Lignum vitae

[rayf6604]

Thanks for that in-depth guide , really useful, hopefully I'll find some bowling balls cheap enough. £60 or £70 I've seen on eBay seems a bit much to me.

 

[Scots Bill]

I think the wood is dense enough to sink. woodcarving mallet, almost ready made. But splits easy I think. I was told by a marine fitter they used that wood to make bearings. My dad used to work somewhere in Glasgow and he could bring off cuts home for the fire, burns like billio. He made some rabbit bookends out of it, the rabbits one sitting up and one crouched down were cut out like on a bandsaw. He had used brass nails as eyes. he said he kept splitting them putting in the nails. Railway sleepers and fenceposts were shipped into this country from Australia, by the ship full. A very good turner I know, in fact I bought his old lathe had a pile of sleepers he was going to make steps from in his garden. He was very sceptical when I told him they were Jarrah, a hard oily red coloured timber.

 

[Penpal]

Old posting my experiences the first one was a small piece of a huge ship bearing from a hundred yrs ago turned so well not a splitter like Ebony or Snakewood. I have bought so many over the years all terrific to work and finish.

Peter.

 

[Scots Bill]

The L.v. my dad had from work, and I am talking some sixty five years ago! ouch! had a pale colour as well as the brown colour, wonder if the pale part was the new growth, or sapwood, like laburnum. I have a small bradawl he made out of a dart, the wood is threaded into the dart, and it does indeed sink, just the handle that is. Regarding Vic's valuable advice on cutting round stuff on a bandsaw, my son did a lot of damage to his saw trying to cut a log. Knowing that I just the other day run a bit of four inch waste pipe through mine, to make up joints for my extraction system. First cut went ok, smug now (a mistake) I cut a wee section out to glue inside another section, fine, but when I tried to cut the next round bit of course it kicked back and took a lump right through the nail of my middle finger, now that made my eyes water, never again. Pain does teach better than anything. Yes the engraved ivory inserts are beautiful and with the owners initials. I made a walking stick for an old lady in exchange for a couple, I have not got my heart as hard as the woods to cut them yet. Are they weighted at the big plate side i thought so.