# Favorite Woods



## JBCustomPens (Jan 8, 2010)

Hey Guys,

I wanted to know what is everybody's favorite wood(s) overall? I think it is interesting to see the different opinions. Mine personally is amboyna for shine and great look, along with desert ironwood. What's everybody else's favorite?


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## surveyzo (Jan 8, 2010)

I agree on the amboyna but a good mesquite burl is hard to beat.

Alonzo


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## mredburn (Jan 8, 2010)

Walnut crotch wood, Mesquite burl, and Curly Koa ar my favorite woods.


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## fishlux (Jan 8, 2010)

Either Apple or Honeylocust.  Both turn and finish well, are plentiful locally and are pretty.  They're also "different" enough that most people haven't seen them.  

Lux


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## les-smith (Jan 8, 2010)

Anything curly.  I love curly.  Curly is the theme of my collection of self made pens.  I love Aspen for it's smell, Camphor smeels good too.  But, my all time favorite beats em' all is any wicked burly deep dark brown Walnut.


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## rjwolfe3 (Jan 8, 2010)

Amboyna Burl is my go to wood. I love the smell turning it. I also love any olive wood.


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## TellicoTurning (Jan 8, 2010)

I don't really have a favorite wood, any that has good markings.


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## jleiwig (Jan 8, 2010)

I'm a curly fan as well. I think it's the Chatoyance


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## Slyotter (Jan 8, 2010)

*favorite wood(s)*

Pretty much any rosewood, and tulipwood....Aisian satinwood and koa as well!

Jerry


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## fiferb (Jan 8, 2010)

Anything with interesting grain or chatoyance.


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## keithlong (Jan 8, 2010)

Any wood that will make a good looking pen. I do love Black Walnut though.


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## workinforwood (Jan 8, 2010)

Apple is my favorite wood for all of it's qualities and Buckeye Burl is my second favorite because that wood just looks sinful!


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## bgibb42 (Jan 8, 2010)

I absolutely love maple.  It turns easily, finishes easily, stains well, dyes well, and any curly or quilted varieties almost always have stunning grain that's mesmerizing to look at.


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## JohnU (Jan 8, 2010)

Most anything with character (burls, knots, crotches), two tone heart / sap wood mixture, or spalt.


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## cnirenberg (Jan 8, 2010)

I'm a big fan of Amboyna Burl and Rosewood, no to metion a bit of BOW as well.


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## Jim Smith (Jan 8, 2010)

I love to turn Desert Ironwood as well as Rosewood, especially burl.

Jim Smith


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## bitshird (Jan 8, 2010)

Afzelia Burl, Osage Orange, Amboyna Burl, Rosewood Burl, and Olive wood and Desert Ironwood,


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## markgum (Jan 8, 2010)

love red mallee burl, but any wood in my shop is my favorite...


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## USAFVET98 (Jan 8, 2010)

I have to say Masur Birch is my favorite! From the coloring to the grain patterns.


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## drayman (Jan 8, 2010)

i love burls, any burls as long as its burl:biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:


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## broitblat (Jan 8, 2010)

In no particular order:

Amboyna
Red Mallee Burl
Olive (Jerusalem, Bethlehem, California)
Rosewood Burl
Black Ash Burl

  -Barry


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## Jmhoff10500 (Jan 8, 2010)

Vasicola Burl with a bit of sapwood!!! If i could use it for every pen, I would!


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## papaturner (Jan 8, 2010)

If it`s wood I love it. They all are unique and have their own characteristics.
Even the bland and common woods are great in their own special way. I`ll always be a wood man.:biggrin:


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## Grizz (Jan 8, 2010)

For pens.  I love Spalted Curly Mango.  Hard to find though.

For bowls and vases, Spalted Maple.  Have to get a little luck in finding or creating.

For Furniture, Mahogany or cherry.

For burning, anything that is a hard wood and plain.


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## RichB (Jan 8, 2010)

After working with Madrone I have to say it is a challenge but after that it is outstanding.  It is now my favorite.


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## jimbob91577 (Jan 8, 2010)

Favorite wood for spindle turning - Straight Grained Maple, Straight Grained Cherry
Favorite wood for pen turning - Amboyna Burl, Buckeye Burl, Maple Burl
Favorite wood for bowl turning - Russian Olive, Spalted Maple
Favorite wood for flat work - toss-up:  Quilted/Curly/Figured Maple, Mahogany, Oak
Favorite smelling wood: Olive, Cinnamon, Amboyna
Also ran's:  Horisties Burl, Mallee Burl, Black Walnut Burl, Olive Burl, Box Elder, maple burl, oak burl, cocobolo, padauk, holly, buckeye

Least Favorite List:
Materials that stink (literally): Antler, Ebony, Zebrawood, Acrylic
Hardest Materials To Turn: Horisties Burl, Alabaster , Balsa (seems to bend and flex really easily, which invariably causes the skew to make spirals or kindling), Lignum Vitae, Ebony

FWIW - I have one customer, who every year, orders 2-3 Antler pens for various people.  "She loves how pretty it is".  These are the only Antler pens I make anymore, and I dread  early November when she calls me to order them because I can't stand the way it smells.

