# Rarest Woods in the World



## YORKGUM

As part of a conversation I was having with Rare Woods I was asked to ask to start a new thread about just what people consider are the rarest woods in the world.  Some of you have been collecting for many years and have knowledge about the rarity of woods and how hard it is to find them.  Well, my thought was, let's make a list or talk about it.  Not only would it be fun but very educational.  Please include whether the woods are burls or not. Even historical woods can be listed.  

Let's start it out by listing these.

*1 Tzu-t'an
2 Huanghuali, Huali
3 Jichimu, qizimu
4  jinsi **Nanmu*
* 5 Tortoise Shell  Quilted Mahogany*
* 6 American Smoke Tree burl, Chittam wood (Cotinus Obovatus)*


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## marcruby

Cocobolo Burl is hard to find as well

Marc


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## amosfella

Blue mahoe never seen a burl, but they are said to exist.


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## Gary Max

American Chestnut Burl
Remember when Dario had some??????????


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## Rarest wood

off the top of my head there are a few more that have to be put in 
including 
*coromandel ebony* its different to macassar ebony which is similar but coromandel ebony is widlyfigured and looks like the finest rosewood until you take a close look. 
proper *Cuban mahogany* particulaly the *san domingo* variety is also quite rare and again looks similar to old rosewood. simple *sandalwood* is also very rare and quite expensive. *Rio/brazilian rosewood* is rare but theres plenty about but not letting it out rare. it would probably be good to do rarity by county that might be easier *sabicu* or horsflesh mahogany is a timber ide like to try but have never found. *Indian silver grey* is also another rare timber mostly used for veneers. *amboyna *is quite rare actualy some timbers are rare but common like some trees in the UK get infected with certain organisms like clorosplenum which turn the timber green quite valuable also *tiger/brown oak* also turned brown by another fungas.  Ime not sure that snakewood is as rare as they say or to that matter pink ivory either but there still lovely timbers. *west indian satinwood *(*fustic*) as oposed to east indian satinwood there are others that deserve to be in this list


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## YoYoSpin

Putumuju - beautiful tight grained peach colored wood


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## keithkarl2007

irish bog yew is supposed to be quite rare along with bog pine and ash


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## Darrin

The rarest wood for me is the one I turn that comes out they way I planned it.


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## arjudy

The one I need and don't have on hand!!:biggrin:


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## NewLondon88

pine?

ok, I'm not good at this.


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## Dario

Gary Max said:


> American Chestnut Burl
> Remember when Dario had some??????????



I actually still have a small slab :biggrin:


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## spiritwoodturner

How about New Zealand Kauri? Also, I've been told Thuya is functionally extinct, and if that's true, the only thing left is root burls they dig up in Morrocco.

Dale


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## NewLondon88

Dario said:


> I actually still have a small slab :biggrin:



I'll trade you Park Place and Boardwalk.. :biggrin:


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## Darrin

Yorkgum, I caught your earlier post ..........LOL


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## YORKGUM

Darrin said:


> Yorkgum, I caught your earlier post ..........LOL




You mean about being so old that any wood I sport is rare?  Well, I didn't want to be crass. hahaha.  I wood like to keep this post on track though. It "wood" be helpful to know what to keep my eyes open for.


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## Nickfff

pink ivory BURL


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## rjwolfe3

how bout good looking two-toned rosewood?


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## L1Truckie

NewLondon88 said:


> pine?
> 
> ok, I'm not good at this.


 

New London, actually your very good at this....I have some rare Missouri White Pine that I can let go for around $100.00 a board foot....either cut up or still in the bark....your choice  It comes from our K4 Ranch where we also drink our very rare Beaver Creek Bourbon...which comes straight out of a tap!!!!


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## Lulanrt

*Bog Wood*

What about bog Hickory has anyone ever seen it before? I have some bog oak and bog hickory that was dated between 9,000 to 15,000 years old. This wood was excavated while digging a pond along the Ohio River Valley in WV. First time I have ever seen or heard of it.


