Chechen wood : working qualities ?

[Linnea Lahlum]

I bought some turning blanks in Chechen wood and mahogany. They have a square profile. I will need to cut to length, round the edges and ends, then drill through the pieces to run a 1/16" wire rod through. I am not trying to make them into full rounds; something like an octagonal profile will work.



I want to make handles for a couple of teapots I am making from pottery (I take pottery classes for fun during the winter). I don’t make teapot handles from clay because a clay handle does not last 5 minutes in my house. I know you can buy ready made teapot handles, but after an extensive search, all I can find are bamboo or rattan. Those are too traditional to go with these very modern tea pots.



So, think pail bail, but with a handle made of nice dark wood that will match the dark brown clay I am using.



Like these: not my work, but the only picture I could find:
https://www.sarahpikepottery.com/teapots



Not as chunky though.



I will need to do the filing/roughing by hand. Then I can sand with a rotary / belt sander and drill with a drill press.



I am asking about the working qualities/hardness because of all the hand work needed. Thanks!

[Richard Coers]

Its alternate name, Black Poisonwood, comes from its toxic sap, which turns black and causes severe skin reactions similar to poison ivy—and both are classified in the same family: Anacardiaceæ. However, the wood itself is safe to handle, though there are some allergenic reactions associated with the wood dust.

I was warned that the dust and sweat combined was a bad situation. Told to not wear a watch as the dust under it almost always caused a rash. I didn't react to the little bowl I turned, but never touched it again!

[Andrew Hughes]

I worked Chechen once and only once. I was very sensitive to the dust rash on both my arms and eye swelling.
Nasty stuff.

[Jamie Buxton]

Linnea, if you're aiming at a round cross section like the pictured pots, you can save yourself some work by buying hardwood dowels. Outfits like Woodcraft sell dowels in Walnut, Cherry, White Oak, and Mahogany.

[jerry cousins]

I’ve not had a reaction to it - maybe just lucky. It’s very dense. I think it works well and finishes beautifully- rich & deep tones.

[ken seale]

I've made thousands of hand plane totes and knobs from chechen (also called Caribbean rosewood). I found it easy to mill and turn. It takes a beautiful finish. I didn't have any trouble with getting a rash or any other problem. It's a very hard and dense wood with interlocking grain. The second pic is of a tote with a bit of water sprayed on it to show the color. I still have a couple hundred BF of it left after I quit making them. It was turning into a job ;). I still have all the jigs and tooling needed to make them if anyone is interested in taking over my cottage business. I'm sure some here have bought from me in the past. My ebay seller name was nicobie.

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[Linnea Lahlum]

Linnea, if you're aiming at a round cross section like the pictured pots, you can save yourself some work by buying hardwood dowels. Outfits like Woodcraft sell dowels in Walnut, Cherry, White Oak, and Mahogany.

Hah! It did not even OCCUR to me to look for dowels. Sheesh. I had seen the turning blanks when I bought saw a few weeks ago, and went straight to them. I actually went into the store thinking walnut.

Now that I have it though, I will play around with it. I actually think the handles on those pots I linked to are on the clunky side. Those are made from broom handles or something. I was thinking of filing down to an octagonal profile. If it's not too hard to work, maybe try something fancier that suits the carved designs I am making on the pottery portion.

If it proves too hard, I can go back and get a walnut dowel.