estesbubba Posted February 12, 2015 Report Share Posted February 12, 2015 Need to try me some Bell Forest sometime and play around with some exotics. Any must haves and any to avoid? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post dwacker Posted February 13, 2015 Popular Post Report Share Posted February 13, 2015 I like a hot little number Francina she is exotic from Honduras. Stay away from Francesca she the nasty one from France. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
estesbubba Posted February 13, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 13, 2015 I like a hot little number Francina she is exotic from Honduras. Stay away from Francesca she the nasty one from France. Need pics of both 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted February 13, 2015 Report Share Posted February 13, 2015 Myrtlewood from southern Oregon is some pretty stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted February 13, 2015 Report Share Posted February 13, 2015 Lacewood is neat. One of my recent discoveries but not an exotic is mayhaw. I have one in my yard and it's multi trunk, like a crape myrtle and one of the trunks died and I sliced it up for a couple of small boxes. Too small though for anything else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted February 13, 2015 Report Share Posted February 13, 2015 Coop, I have some pieces of Texas Privet cut from an abandoned home place next to my place. Trunks maybe 60-70 years old, still only 6" diameter. Not quite as white as holly, stuff is so fine grained that it looks like antique ivory, and works like it, too! Great for knife scales and other small items. Maybe stringing, but never tried that. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wouldwurker Posted February 13, 2015 Report Share Posted February 13, 2015 Bolivian 'Rosewood' has been my favorite with which to work so far. Like walnut with closed pores. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted February 13, 2015 Report Share Posted February 13, 2015 Pink Ivory is nice if you can get any. Very fine grain and varies from light to dark pink. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryMcK Posted February 13, 2015 Report Share Posted February 13, 2015 Pacific blackwood is nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendon_t Posted February 13, 2015 Report Share Posted February 13, 2015 I'm currently on a redhead with green eyes kick. Natural only, no box top reds, that's what makes them exotic 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted February 13, 2015 Report Share Posted February 13, 2015 I'm currently on a redhead with green eyes kick. Natural only, no box top reds, that's what makes them exotic Carrot Top Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wouldwurker Posted February 13, 2015 Report Share Posted February 13, 2015 I'll never try to plane zebrawood ever again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted February 13, 2015 Report Share Posted February 13, 2015 I don't find zebrawood that troublesome aside from the dirty wet dog smell. Wenge is a nightmare to work with but beautiful in small doses...a great accent wood. My favorite is probably bubinga aside from mahogany, which I can't decide whether or not it's technically exotic. Honduran is beautiful and a dream to work with...nothing like that African stringiness. Better color, too. Apples and oranges really...I'm not sure why they ever tagged that stuff with "mahogany." Padauk is pretty when it's fresh off the planer but it can't really be used if sun will ever touch it, so that kind of kills its usefulness. Lacewood and leopardwood are cool looking and fairly agreeable to work with. I'm not that wild about purpleheart, yellowheart, redheart...except used sparingly for a good reason. They're basically boring except for the specific color. The exotics I'd really love to use are too expensive...rosewoods and koas. Lately I've just been on a walnut kick. Ol' reliable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wouldwurker Posted February 13, 2015 Report Share Posted February 13, 2015 Zebrawood through your planer? No problems? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted February 13, 2015 Report Share Posted February 13, 2015 No, not really. I've only ever used the rift sawn stuff though because I think the flat sawn is hideous looking...so that may be a factor. Straight grain is more cooperative, generally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wouldwurker Posted February 13, 2015 Report Share Posted February 13, 2015 Ha. Forget if mine was rift or flat. Every pass i took made it perpetually worse. It looked like somebody shot it with 20g birdshot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tcarswell Posted February 13, 2015 Report Share Posted February 13, 2015 Bubinga wenge zebrawood lace wood and koa are my favorites. I just got a 20 bf project pack of bubinga this morning . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bushwacked Posted February 13, 2015 Report Share Posted February 13, 2015 Bubinga for me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted February 14, 2015 Report Share Posted February 14, 2015 I picked up some curly Koa while on vacation, still have a few chunks . Everyone else wanted one more day one the beach, I went in search of woodshops that might sell me some Koa. Wrapped it in cardboard ,added a rope handle and checked it as luggage ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phinds Posted February 14, 2015 Report Share Posted February 14, 2015 cocobolo, hands down. Brazilian tulipwood most of the ones mentioned already. Yellowheart because it holds the yellow color. LOVE padauk and redheart both both are useless due to color fade Osage orange is gorgeous but color change is among the most dramatic there is (see the pic at the top of my osage orange page) lacewood, leopardwood, silky oak, curly koa, bocote (but it can turn VERY dark w/ age) lots of others. Hell, I love'm all Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted February 14, 2015 Report Share Posted February 14, 2015 Not really lumber, but Black Ash and Amboyna burls are not to be left out. I have Amboyna burl to make vise handle knobs out of for the bench I'm going to build sometime in the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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