I've only turned, or attempted to turn, alabaster once.  I couldn't get it to stay together, pieces would continuously crumble off of it.  I imagine that putting it in a pressure pot with some form of glue or something would help...but I don't have that setup at this time.


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## Rick_G (Jan 8, 2010)

Just about any burl, maple or walnut crotch wood.  I've got some maple crotch wood that puts some burls I have seen to shame.  Oh and especially free wood that has been saved from the firewood pile.


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## PenTurnerfromMaine (Jan 8, 2010)

Cocobolo


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## penmanship (Jan 8, 2010)

Amboyna Burl
B.O.W
in that order......


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## David Keller (Jan 8, 2010)

Any burl, cross-cut spalted hackberry, and desert ironwood.

Best single blank I ever turned was chinaberry burl...  cream and pale yellow and full of colorful bark inclusions.  Somebody gave it to me, and I've never seen another one.


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## witz1976 (Jan 8, 2010)

I too am a cocobolo fan, but I have some amboyna that I never turned yet...guess I will have to try it soon.  Oh, cherry burl is also nice to turn


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## krc0604 (Jan 8, 2010)

B-eye Maple and Walnut Burl.  Ebony is nice as well


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## Glenn McCullough (Jan 8, 2010)

Carolina cherry burl, followed by amboyna burl very closely.


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## the_benz (Jan 8, 2010)

1) Camateo
2) Masur Birch
3) Bois DeRose

When I can find some good pieces.

Gregg


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## willardz (Jan 8, 2010)

Ambroyna Burl, Olivewood, Curly and Birds Eye Maple, Rosewood


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## Sberger (Jan 8, 2010)

Any burl is great, but Cocobolo is elegant!


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## tseger (Jan 8, 2010)

My favorites are BOW and Honduras Rosewood Burl.


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## JakeAB (Jan 8, 2010)

1. Any wood I haven't tried yet (it's the journey, more so than the destination).
2. Any wood where my first attempt was less than stellar (I love a challenge).
3. Wood. Did I mention I love wood?


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## avbill (Jan 8, 2010)

*so many species of wood*

Desert Ironwood,  Ambrosia, burl   Masur Birch, Colobolo,  Mallee Burl,  Buckeye Burl, Curly Koa,  Curly Mango, Mesquite Burl, Bethlehem Olive wood 

three are my 10 favorite:biggrin:


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## Moosewatcher (Jan 8, 2010)

English Walnut.  It has conservative beauty.

Ken
Blue Bell, PA


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## dankc908 (Jan 9, 2010)

I'm kind of fond of "free wood".  Fortunately I have a friend who is an 'up-scale' finish carpenter and he keeps me supplied in a lot of nice woods!

Dan


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## www (Jan 9, 2010)

curly koa, maple burl, and Amboyna Burl


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## lorbay (Jan 9, 2010)

Yellow Cedar Burl and Amboyna Burl for me.

Lin.


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## TellicoTurning (Jan 9, 2010)

TellicoTurning said:


> I don't really have a favorite wood, any that has good markings.



This is what I said earlier, but if you make me choose one wood, probably would go with Bocote... some beautiful grain in this wood.


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## USAFVET98 (Jan 9, 2010)

Try x-cut red palm!  If you like a challenge, you will love that!..



JakeAB said:


> 1. Any wood I haven't tried yet (it's the journey, more so than the destination).
> 2. Any wood where my first attempt was less than stellar (I love a challenge).
> 3. Wood. Did I mention I love wood?


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## John Eberly (Jan 9, 2010)

*Favorite Wood*

I have to say, it's the wood that got me started in turning - Figured, spalted, flamed, insect eaten, North American beech.

I live in the middle of the Lake Michigan dune ecosystem, and these trees are everywhere.  They often die and stand dead, spalting very rapidly.  I cut up the top of one that fell on my street, and seeing that wood sent me to Craig's List to buy a lathe.

I've turned lots of other great stuff since, including Aussie burls, African, and South American exotics, but nothing beats beech for figure, complexity, and challenge - it's hard stuff.


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## mdburn_em (Jan 9, 2010)

Curly Koa
Two-tone Amboyna Burl
Pomelle Bubinga
Caragana

Order varies by my mood


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## Smitty37 (Jan 9, 2010)

*favorite wood*

Whatever is in the lathe...there are so many nice woods that I couldn't pick a favorite.  I am surprised that many of my customers don't pick what I think are the nicest woods when they are choosing a pen.


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## thewishman (Jan 9, 2010)

Buckeye burl is my favorite. Buckeye burl is also one of my least favorite.


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## Scotchman-Turner (Jan 9, 2010)

Amboyna burl is still my favorite to work with


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