newbie with Koa wood

[Bob Grimshaw]

Edit: Sorry that picture shows up so huge!

I'm fairly new to woodworking and have built just one cabinet so far. Still, when I went looking for a single piece of Koa to bring home during my trip to Hawaii, I stumbled on a great deal and snatched it up. My wonderful and gracious wife helped me lug home a stack of small boards, but now I am at a loss as to what to do with them.

Whatever I make should look somewhat modern, not tropical like the furniture I saw in Hawaii. I was thinking I could achieve that by using some other woods with it, like Walnut or Ebony, to give whatever I make some dark, sleek lines. I thought about a picture frame or two, but I don't know if that would adequately show off the wood. Maybe you guys could help?

Here is a link to a photobucket album of shots of all the pieces (I cropped them in so I could use them as textures in Sketchup to design whatever I'm gonna make). Warning: The files are large. The sizes of the boards is the title of each picture, each is 7/8" thick except one, which is marked, and is 2" thick.
http://s171.photobucket.com/albums/u319/BitterBastard/Koa%20Wood/

A sample for those that don't want to see all of them:
http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u319/BitterBastard/Koa%20Wood/FlameBoard-Side2.jpg

Thanks!

[Bob Grimshaw]

The dimensions of the pieces:
18" x 5.25" x 7/8"
20.5" x 5" x 7/8"
17" x 4" x 7/8"
16.25" x 7.25" x 7/8"
19.5" x 3.75" x 7/8"
19.5" x 3" x 7/8"
22" x 6" x 7/8"
22" x 5" x 7/8"
18.25" x 9.75" x 7/8"

23.5" x 9" x 2"

I'm probably looking to do something small, maybe as big as a small chest (which I would obviously need other wood for). Any ideas on what I can make?

[alex grams]

I did the same thing as you, and got a piece about 12" wide of 8/4 that is about 4' long. I am going to resaw it and use it as a veneer for some end tables for the living room furniture and also as the top of a side wall table (the long skinny tables you see that butt against a wall.

Very nice looking pieces by the way. What did you end up paying a Board foot on em?

Did you visit the big island? I got mine at Aloha Lumber which is on the north end of Kona. Beautiful place to visit, and props to your wife for going lumber shopping with you in Hawaii!

[Peter Luch]

Nice score on the wood!

I would not do anything like a picture frame as it's to small to show off the grain properly.
Maybe use something lighter surrounding to highlight it.
Cutting it thinner to get more surface sounds wise and a small chest could be perfect.

I live here in Kona and Aloha woods has some nice pieces for the smaller stuff. If you ever come out again contact me and I would be more than glad to give you a "wood tour".
There are a couple more places with better stock but much bigger and we could visit a lumber mill on the other side of the island where you can pick through Koa chunks perfect for wood turning.
The mill is where I take logs from tree trimming to get cut up, have some great Monkey Pod drying in the garage for use in our master bathroom remodel.

If you run into being short a piece for what you try making let me know I could always mail you out another piece or two.

Aloha, Pete

[Bob Grimshaw]

So how thin do you guys resaw your pieces? Is this something I should attempt on my own with my friend's band-saw, or should I get it done for me at a good lumber yard?

Alex, are you planning on making the whole top from koa, or doing a frame in another wood?

BTW, that whole pile cost me 150, I haven't done any board-foot calculations.

[Bob Grimshaw]

Nice score on the wood!

I would not do anything like a picture frame as it's to small to show off the grain properly.
Maybe use something lighter surrounding to highlight it.
Cutting it thinner to get more surface sounds wise and a small chest could be perfect.

I live here in Kona and Aloha woods has some nice pieces for the smaller stuff. If you ever come out again contact me and I would be more than glad to give you a "wood tour".
There are a couple more places with better stock but much bigger and we could visit a lumber mill on the other side of the island where you can pick through Koa chunks perfect for wood turning.
The mill is where I take logs from tree trimming to get cut up, have some great Monkey Pod drying in the garage for use in our master bathroom remodel.

If you run into being short a piece for what you try making let me know I could always mail you out another piece or two.

Aloha, Pete
Would a wide picture frame work, Pete? I was thinking maybe something 3 inches wide or so. Another thought was for maybe a mirror frame, but I'd want to do a large frame. Since my pieces are short, I was thinking maybe of putting a 2 or 3 inch piece of walnut in between the pieces of koa, to make the transition between boards look intentional.

I got my wood from the guy who owns www.koa (http://www.%3Cb%3Ekoa%3C/b%3E)woodhawaii.com. His name is Chris and he was an incredibly nice guy. I think the wood I got was a great deal, but you could maybe tell me better :) I went to aloha when I was there, but their selection was limited and expensive. I'm glad I went to see Chris. His prices were much better at his house than they are online.

