Trying to identify some strange woods...

[Robert Mayer]

Im headed to a lumbermill here in oklahoma on monday. Kind of a long drive but their prices are excellent. They have some very unusual names listed on the fax they sent me. Anyone recognize these? I google searched many of them but found nothing or little info.

basralocus
boshahonie
gele kabes
hububalli
izerheart (black)
macacauba
rode kabes
satinwood
sucupira
wallaba

These could be different names for common imported wood, but im not sure.

[jerry cousins]

wow - that is a list i've never heard of xceplt for satinwood - also called pau amarillo -a beautiful yellow wood that just shimmers when it is finished.

jerry

[Robert Mayer]

wow - that is a list i've never heard of xceplt for satinwood - also called pau amarillo -a beautiful yellow wood that just shimmers when it is finished.

jerry

Its really strange. I cant wait to get there on monday. The prices are even more amazing. Ill be sure to give a full trip report! This is a sawmill in the middle of oklahoma.

[Don Baer]

Robert,
This is a web site for a wood supplier in Phoenix and they have a very goodlibrary of various woods listed on the web site here is a link. I believe that you will find most of what you are looking for at this site.

http://www.woodworkerssource.net/Merchant3/merchant.mv?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=WS&Category_Code=A

[Don Baer]

http://www.woodworkerssource.net/Merchant3/graphics/00000001/maca5.jpg
Product Descriptions:

<SMALL>(Platymiscium yuccatanum)</SMALL>
Color: Rose red to rich purple brown with darker streaks.

The Tree: These trees are reported to reach heights of 80 feet with trunk diameters of 29-42". The buttressed trees develop straight and well-formed boles, that are often clear to 60 feet.

The Wood: Grain is straight to roey. Medium to fine texture with a medium to high luster.

Typical Uses: Fine furniture, musical instruments, cabinetmaking.

Source Region: Central America

[john whittaker]

Hey Robert. I wouldn't stand too close to some of those things...You might catch something. I don't think they have antibiotics to cure most of these.

[Mike Forsman]

Robert,

Can you share with us the information about. I get to Tulsa from DFW once in a while and might want to check it out.

[Robert Mayer]

Here is a link to the website:

http://johnsonsawmill.com/pages/814720/index.htm

They are located about an hour and a half east of Tulsa. Yahoo maps wont find it. I had to call them. Ill be sure to report my finds!

[Doug Shepard]

I've actually got a few boards of Macacauba that I picked up cheap off eBay. It's some really nice looking stuff. Haven't built anything with it yet, but took a handplane to it when I got it just to see how it worked. It's actually pretty nice to work with. It's also known by the name Trebol and a few others that I forget. The only other one I've heard of is Satinwood.

Sounds like you may have found yourself a new Happy Place. Enjoy the trip.

[Dan Racette]

I don't think I have ever seen board feet prices so low even on rough lumber much less planed and straight!!

How do they do that! I wish they were not so "geographically undesirable"!

d

[Richard Neel]

Robert,

Nice to meet a fellow Oklahoman! I'm a long-time lurker here but thought I'd come out if the woodwork (hehe) to say hello. I live in Edmond.

Sorry for the thread hi-jack but tell me more about this place! Sounds interesting.

Richard

[Brett Baldwin]

I was just at Woodworker's Source today and saw at least four of those odd named ones. They really do have an amazing selection of wood there. I'll tell you though, the prices on that website are at least half of what the bf price is here for most of those exotic species. I was looking at the hububalli in particular because it seemed to have quite a range of color and grain within the stack of boards. It looked like getting matching pieces would be some work. But, as with most of the wood there, it was good looking stuff and really fun just to look at and imagine finished projects with them.

[Alan Turner]

Wow. I just liiked at that price list, and will shortly bemoving to Oklahoma. How do they sell cherry for far less than in the cherry center of the US? The lacewood is 1/2 wha we pay for it. But, the poplar is about the same. Maaybe they are harvesting the lacewood locally?:rolleyes:

[Andy London]

I have worked with some of these and have a few of themin the shop. Some are very low demand woods and are very cheap to inport, such as sucupira and rhodes kabes. The gele is very nive to work with, Sucupira is desperate hard to do anything with, izerheart in my experience has too much movement for what I do, satin wood is excellent, wallaba is good for even outside projects. The rest I have not come across.

basralocus
boshahonie
gele kabes
hububalli
izerheart (black)
macacauba
rode kabes
satinwood
sucupira
wallaba

[Robert Mayer]

Robert,

Nice to meet a fellow Oklahoman! I'm a long-time lurker here but thought I'd come out if the woodwork (hehe) to say hello. I live in Edmond.