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## GouletPens

YORKGUM said:


> As part of a conversation I was having with Rare Woods I was asked to ask to start a new thread about just what people consider are the rarest woods in the world. Some of you have been collecting for many years and have knowledge about the rarity of woods and how hard it is to find them. Well, my thought was, let's make a list or talk about it. Not only would it be fun but very educational. Please include whether the woods are burls or not. Even historical woods can be listed.
> 
> Let's start it out by listing these.
> 
> 1 Tzu-t'an
> 2 Huanghuali, Huali
> 3 Jichimu, qizimu
> 4 Nanmu jinsi
> 5 tortoiseshell figure honduras rosewood
> 6 smoke tree burl, chittum wood


Yorkgum: SWEET avatar....man did I spend a lot of hours in college playing that game instead of studying.....


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## YORKGUM

GouletPens said:


> Yorkgum: SWEET avatar....man did I spend a lot of hours in college playing that game instead of studying.....




I'm in love with the movie. Finally a Hitman that doesn't fall in love with some  broad.:befuddled:


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## leehljp

Japanese ebony persimmon.

I have a few very small pieces of Japanese persimmon (Kaki) that are ebony. Even in googling Japanese persimmon in Japanese, you can't find any ebony kaki boards. Most have streaks of black or are a medium chocolate brown at best.

1" X 10" X 5 ft went for $800 several years ago. A friend had about 6 of those and spent nearly $5000 for them. I still have picts of those.

I have inquired with procurers of unique wood here, Home remodelers, and others. Most say it doesn't exist, but when I show picts of it or even a pen made from it, I get stares of disbelief and responses that they have never seen that. I didn't know how rare it was when I was in its presence. I did find some 3 years ago at a local store that specializes in it. Sizes were 1 1/2" X 10" by 5/8 to 3/4 and were about $10.00. I bought all that they had - about 10 at the time and used them or traded them. The store says that they can't get anymore.


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## Dario

Hank,

Local TX persimmon have white sapwood but the heart are ebony colored.  It does take decades to get good sized heart wood though.  One tree I collected was about 50 years old (I was told) and the ebony heart is just pencil sized.   It might be the same for Kaki.  I've read that Japan have a lot of Kaki trees...it may be worth checking if you see/hear an old tree down.


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## spiritwoodturner

I wonder what it is about persimmon in general as far as not being able to get sizeable, quality pieces of it. I golf, and my first set of really good clubs was a set of PowerBilt woods and irons, the woods being persimmon. I was told at the time they may be the last of the quality they were, because persimmon no longer was available in the quality PowerBilt demanded. I guess that worked out OK, since within about 3 years wood was dead as far as golf clubs went. No shortage of Titanium...

Is persimmon an unusually slow-growing wood? I would think if it was that valuable, even in Japan someone would plant a grove of them with an eye to the future. Where to we get our persimmon fruit these days, if not the American south?

Just wonderin',
Dale


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## Dario

Dale,

I heard that it takes years to treat/cure persimmon wood before it becomes a golf club.  A friend said his dad had a contract with golf club makers to soak dried persimmon blanks in peanut oil for 5 years to get the nice patina.  This is as you mentioned, before the shift from wood to metal clubs and the prep time (translates to cost too) might have to do with that decision as well.

Persimmon is one of the few woods that can take impact well that is why it makes good mallets too.


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## Nickfff

Shittim, Setim {Acacia seyal}. The ark, tables, altars were made from it. 

Cedar of Lebanon {Cedrus libani}. 