Pete, I was thinking of doing a chest to hold shoes, which we desperately need in my house. it would be roughly 30" wide, so none of my boards would work as a whole top, but I was thinking maybe of a Walnut frame, with the koa being a flush, flat panel. Similar work in the front but with a recessed panel, sides made from pure walnut. Sound OK?

[Joe Jensen]

I would consider using the koa with ebonized wood. In my opinion, the koa will stand out better against a black background than against something light. I'd personally use the koa for door panels, and for the top and sides. I'd also resaw each piece so you can bookmatch. I think they will be more pleasing this way...joe

[Bob Grimshaw]

I would consider using the koa with ebonized wood. In my opinion, the koa will stand out better against a black background than against something light. I'd personally use the koa for door panels, and for the top and sides. I'd also resaw each piece so you can bookmatch. I think they will be more pleasing this way...joe

I think you're on to a good idea. I have one door in my house that I can think of right now (coming up from the basement into the living room) that would be just the right choice for that, since there are no other doors on that floor that it would fail to match. So would those be flat panels on the doors, then? I assume so if the koa is to be resawed.

All in all though, I wonder if that door would match the rest of the room. I have oak hardwood floors and white walls (although I'm thinking of repainting them).

[Jeff Duncan]

Here's another option....put it on a shelf. Leave it there until the right project comes along. My opinion, and it's just an opinion, is you come up with a project first, then you determine the best wood(s) for the project. Going the other way around and using the wood for something just b/c you have it, may lead to regret down the road.
I personally don't use much of the exotic stuff, but I do have a few sticks stashed around the shop ready for that special project that comes around. For me the exotics are reserved for real show off pieces, not so much everyday items. But again that's just me.
good luck,
JeffD

[alex grams]

my plans were to frame it with another wood to help showcase the koa. Either a walnut or a light color, maybe a maple that would really make the koa POP.

[Don C Peterson]

Just my two cents, but when I find a unique piece of wood, I just set it aside until a project comes along for it. Some pieces sit for years, and then all of a sudden, I'll think, "this project needs that piece of wood."

I'm not really a Zen kind of guy, but I have been pretty unhappy with the results when I try to "come up with somthing to make out of that piece". Patience pays off, especially when dealing with a special piece of wood.

[Johnny Kleso]

Since your wife helped, how about a jewelry box??

If you have enough wood a Penn. Spice Box would be awesome..

[Peter Luch]

Bob,

If you make a wide frame it is better to show off the wood.
I made a mirror frame out of some scrap for my wife and it was rather thin. Could be any wood for all it shows of the grain.

I like koa that shows as much grain as possible, it just flows soooo nice.

The other poster was correct that a black contrast works well. I see alot of that here but saw one piece with a blond wood lightly stained or oiled and it seemed (to me) to help highlight the koa's color. All in ones taste so everyone is correct.

I do agree to take your time on picking a project for this wood.

At the end of this summer I hope to be done with current projects and have a friend who wants me to make a koa bathtub for his new home.
That will be something to see.......just hope I can do it! :eek:

Aloha, Pete

[Bob Grimshaw]

Just my two cents, but when I find a unique piece of wood, I just set it aside until a project comes along for it. Some pieces sit for years, and then all of a sudden, I'll think, "this project needs that piece of wood."

I'm not really a Zen kind of guy, but I have been pretty unhappy with the results when I try to "come up with somthing to make out of that piece". Patience pays off, especially when dealing with a special piece of wood.
This opinion has bee put forth by a few posters, and it seems wise. The thing is, I have many projects that I want to do, not enough time to do them, and a burning excitement to use some of the koa. I by no means want to use it all, and my favorite pieces (such as the one I posted in the top of this thread) will DEFINITELY be sitting on the shelf until the time is right. So I guess I'm somewhere between where you are with your nice pieces and somebody who is gung-ho to use it all right now.

[Bob Grimshaw]

Since your wife helped, how about a jewelry box??

If you have enough wood a Penn. Spice Box would be awesome..
That's a good idea, and something I definitely want to do if I get the wood resawed. I think 7/8 is way too thick to do a proper jewelry box. The Pennsylvania Spice Box idea is a great one, I didn't even know what those were until just now. Thing is, it would be such a showpiece, where would you put something like that?

[Rob Diz]

Koa is some pretty stuff. I picked up a small piece of fiddleback koa from Aloha when I was visiting in Feb.

One point that is often overlooked - the lumber you picked up was not likely kiln dried, and it came from a very humid environment. I would strongly urge you to sticker your koa (make sure the base is flat) and put some weight on top (cinder blocks were great). As the Koa dries, you want to make sure it stays staight, or all you will be able to make from it will be some expensive picture frames.

