"Michael Faurot" wrote in message
...
Toller wrote:

It is not economically viable to to sell the others. There isn't much
available and little demand. So, it would be expensive with no one
buying it at all.

I can understand it's not economically viable if there's little
demand. But is there a reason for the lack of demand? Is it a
case of inertia/tradition? As in, Cherry/Walnut/Oak/etc is what's
been used in the past, so that's just what everyone wants and thinks
about. Or is there little demand because these other types of woods
wood be too expensive to turn into lumber for general consumption?

I bought a quantity of Viraro from an importer closing it out.
Beautiful wood, but nobody ever heard of it, so he couldn't sell
it.

I understand what you're saying, I've never heard of Viraro either.
So if I was looking to buy/use some type of exotic/import wood, I
would probably skip Viraro for something else I'd heard of before.
But where North American wood is concerned, I think most people in
North America have heard of Sycamore, Willow and Elm. I've just
never really seen these types of trees available as lumber.

Same idea with Beech. Do you want to buy a beech table or a
maple table? They look about the same and around here beech is much
cheaper, if you can find it, because no one wants it.

I can't really say whether I'd rather have a table made of Beech or
Maple--I've never seen Beech (that I was aware of). Which is part of
my musing about what it is that makes these other types of woods less
available.

Thats my point, you haven't seen beech and would be skeptical of furniture
made of it.
People know oak, maple, cherry, walnut, mahogany, and teak. That is what
they will buy, so that is what woodworkers use, lumberyards carry, and
sawmills process.
I happen to love butternut and ash, but they are tough sells in furniture;
people want what they are used to.