J W's Innovative Woodworker Column

I started this column because of my desire to share my woodworking experiences and to teach and help people become better woodworkers. I have more than 20 years of experience working with wood and have worked more than 350 different species of wood. I normally keep more than 125 species in stock.

I have studied hundreds of woodworking magazine articles and more than 230 books on woodworking by as many as 190 authors. In addition I have studied numerous books and magazine articles on art, business, marketing, advertising and webmastering. I consult with both individuals and companies {World Tree Technologies, Impact Group New York, & B. K. Brown Designs} on the best wood, procedures and finishing techniques to use in the production of their wooden projects or products and how to advertise their products.

Botanical name is Olea europaea. Olive Trees have been around for many centuries. Olive is in the Ash {Fraxinus spp} family. They can live for 1500 years or more and usually do not obtain a height of more than 25 feet or diameters in excess of 12 inches. The Holy Bible states that King Solomon's temple had Olivewood decorative art objects in it.

Today Olive tress can be found in northern Africa, the Middle East and southern Europe especially in Italy. There are also small orchards in California, Florida and Arizona. Very large percentages are cultivated for oil and the olives. It is rarely sold or available in lumber and if one is lucky enough to find lumber, it will be small pieces and very expensive.

The most famous and sought after Olivewood is the wood from the trees in and around the Bethlehem Jerusalem Holy Land area. Because the trees are only trimmed once or twice a year, it is extremely difficult to obtain the wood and then only in small pieces. No trees are ever harmed, damaged or destroyed by the trimming.

Bethlehem Olivewood lumber is hard, heavy and strong.

The lumber has great movement in service.

It routs, shapes and planes well with carbide tipped cutting tools. Carves well and turns well on a lathe. Drilling and cutting is rather difficult. Most cutting tools seem to dull at an above average rate. Cutting tools should be kept quite sharp. It also does not tool burn easily

If one does not own or have access to a moisture meter, especially with the blocks used for turning, I highly recommend stabilizing {treating} it using PEG 1000 {polyethylene glycol} before making any project from it.

When first worked with tools and sanded, the wood gives off a slight sweet smell.

Pre boring a pilot hole is necessary to nail.

Sands wells, very little gum up.

Glues very well with polyurethane glue.

Polishing will produce an astounding luster especially if sanded down in steps to 1200 grit sandpaper or finer.

If a finish without ultraviolet inhibitors added to it is used, as it ages, it will become darker and richer in color thus making it even more beautiful. It is closed pored.

The lumber with shipping included can cost $60.00 to $90.00 per board foot {12 inches x 12 inches x 1 inch}.

One must be very careful in purchasing Olivewood as some pieces may have high waste {unusable} as much as 66 2/3%. Small pieces this does not pertain to, but the larger the piece the poorer the quality. This is because the trees are small and do not have very much of a trunk.

When routing woods that tool burn easily when you slow down too much or stop such as cherry, use a variable speed router. To get the burn marks out, set the speed of the router to about 2/3 of the maximum revolution and lower the bit just a hair, then make one more pass. You will get a slightly rougher cut but the burn mark or marks will be gone.

Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which one has overcome while trying to succeed. Booker T. Washington

Botanical name is Piratinera Guianensis. Other names are Leopard Wood, Speckled Wood and Letterwood. It is in the classification of hardwood .It is extremely hard! In fact some Snakewood can be harder than Lignum Vitae making it the hardest wood in the world. Color is usually light reddish brown to dark reddish brown. It can have remarkable figure with dark brown or black speckles, stripes and spots like a leopards or with strange markings. It grows in South America, Guyana and Surinam. It has a tendency to dull tools very quickly it is best to use extremely sharp carbide tools when working with this wood. In my experience when sawing snakewood it is not uncommon for the saw blade to throw sparks. You should clean the wood with Acetone prior to gluing it and use a polyurethane glue.

The price varies depending upon the amount of figure the wood has. With shipping it can run from approximately $28.00 to $41.00 per pound ($168.00 to $246.00 per board foot). One board foot will normally weigh approximately 6 pounds. There are a few suppliers who carry Snakewood, one such supplier is eisenbran.com

When marking around templates or patterns, you should use a mechanical pencil that uses 0.5 or 0.7mm lead. This allows for a precise and consistent marking to follow when using a scroll saw or bandsaw for cutting. Also you can twist the lead out say an inch or so to mark in those hard to reach crevices.

Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up. Thomas Alva Edison

It is a burl, which is an outgrowth on the root of a tree. Botanical name is Tetraclinis articulata. It is in the classification of softwood {Conifer} it grows in Morocco and Algeria. When worked {sawed, planed, sanded etc.} it gives off a sweet but also a sour smell combined. It is usually light golden brown to light red orange brown with wild grain and numerous knots making a mottled or bird's eye figure. The wood is difficult to work because of its brittle nature. Extreme care is required during the kiln drying process. To eliminate this you can either air dry (requiring an extended amount of time depending upon the thickness of the wood) or I recommend stabilizing {treating} it using PEG 1000 {polyethylene glycol} before making any project from it. This will decrease the waiting time to do a project.

The price with shipping is approximately $60.00 to $80.00 per board foot but it is extremely difficult to obtain a source. The source that I have located to obtain this wood is thuyawood.com.

To produce exact fitting pieces, use the cut and fit method. To do this take each piece, line it up with the joining piece and mark approximately with a pencil where the cut needs to be, then cut the piece {sometimes takes as many as 3 or 4 cuts} until it fits precisely.

Some look at things that are, and ask why. I dream of things that never were and ask why not? George Bernard Shaw

To see pictures of the wood click on this link,
Bethlehem Olivewood, Snake Wood & Thuyawood Burl.