STL287: Should you use exotic wood?
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- Опубліковано 18 жов 2024
- We talk to two experts about considerations when using tropical hardwoods, and how to make the rain forest too valuable to burn.
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I love all of your Shop Talks that cover joinery, furniture building, finishing, tools, etc but I really wish there were more podcasts that were like this. That discuss our impact and what we can do to be more aware/responsible. What is holding the industry back from using tree species that are native to your region vs what is considered the "traditional" wood of choice? Buy local sort of thing. Have you guys done one in the past or planning to do one in the future that covers topics like this?
So as an example, I would love to turn the bur oak trees I cut down in my yard into lumber but with what our local "backyard sawmills" charge to cut it into rough slabs and first figuring out how to get those trees to them. After you figure those costs and your time it's not much more to buy dry dimensioned lumber from our local hardwood lumber store (which is not locally harvested).
Anyway, thank you for all your great content!
This episode was fantastic! As a resident of Puerto Rico and an aspiring woodworker, this episode came out in the perfect time for me. I have been reading about local wood, actually read recently "Maderas de Puerto Rico" by José A. Mari Mut, and I learned so much about so many beautiful species, and most importantly, about many species that are underrated, but abundant! This is greay because I have an interest in focusing on local resources rather than using imported wood, but I know there is a fine line because many of the species are exotic.
I was surprised to hear about el Yunque, and how it isnt just wilderness, but actually mostly planted by the US Forest Service. I dont recall ever hearing about that in school, and they talked about el Yunque a lot.
I will soon start taking woodworking classes at René Delgado's school, Taller Escuela (Scott mentioned René in the video), and I would love to participate in one of the Artisan Eco Tours someday, but the price is a bit limiting to younger puertorricans (our economy isn't exactly nice to us), even with the 1k discount at the moment, but it sounds like a really amazing experience!
I have listened to this episode more than once. I thoroughly enjoyed it. As a budding luthier, I am also concerned with the decline of traditional instrument tonewoods. We must educate the consumer that there is a vast array of hardwoods that can (and do) make wonderful sounding instruments.
I have been studying the properties and characteristics of local hardwoods and comparing them to Rosewood, Mahagony, and others to see what might make a good instrument.
Great podcast! Thanks
Came upon this interview session a year late, I guess. Interesting. As a musician, who has in the past played Renaissance lute, and who now plays banjos and baroque flutes (traversos), I have for years been an end user of hard woods, from spruce, mahogany, and ebony used in my lute, to banjos using both mahogany and maple tone rings, to having played boxwood, ebony, cocobolo, and grenadilla (African blackwood) traverso flutes. I'm fascinated by the characteristics of these woods as they affect the sound of musical instruments - both stringed and woodwind varieties. Thank you for this discussion.
Thanks for bringing this topic up. It's good to think about these things in different ways and consider options.
I listened to this episode the day it was release and was deeply troubled by it. Saddened. Angered by the dishonesty and unethical trading of timber. It makes me want to only use domestic materials because I am now skeptical of labelling. Great episode.
Great guests and conversation. I wish this conversation included more about these different alternative woods. I'm in Nicaragua, making things out of wood, and I know a little about the commonly used woods but I know nothing about how they compare with northern woods or which woods would be chosen for different tasks by a northern craftsperson.
Pura vida there is a negative issue of using exotic wood in my country.cocobolo , purpleheart and Mahogany are endareged species and those lumber is trafficking ilegally from ports of my country by some maffias one of them is Chinese gang which export exotic lumber from my country and central America. And when these lumber arrive to E.E.U.U and China these lumber is registered as legal in order to sell them:(.
This was a really good episode thank you for taking the time to make this. There are was a facinating story with some realy ups and downs. It sounds like there is still a lot to learn about this but I like the idea of taking more of an active interest in where the wood your are coming from. Like a lot of these things the bargin wood you got for your last project probably has a hidden cost for the people at the source and for all of us. If we are selling furniture or guitars then I'm sure that there is a market for making a feature of the source of the wood. There will be people who always want ebony but with education a most people will make the right choice.
Great topic and great info and history.
thanks
I think there was too much emphasis on using these tropical woods instead of coming up with alternatives. Like who really needs to use actual ebony these days when ebonising is very good? Like the seaspiracy film (look it up) the best response is to not consume these resources at all.