Neil
Fellow
Hi, Neil,
That's a very stylish letter opener - looks really different than the standard ones you see about. Nice work!
Also, thanks for the interesting info re tulipwood. And well done with the swimming pool decor. How has it stood up to the damp atmosphere?
Bob.
Nice letter opener Neil ...didn't realise you were into construction work as well.
Only with the design Ed , they didn't have (strong) enough scaffolding to hold him up there to help with construction !!!
Frankie,
Woody will curse you for posing that question!! I was in the wood trade for quite a while and had a habit of referring to the species in Latin for exactly the reasons that you mention. Wood is named locally and one species called tulipwood in one country is not the same species in another. The wood that I made the letter opener from is a rosewood Dalbergia Frutescens, more commonly known as Brazilian Tulipwood. The tulipwood that you refer to is a common tree called canarywood, whitewood, American Yellow Poplar, fiddleback tree, Tulip tree. These common names refer to the same tree, Liriodendron Tulipfera, a tree native to the USA, China and Vietnam but now spread widely. It is primarily a whitewood but can have striking streaks of purple, green and brown that occur randomly and change colour in a very short distance.
This isnt a great picture but shows some of the changes that you can get in Yellow Poplar, the picture has made the wood look browner than it really is and it is normally quite white. The picture is of Clapham Leisure Centre which I did the wood design work on and supplied the timber.