Sorry for the thread hi-jack but tell me more about this place! Sounds interesting.

Richard

I am pretty new to woodworking, but I have a decently equipped shop. There is a woodworking club here in the tulsa area but Im not really sure how many people are in it or how organized it is. Plus its $25 a year for membership. I would like to hook up with some people in the area. It would be nice to chat and get help from local woodworkers.

[Robert Mayer]

Wow. I just liiked at that price list, and will shortly bemoving to Oklahoma. How do they sell cherry for far less than in the cherry center of the US? The lacewood is 1/2 wha we pay for it. But, the poplar is about the same. Maaybe they are harvesting the lacewood locally?:rolleyes:

Where in oklahoma are you moving to?

edit: or is that a joke??

[Richard Neel]

Robert,

I'm a relative newbie myself. My shop is OK but always trying to develop my skills. The only place I've found any decent woods in the Oklahoma City area is at Hogan's Hardwoods. Our Woodcraft carries hardwoods of course but they're pricey.

I'll be very interested in your findings of this place. Be sure and take your tape measure. Like others have said, this does sound a little too good to be true. I'm particularly intested in the cherry as I'm almost ready to start a side table project for my living room. It appears they have no 8/4 stock and the other stuff looks pre-milled (probably to 3/4). Would you be willing to give me the "low-down" on the cherry?

Richard

[Robert Mayer]

Robert,

I'm a relative newbie myself. My shop is OK but always trying to develop my skills. The only place I've found any decent woods in the Oklahoma City area is at Hogan's Hardwoods. Our Woodcraft carries hardwoods of course but they're pricey.

I'll be very interested in your findings of this place. Be sure and take your tape measure. Like others have said, this does sound a little too good to be true. I'm particularly intested in the cherry as I'm almost ready to start a side table project for my living room. It appears they have no 8/4 stock and the other stuff looks pre-milled (probably to 3/4). Would you be willing to give me the "low-down" on the cherry?

Richard


Ill definitely give a report monday afternoon when I get back. Im going to pickup a bunch of cheap ash to build a workbench out of. Im also going to pick up some walnut or cherry if its good and a few exotics.

[Richard Neel]

So how was the lumber run Robert?

[Robert Mayer]

So how was the lumber run Robert?

hows this for a lumber run?

http://www.imagehostplus.com/v2/usr/158/ny_trip_7.1.05_055.jpg

Figured purple heart for $3.50 bf! Of course I bought the last two pieces they had. The place was great. The had a metric ton of oak in all types at good prices. I bought those two pieces of purple heart, about 15 bf of lacewood, 20 bf of some figured maple, and 45 bf of coffee bean (looks like oak). The coffee wood is going into a workbench.

[Robert Mayer]

So how was the lumber run Robert?

Your close to OKC right? Im planning on going back sometime in january if you want to meet up at my house and drive up there. It took about an hour and half to get there.

[Richard Neel]

Very nice score! Where do they get their wood? How do they sell it so cheap?! I'll definately be making a trip up but it won't be until after the holidays most likely. I really want to get these new projects started but won't really have time until after then. We could definately hookup - that would be fun.

How'd the cherry look? Did they have any 8/4? Was it already milled to 3/4 or was it rough?

[Robert Mayer]

Very nice score! Where do they get their wood? How do they sell it so cheap?! I'll definately be making a trip up but it won't be until after the holidays most likely. I really want to get these new projects started but won't really have time until after then. We could definately hookup - that would be fun.

How'd the cherry look? Did they have any 8/4? Was it already milled to 3/4 or was it rough?

They didnt have a lot of cherry. I actually didnt go through it very much since I wasnt looking for any on this trip. Some stuff was hit or miss. Not really sure how they sell it so cheap. Most of their business I think is in lumber sold to Georgia Pacific. This seems to be a small part of it. Its a fully working sawmill though, machines were running and cutting wood everywhere.

[Mike Forsman]

Robert,

Sounds really good and the prices are good. After the first of the year, I Just may need to make a trip to Tulsa and see my parents. Of course, a small side trip east to look at some lumber at great prices wouldn't hurt either.

Mike