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Thread: Rosewood

  1. #1

    Rosewood

    So I think I maybe sitting n a goldmine. I inherited a bunch of 1 3/4" rosewood lumber approx 35 years old. 1 is 13 X 64 X 1 3/4. 2 is 13 X 71 X 1 3/4. 3 is 8 X 71 X 1 3/4. last is 11 X 60 X 1 3/4.


    Any comments welcome. What's it worth?

  2. #2
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ernie Woodburn View Post
    So I think I maybe sitting n a goldmine. I inherited a bunch of 1 3/4" rosewood lumber approx 35 years old. 1 is 13 X 64 X 1 3/4. 2 is 13 X 71 X 1 3/4. 3 is 8 X 71 X 1 3/4. last is 11 X 60 X 1 3/4.


    Any comments welcome. What's it worth?
    What kind of rosewood? Here are some dalbergia species:
    https://www.wood-database.com/hardwo...eae/dalbergia/

    There are other woods sold as rosewood which are not.

    Also, there are new limitations on where rosewood and things made from rosewood can be shipped which may affect plans for the wood. This article has some details:
    https://www.wood-database.com/wood-a...-banned-cites/

    What you have would be excellent turning wood. Value? No clue. Some of my rosewood was quite expensive and some, like east indian rosewood, not so much.

    JKJ

  3. #3
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    My comment would be to become a Contributor for $6 and sell it in the classifieds.

  4. #4
    I wouldn’t say a goldmine. But $2000 + worth of wood depending on how pretty or bad it looks. Indian rosewood is much harder to find in large wide pieces. I make electric guitars in my spare time and a 20 Long x 13-14” Wide x 1 3/4 thick body blank is probably worth 300-350 to the right buyer. Simply because it’s 1 piece. You could cut up those larger pieces for guitar blanks and that’s 6 x 300, $1800 or so right there.

    A lot would depend how much clean up is needed and if it’s warped or twisted. And is it flat or quarter-sawn. That could make or break how much a buyer would pay. I’m just thinking like a guitar builder but other possibilities exist as well. If you don’t need the wood, you need to maximize what it can be sold for.

    I doubt that’s Brazilian rosewood, but if it was, then 2000 could turn in 12000.
    Last edited by Robert London; 07-06-2020 at 10:00 PM.

  5. #5
    Not without papers it can’t.

    I’m sitting on like 40bf of really big long 4/4 and 5/4 wide “think almost slabs of BRW” it’s worth nothing without papers. I’ll probably spend the rest of my life just looking at it.



    Quote Originally Posted by Robert London View Post
    I wouldn’t say a goldmine. But $2000 + worth of wood depending on how pretty or bad it looks. Indian rosewood is much harder to find in large wide pieces. I make electric guitars in my spare time and a 20 Long x 13-14” Wide x 1 3/4 thick body blank is probably worth 300-350 to the right buyer. Simply because it’s 1 piece. You could cut up those larger pieces for guitar blanks and that’s 6 x 300, $1800 or so right there.

    A lot would depend how much clean up is needed and if it’s warped or twisted. And is it flat or quarter-sawn. That could make or break how much a buyer would pay. I’m just thinking like a guitar builder but other possibilities exist as well. If you don’t need the wood, you need to maximize what it can be sold for.

    I doubt that’s Brazilian rosewood, but if it was, then 2000 could turn in 12000.

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by Patrick Walsh View Post
    Not without papers it can’t.

    I’m sitting on like 40bf of really big long 4/4 and 5/4 wide “think almost slabs of BRW” it’s worth nothing without papers. I’ll probably spend the rest of my life just looking at it.
    I understand it's not illegal to have in one's possession nor use it to make things, you just can't ship them across international borders. You can even make personal things (up to about 22 lbs) and take them with you internationally. Since even 4 and 5/4 rosewood can be useful to a woodturner who doesn't sell things I'll be glad to take some of your stash so you don't have to get depressed sitting for years and staring at it. That is, if you don't live out of the USA.

    Rosewoods and the like including brazilian, cocobolo, kingwood, and others are some of my favorite to turn. I wish I could find some more kingwood - love the way it looks.

    JKJ

  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by Matt Day View Post
    My comment would be to become a Contributor for $6 and sell it in the classifieds.
    not a bad idea. So from the database, it looks like it's Amazon rosewoood. I do CNC signs and it would be a shame to use it for that. Fine furniture, guitars OR just sell it. Maybe I'll try CNCing a guitar.

  8. #8
    Hey Patrick, that is not true and Brazilian is still crazy valuable. In the acoustic guitar making world, most builders and buyers do not care about CITIES paperwork. You just can’t sell items overseas and must be kept in the United States. Most people don’t want to risk shipping valuable items out of the county anyway. So it becomes a mute point. The value of your wood can vary greatly depending on whether its flat or quarter sawn and the degree of figuring.

    A very small piece of Brazilian 20 x 3 x 3/8 is perfect for a guitar fingerboard and can cost 50 even for lower quality and closer to 100 for nice QS grain. A block of 4/4 Brazilian say 6-7 inches wide x 5 feet long could yield 15-18 fingerboards.

    Whats 15 x 60 bucks each as an average? That’s almost $1000 right there. A guitar builder would buy that from you in a snap. But once again, the flat vs quarter sawn and not having any cracks or splits may be tough. A lot of Brazilian can’t be used for fine guitars if it’s cracked or split. I would love to see what you have.




    i
    Last edited by Robert London; 07-07-2020 at 7:57 AM.

