‘New’ woods
A.J. has gotten me thinking again about ‘new’ woods. The thing is, most of these woods are not new. They have been there all along but have been ignored for…
A.J. has gotten me thinking again about ‘new’ woods. The thing is, most of these woods are not new. They have been there all along but have been ignored for various reasons.
The primary reason is that they were long ago determined to be less than desirable for one reason or another. Many of these trees don't reach a size to yield enough lumber to make large scale harvesting practical. And the wood from others is simply not that attractive. Some species throw off some nice looking material but are not stable and are subject to excessive warping and checking. Others are abrasive and difficult to work.
The only exception I am aware of is Lyptus, a genetically modified species of eucalyptus that is being plantation grown in Brazil by Weyerhaeuser. This makes it, technically speaking, a tropical hardwood which sounds very desirable.
I have used this wood for several projects and I am only mildly taken with it. It's not bad looking wood but a bit on the unstable side. Since these trees mature in only 12 years plus or minus and since they are grown under very closely controlled conditions, they do not have much chance to produce wild figure or burls. But it is more or less sustainable, apparently very well managed and not all that expensive.
D.D.

David DeCristoforo possesses an extensive resume as designer/maker of fine furniture, high-end cabinetry and architectural woodwork. His experience in professional woodworking spans a period of 35 years. For the past 20 years David DeCristoforo Design has been located in Woodland, California. During this time David's shop has ranged in scope from a "full on" cabinet production shop with as many as 15 employees to a small fine furniture and custom millwork shop, working with his son, David RBJ, a highly skilled maker in his own right.