Exotic Woods Sampler

Today I will discuss some of my favorite and least favorite woods.
Let's start with the infamous Cocobolo.
Cocobolo is a beautiful wood from Africa. It is often streaked with an amazing array of colors ranging from black to white and many colors in between. Even hints of blue have been seen in the grain, which ranges from wide to narrow grain. I have a few reservations about this important wood. Cocobolo is hard to work with for many reasons. Firstly there is a high content of "oil" or other chemical that makes glue difficult to adhere to. Secondly, there have reports of people becoming ill from the saw dust. And third, Cocobolo is often harvested in a manner that is irresponsible and damaging to ecosystems and people. Unfortunately this third point can be made against many other exotic woods. Ebony, for example, is a beautiful black wood that takes many generations to reach maturity. In addition, the physical toll it takes to harvest the wood is not worth such exploitation of villagers (men, women, and children.)
While many other woods are not sustainably harvested or grown, it is difficult to be sure which ones to avoid. Try to buy your woods from reputable retail outlets that know the origins of their inventories. Avoid ordering lumber from jungle regions unless you have visited the place personally and met the workers. It is important that your small amount of wood that you use is not the cause of any exploitation, pollution or environmental damage.
This brings me to one of my favorites, Purpleheart. Purpleheart is a south American Hardwood that ranges from brown to purple. When selecting your lumber, look for uniform color throughout. And try to find wood that looks more purple and less brown. This is a fairly common wood that is used for building construction in many parts of South America, although it is heavy and expensive to export.
In a future installment of my blog I will share a chart with all of you. This is a chart listing many of the woods I use. Retail price, ease of workability, and other pros and cons are on the chart. You will find it very useful.
That's it for this week. Check in next time for a look at "must-have" tools for the beginner woodturner.

Tip Of The Week: Always look at wood before you buy it. It is the only way to know what you are buying.

Shout Out Of The Week: A special thanks to Heran Bago and Bagel Tech for your consultation and for all the great charity work you do. I am excited to be a part of your upcoming project!

Welcome to my New Blog!

My name is Robert Gauthier and I am pleased to announce the launch of my Exotic Woodworking Blog. I have developed some interesting techniques over the years that I will share with all of you. My current work is a collection of segmented vessels made of the most beautiful hardwoods in the world. Using a large Canadian lathe from the Oneway Co. I am able to make vases as long as 6ft., maybe more.
I live and work in Sebastopol, California and The Sea Ranch, California. Our sons are grown up and my wife and I agree that Sonoma County was a good choice to raise our family. Most of the year offers fine weather, which is crucial for this kind of woodworking. Regulating temperature and humidity in my shop is quite easy all year-round.
Northern California is also abundant with recreation, another requirement when doing such exhausting work. Since my woodart has become architectural in size and design, I have noticed a much greater need to take advantage of all the eco-tourism my area has to offer. For example, the rugged coast teams with wildlife and vast isolated beaches. Daily doses of fresh air are crucial after breathing dust. Even with my top notch dust collection system, I am sure small particles make there way on my skin and yes, my lungs. The benefits are not only environmental here, but the whole San Francisco Bay Area boasts cultural activities and food choices from all over the world.
Check in next week and read all about some of my favorite woods. I'll discuss wenge, bubinga and others. The pros and cons certain woods and what to expect from them.

Tip of the week: Always work in a well ventilated area if indoors. Protect your lungs at all costs, sparing no expense when setting up your dust collection system.

Shout Out of the week: Kudos to the brand new Tri-Point Medical Center in Ohio. Thank you for including my art in your state-of-art facility!