  9. #9
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    I’m in a similar situation, a woodworker retired that I know and gave me a pile of Kingswood or some other Rosewoods, not really the type of wood that I work with. At some point I’ll probably sell it.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bill Dindner View Post
    I’m in a similar situation, a woodworker retired that I know and gave me a pile of Kingswood or some other Rosewoods, not really the type of wood that I work with. At some point I’ll probably sell it.
    If by "Kingswood" you mean "Kingwood" I'll be watching the Classifieds here for a listing! I can use any sizes from 1" up, length and width are not too important. I love the color in Kingwood.

    JKJ

  11. #11
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    The Lacey Act is not to be trifled with. Ask the Gibson Guitar company. Sure people get away with things like that, but there are for sure builders and customers who do care if its legal.

  12. #12
    This is why mine will just love with me to my last day..

    Quote Originally Posted by Stan Calow View Post
    The Lacey Act is not to be trifled with. Ask the Gibson Guitar company. Sure people get away with things like that, but there are for sure builders and customers who do care if its legal.

  13. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by Patrick Walsh View Post
    This is why mine will just love with me to my last day..

    But if you use that logic, you’re equally as culpable. If it’s illegal to make a guitar, a table or anything else out of that wood, why does it matter? The raw piece of wood is what creates that art so you’re equally as guilty by holding onto it. You can’t have it both ways and point the finger at someone who would like to use that wood for constructive purposes and make art, but you hold onto it as raw wood and claim innocence.

    You need to understand the scope of laws. It’s not illegal to build or sell a 30 year old piece of wood that’s already here. You simply may not be able to export that out of the United States as the laws have changed on what can be exported.

    Big companies like Martin and Gibson need larger quantities of wood for thousands of guitars. So if they are trying to buy large quantities of Amazon or Madagascar rosewood in today’s market, or back in 2015 or whenever they got raided, that’s a different story. They need to have the proper paperwork in order. What you could do in 1986 vs 2015 was entirely different.

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by Robert London View Post
    But if you use that logic, you’re equally as culpable. If it’s illegal to make a guitar, a table or anything else out of that wood, why does it matter? The raw piece of wood is what creates that art so you’re equally as guilty by holding onto it. You can’t have it both ways and point the finger at someone who would like to use that wood for constructive purposes and make art, but you hold onto it as raw wood and claim innocence.

    You need to understand the scope of laws. It’s not illegal to build or sell a 30 year old piece of wood that’s already here. You simply may not be able to export that out of the United States as the laws have changed on what can be exported.

    Big companies like Martin and Gibson need larger quantities of wood for thousands of guitars. So if they are trying to buy large quantities of Amazon or Madagascar rosewood in today’s market, or back in 2015 or whenever they got raided, that’s a different story. They need to have the proper paperwork in order. What you could do in 1986 vs 2015 was entirely different.

    Worse yet, the boards will sit on a shelf and be revered as mystical until the owner dies and then they end up in a yard sale or a dumpster. The tree was cut, there’s no point in fretting over it now; time to either use it or pass it on to someone who will.

  15. #15
    Relax relax,

    I know I know I’d be so worked up if it was something I felt so passionate about. And honestly I do actually feel that passionate about the material hence I still have it.

    I’m a cabinet maker by trade. Currently I’m building pipe organs with no end I. Site to the work. Being 42 years old I still have many many years to master my skill set.

    When I first got the lumber I’d didn’t feel deserving. I figured I’d hold onto it into my old age and when I felt fully capable as a maker I’d make my masterpiece.

    The reality is I’m fully capable now of making anything I want out of wood and my fear of doing the material justice is long gone.

    What I don’t have is time to make anything for me.

    I’m also a bit of a wood collector intent on retirement and having beautiful material my measly Social security will never afford me.

    However I do need rather want a new Martin planer, and a tenon table shaper. And honestly I “need and want: them both more than the rosewood. But it has taken about seven years to come to understand that depending on its true value and what I could or could not get for it being a guy that works by the hour as a cabinet maker pipe organ builder whatever I can’t have everything and I’d rather round out my shop and be done buying machines.

    Well I’ll still need a wide belt and a edge sander. So two Kundig lol...

    Man I have expensive taste, rosewood Martins and Kundig’s couldn’t I had just been happy with powermatic and maple..

    Easy Bem is my favorite so don’t get all bent out fo shape maple guys..

    Quote Originally Posted by Robert London View Post
    But if you use that logic, you’re equally as culpable. If it’s illegal to make a guitar, a table or anything else out of that wood, why does it matter? The raw piece of wood is what creates that art so you’re equally as guilty by holding onto it. You can’t have it both ways and point the finger at someone who would like to use that wood for constructive purposes and make art, but you hold onto it as raw wood and claim innocence.

    You need to understand the scope of laws. It’s not illegal to build or sell a 30 year old piece of wood that’s already here. You simply may not be able to export that out of the United States as the laws have changed on what can be exported.

    Big companies like Martin and Gibson need larger quantities of wood for thousands of guitars. So if they are trying to buy large quantities of Amazon or Madagascar rosewood in today’s market, or back in 2015 or whenever they got raided, that’s a different story. They need to have the proper paperwork in order. What you could do in 1986 vs 2015 was entirely different.

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