Amazon Rosewood {Dalbergia spruceana} sometimes sold by the trade name
of Jacarandá


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## Roy_Quast

I have a piece of pink ivory that is burled, then fiddled backed, then burled again, then fiddled again, all on the same piece that is 8 inches by 2 3/4 th inches, by 3/4th inches. I bought it from Cook Woods off ebay about 10 years ago for $100.00. I still don't know what I'm goning to make out of it, but I knew that if I didn't get it then, I would never see another one like it. 
Roy


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## leehljp

Dario said:


> Hank,
> 
> Local TX persimmon have white sapwood but the heart are ebony colored.  It does take decades to get good sized heart wood though.  One tree I collected was about 50 years old (I was told) and the ebony heart is just pencil sized.   It might be the same for Kaki.  I've read that Japan have a lot of Kaki trees...it may be worth checking if you see/hear an old tree down.



Dario,

No one has told me this but that is what I figured. In the US, we used to talk about heart pine. Now, few people seem to really know what that is. It does take time (considerable time) for the heart wood to show and grow to a decent size. I don't think it grows as much as "ages" from within while it is still growing. And I think it has to be something like you mentioned in the 50+ year range.

I have been watching for trees to be "cut" but haven't found any yet. I have contact with a fellow who knew of some kaki trees that were blown over in a typhoon 4 years ago. He mentioned black streaks in it. But when I sent him a pict of what I was looking for, he was astounded. He had never seen kaki that black and consistent before. Nothing on the internet here shows up like the picts that I took some years ago.

Another question for you:
I occasionally find some ebony from SE Asia that is almost identical. It does have a few medium dark brown streaks in the black identical to the colors in the kaki here. Do you know of "persimmons" in the Philippines, or Indonesia? The only information that I can get is that it is SE Asia ebony.


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## Dario

Hank,

I cheater and googled/wiki and this is what I came up with

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persimmon
http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/mabolo.html

If mabolo is persimmon as mentioned, then yes, we do have a lot back home.  I used to eat the fruit but never saw the wood.  I never heard the wood used commercially.


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## Dario

Hank...more

http://www.marketmanila.com/archives/mabolo-kamagong
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamagong

If it is kamagong (which I didn't know)...then it is commercially used.  Very hard and good wood.  We used to have a lot but over harvesting made them scarce now.

"Mabolo tree is not only useful for its shade & fruit but the wood is higly priced because it is used as grip for ornamental knives in the philippines, it is used for grip or handle of custome made philippine pistols and revolvers in fact some of the vintage COLT 45 pistols of law enforcement personnel and Philippine shooting club members were made of mabolo wood (known locally as kamagong).

It is known for its red sapwood and black heartwood. It is the ebony in the philippines.

It is native in the Philippines, in fact it was used by known MACTAN CHIETAIN LAPULAPU to defend MACTAN ISLAND during the Battle of Mactan.

Some scholars & historian believed that this wood was used by LAPULAPU to kill Magellan.

Its specific gravity is 1.2, making its inclusion as one of the iron wood in the world. "


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## leehljp

Dario said:


> Hank...more
> 
> http://www.marketmanila.com/archives/mabolo-kamagong
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamagong
> 
> It is known for its red sapwood and black heartwood. It is the ebony in the philippines.
> 
> Its specific gravity is 1.2, making its inclusion as one of the iron wood in the world. "



I haven't seen the red sap wood on it, just the heartwood. What I see in one store  - it comes in 1 1/2 x 1 1/2 by 12 inches and smaller. Those run about $20.00, are hard and black. No country origin is listed. Thanks for the links.


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## YORKGUM

Nickfff said:


> Shittim, Setim {Acacia seyal}. The ark, tables, altars were made from it.
> 
> Cedar of Lebanon {Cedrus libani}.
> 
> Amazon Rosewood {Dalbergia spruceana} sometimes sold by the trade name
> of Jacarandá



Photo of an Acacia blank.


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## rjwolfe3

I have a bunch of Acacia that I got from a cutting board.  Haven't turned any yet but will get to it some time.


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## Dario

Note that there are several types of acacia.  

My favorite acacia is curly KOA :biggrin:


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## rjwolfe3

Correct, from Wikipedia:
There are roughly 1300 species of _Acacia_ worldwide, about 960 of them native to Australia, with the remainder spread around the tropical to warm-temperate regions of both hemispheres, including Africa, southern Asia, and the Americas.


