On Mon, 2 Jun 2008 22:23:44 +0100, John wrote:

We all know Mac loves his Lignum Vitae, but does anyone know of sources
within the UK?

I have found a one, but they have only small pieces of branch 6 inch x 2
inch. The other option being redundant crown green bowls, but they again
are limited in size

2 different woods/trees, John..
In my experience, the difference is:

LV is a oily, dense wood that used to grow wild on the US gulf coast...
Light brown in color, it turns green when exposed to sun light..

Turns VERY well with nice shavings and holds a bead, etc. very well..
Works like any hard, oily wood..
Sands, polishes and buffs very well, but can heat check when sanding if you let
the heat build up..

Desert Ironwood is dark brown, almost black wood, with gold streaks..... very
dry and usually found in Mexico, Arizona and parts of California.. (the Sonora
desert area)

Turns ok, once you ruin your chainsaw and band saw blades getting it to the
lathe..

Some shavings and a huge amount of fine brown dust that gets into everything,
regardless of dust collection..
Loves to chip, crack and sometimes splinter, mostly because any legally obtained
DI is dead and has been for some time.. Most places have heavy penalties for
cutting a live tree..
Sands, buffs and polishes very well.. Weird to sand because it LIKES high speed
and lots of pressure.. High gloss just from sanding, but buffing makes it shine
and brings out the gold highlights..

As far as I know, desert ironwood can be exported by licensed folks..
Can't be transported in AZ, I'm told, unless you're a Native American of an AZ
tribe..
Don't know if that's true, but I was warned by a US customs inspector to NOT try
to bring any ironwood into Mexico from AZ...


mac

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