[Bob Grimshaw]

Koa is some pretty stuff. I picked up a small piece of fiddleback koa from Aloha when I was visiting in Feb.

One point that is often overlooked - the lumber you picked up was not likely kiln dried, and it came from a very humid environment. I would strongly urge you to sticker your koa (make sure the base is flat) and put some weight on top (cinder blocks were great). As the Koa dries, you want to make sure it stays staight, or all you will be able to make from it will be some expensive picture frames.
Hmmmm, good point perhaps. I wonder if I can take them to somebody with a moisture meter. They were not kiln dried, as you said, but were air dried for two years outside of Hilo on the jungle side of the island. Needless to say, it was a lot more humid there than in Philadelphia (at least till July ...:mad:)

So if I sticker these, does the base need to be flat and level, or just flat?

[D-Alan Grogg]

When we were in Hawaii in 2004, I brought back a small grab bag of Koa. I've been using it in small projects since then: 1 letter opener and 2 pens, 2 wine stoppers, a background for a sand display, and recently, a lid for small box that holds the letter opener and one pen. These are all great uses for the small amount of Koa that I had. I still have a small amount left for other projects when the time and ideas come to me.

I think Koa is well complimented by cherry and yellowheart. The contrast with lighter tones works much better than darker tones and it highlights the Koa. At 7/8" thickness, you could easily resaw for the lids and/or sides of small boxes. My wife loves the box for her letter opener and pen. You could also resaw for veneers on panels in small doors or on drawer fronts.

[Lee Schierer]

I spoke with two professional woodworkers while I was in Hawaii about Koa wood and they both said they resaw most of it and use it as laminate since it is so costly. Only the legs and edge pieces get made from solid wood. I saw some really nice cutting boards made from Maple with a Koa accent either down the middle or along the sides.

[Bob Grimshaw]

I saw those boards too, but thought they didn't show the Koa grain quite as dramatically as I would maybe like. They sure were pretty on their own merits though. They probably get made from scraps and shorts and such.

[Bob Grimshaw]

When we were in Hawaii in 2004, I brought back a small grab bag of Koa. I've been using it in small projects since then: 1 letter opener and 2 pens, 2 wine stoppers, a background for a sand display, and recently, a lid for small box that holds the letter opener and one pen. These are all great uses for the small amount of Koa that I had. I still have a small amount left for other projects when the time and ideas come to me.

I think Koa is well complimented by cherry and yellowheart. The contrast with lighter tones works much better than darker tones and it highlights the Koa. At 7/8" thickness, you could easily resaw for the lids and/or sides of small boxes. My wife loves the box for her letter opener and pen. You could also resaw for veneers on panels in small doors or on drawer fronts.
I like the idea of cherry a lot! That would look seriously classy I think, especially with a couple of my boards that are a little darker.

As far as resawing goes, what thickness would you use for boxes?

Veneering has come up a bunch of times and I wanted to ask a question: Are we talking about the super-thin kind of veneer or just a thin board, like 1/8" or 3/16"? From my very naive understanding, I might need a pretty crazy vacuum setup for the ultra thin veneer, whereas I'm hoping I would not for a 3/16" board. I would hope I could just glue that to a backing piece of another hardwood or even plywood.

[alex grams]

Rob,
If you bought your wood at aloha then it was far from a wet/humid environment. My log was dated when it was cut (i can't remember the date at the moment), and they checked it with a moisture meter for me there and was around 6%.

Granted, koa grows in a fairly humid environment, but Aloha woods, being on the west side of Hawai'i, is in an arid environment.

My piece i intend to resaw and make some veneers for some tabletops (as i highligted earlier).

They did have some amazing pieces of Koa furniture and such in the front office of Aloha.

I like the thought of cherry, but that may be a little too close for my taste to the golden/honey brown color of Koa. I would think a walnut or a really light wood would contrast it well (maple or such).

[Bob Grimshaw]

Hi Alex,
Buried deep in this thread, I mentioned that I got the wood on the other side of the island, in Mountain View by Hilo. Very wet over there. Aloha was a tad pricey for me. The 10 pieces I got, all with great grain, most with either curl or birdseye, only cost me 150$, which I think is pretty good. Maybe I should've paid a tad more for drier wood though?

[alex grams]

Ahh, sorry I missed it Bob, I didn't read that you said that.

I wish I would have had more time to look around more for wood, but I was happy with what i got, and have high hopes eventually for my piece.

I ended up paying around 20$/bf for my piece. It is a pretty large single piece, but it has a nice grain pattern and a little sapwood with some nice curled heartwood.

Though, i do think that resawing it and using it for veneers is going to require me to get a drum sander.... now... to convince the wife...