel of land in the upland area that had a lot of mature koa trees that had fallen over and he was dragging them out and cutting them into small pieces, board etc and was selling them quite cheap. The sculptor saves me some pieces from the logs he cuts up, nothing real large but sometimes some fabulous figure for pens etc. I have seen some advertised on the bulliten boards at the grocery stores, etc that I think have it at a reasonable price, guys that are in tree removal, landscaping business, etc. You have to look but it is available at less than $100 bd. ft.

Google the name Dennis Holzer on Maui for some fine examples of the use of koa. Jared

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Our daughter and SIL want to retire to Hawaii. She works for a major airlines and they travel there frequently, multiple times each year. They brought me back some koa. Sadly, it was somewhat punky. I hope to get a few bottle stoppers and pens out of it. The majority of it is just to punky to work.

[Lee Schierer]

Our bags were inspected leaving Hawaii and they didn't say anything.

Here is a table we saw when we were there that was spectacular.
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[Roger Marty]

Where does the OP live. Acacia is the Family that Koa is in. Lots of Acacia is grown in California and probably all over the western USA. I do not think it can take much below freezing temperature.Native to Africa related to the peas and the seed pods look like it.
Bill D.

https://www.treehugger.com/natural-sciences/earths-most-isolated-tree-only-one-around-250-miles-was-struck-and-killed-drunk-driver.html

I live in Wisconsin. I was blown away at the beauty of this wood. Even for an 8-foot fireplace mantel:

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[Brian Glendenning]

Hearne Hardwoods sells Koa lumber, for $40-60/bf and up...

[Roger Marty]

So given the rarity and expense of this wood, would doing veneers be the thing to do here? I've never attempted a veneer project before.