In the south, Catalpa trees are traditional sources of fish bait. Catalpa worms, the larvae of Catalpa Sphinx Moths, are eagerly sought in early summer by anglers.

  A tree native to the Eastern United States having a bi-pinnately compound leaves and flat pulpy woody pods with large seeds.   Reportedly early immigrants in Kentucky used the large seeds of this tree as a substitute to make “coffee.” Woodworkers sometimes use the heavy, strong wood in cabinetwork, for fence posts, and in construction. The tree is frequently planted as an ornamental tree in landscaping.

Pink Ivory is an exotic wood native to Southern Africa , and is one of the most rare and beautiful woods in the world.  The tree grows predominantly in Zimbabwe , Mozambique and South Africa .  It is a very hard wood, strong and stiff, with a very fine texture. Although difficult to work with hand tools, Pink Ivory is excellent for wood turning and carving, used to make luxury products like billiard cues, knives, and pens. It is said that it finishes extremely well, and to a high polish.

Is light to dark reddish brown very desnse wood with black streaks. It is fine grained, and is easy to work with sharp tools if straight grain. It takes a beautiful finish as it’s natural qualities are hard, heavy and waxy. Figured ( or shaped varying grain) pieces require care when turning. It comes from Central and Latin America; Colombia , Mexico , Venezuela , Bolivia , Brazil , Ecuador , Paraguay , Costa Rica , Guyana and Peru .

The trees, native to Africa are reported to be large, often reaching heights of more than 100 feet and trunk diameters of 36 inches.  The sapwood is whitish in color.  The heartwood is medium red-brown or red to reddish-brown in color, with lighter red to purple veins. Upon exposure, the wood becomes yellow or medium brown with a reddish tint and the veining becomes less conspicuous. Bubinga wood can be an amazingly wavy-figured exotic wood, sought by guitar makers and small box builders alike… often referred to as African rosewood, although it is technically not from the rosewood family.

Cocobolo is a tropical hardwood from Central America . Cocobolo is known to change color after being cut, lending to its appeal. The heartwood is typically orange or reddish-brown in color, often with a figuring of darker irregular traces weaving through the wood, while the sapwood is a creamy yellow, contrasting sharply with the heartwood.  Only the heartwood is used: this is oily in look and feel, and stands up well to repeated handling and exposure to water. It is very hard, fine textured and dense and is easily machined, although due to the abundance of natural oils, the wood tends to clog abrasives and fine-toothed saw blades. Like other very hard, very dense tropical woods, Cocobolo can be brittle. It is commonly used in gun grips and knife handles, fine inlay work, custom high-end pool cues, brush backs, musical instruments (especially guitars and basses, also some woodwind instruments such as clarinets and oboes have been successfully made using Cocobolo). It can also be found in higher priced specialty gift items such as, pepper mills, bowls, jewelry boxes, as well as used in making luxury pens.

Bocote is a large canopy tree, with some specimens in the natural rainforest reaching up to 120 feet tall and 3 feet in diameter. Bocote is a beautiful wood that comes from Mexico .  Bocote is a particularly fine, beautiful wood, with colors varying from light to golden brown and variegated irregular markings. It has an attractive ray fleck figure if quartersawn. Bocote is a strong lustrous wood, with medium and uniform texture and straight or shallowly interlocked grain, and it is easy to work, responding well to both hand and machine tools.  Bocote is sought after for fine cabinetry, fine furniture, decorative and figured veneer, moldings, inlay work, joinery, and turnery.  

We love the beauty of wood and things made from wood. However even though we turn wood into beautiful jewelry and home decor items we do not support the harming of trees. We do not cut down a tree thinking “this would make a great bowl”. If fact we do not cut down trees at all. The wood we use are from trees other have removed for various reasons, and a good majority of our supply comes from naturally harvested trees – meaning trees taken down by storms, hurricanes and tornados. Trees are a wonderful part of our world, so this arbor day, go out and plant or care for your trees!

http://www.arborday.org/

Fast-growing hybrid poplars are grown on plantations in many areas for pulpwood and used for the manufacture of paper. The wood is generally white, often with a slightly yellowish cast. It is also sold as inexpensive hardwood timber, more specialized uses include matches and the boxes. Poplar wood is widely used in the snowboard industry for the snowboard “core”, because it has exceptional flexibility.

http://www.daughtersandsonstowork.org