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## Russianwolf

Griffin Exotics has some Shittim (biblical acacia type) listed, he's not always good about removing the "add to cart" buttons when he's out of stock though.

I may have a lead on some African Blackwood Burl. 

I've got two people expecting Purpleheart Burl that I'm on the "Call when it arrives" list.

One wood that I once saw on ebay, and now regret not grabbing it when I could is Blue Katalox. It was nearly sky blue. gorgeous wood. man I wish I had known I wouldn't see it again.


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## YORKGUM

Russianwolf said:


> Griffin Exotics has some Shittim (biblical acacia type) listed, he's not always good about removing the "add to cart" buttons when he's out of stock though.
> 
> I may have a lead on some African Blackwood Burl.
> 
> I've got two people expecting Purpleheart Burl that I'm on the "Call when it arrives" list.
> 
> One wood that I once saw on ebay, and now regret not grabbing it when I could is Blue Katalox. It was nearly sky blue. gorgeous wood. man I wish I had known I wouldn't see it again.




Just received my order from Giffith. Better get in on it before they're gone.


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## garypeck

leehljp said:


> Japanese ebony persimmon.
> 
> I have a few very small pieces of Japanese persimmon (Kaki) that are ebony. Even in googling Japanese persimmon in Japanese, you can't find any ebony kaki boards. Most have streaks of black or are a medium chocolate brown at best.
> 
> 1" X 10" X 5 ft went for $800 several years ago. A friend had about 6 of those and spent nearly $5000 for them. I still have picts of those.
> 
> I have inquired with procurers of unique wood here, Home remodelers, and others. Most say it doesn't exist, but when I show picts of it or even a pen made from it, I get stares of disbelief and responses that they have never seen that. I didn't know how rare it was when I was in its presence. I did find some 3 years ago at a local store that specializes in it. Sizes were 1 1/2" X 10" by 5/8 to 3/4 and were about $10.00. I bought all that they had - about 10 at the time and used them or traded them. The store says that they can't get anymore.


 
Hi Hank,

I think these are the ones you are looking for.....except that its called a different name over here......

The smaller wood on the right is again different...notice that there are litlle brown dots??  These are like segmented wood..... they run down the whole stem.......this is also pretty rare


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## leehljp

garypeck said:


> Hi Hank,
> 
> I think these are the ones you are looking for.....except that its called a different name over here......
> 
> The smaller wood on the right is again different...notice that there are litlle brown dots??  These are like segmented wood..... they run down the whole stem.......this is also pretty rare



Those are unique picts. I have never seen that kind. Kaki is a little different as the brown is in "layers" between black. 

It might be a couple of days, but I will try to post a pict of Kaki.


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## Daniel

I am not a collector or shopping for rare woods all that much. But I have heard comments that truly quality cherry burl is very hard to find. I have seen comments from some vendors that they actually looked for years to find any of the quality they wanted.


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## Dario

Daniel,

"Truly Quality" is hard to define.  I've seen so much cherry burl that I believe high quality cherry burl are not that rare.  That is by MY standards. 

IF they are referring to quality (figure, color, and solid size)...then that is a different story since the best I've seen have lots of inclusions or not that solid.  They tend to get better with age but rot gets to some parts before that is reached.  Getting high quality cherry burl pen blanks should not be a problem though.


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## garypeck

leehljp said:


> Those are unique picts. I have never seen that kind. Kaki is a little different as the brown is in "layers" between black.
> 
> It might be a couple of days, but I will try to post a pict of Kaki.


 
This may be a better picture of it.....

First pic of it...... in its raw form....

2nd pic.... after its been made into a "gemstone" and ploished....


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## bitshird

This has been a great thread, I've learned a bunch, thanks guys.


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## ken69912001

i would think that Chittam (Smoketree)Burl is getting very rare.


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## OldWrangler

Two of my favorite "rare woods" are wood from trees that grow in my back yard. One is an Orchid Tree (Bauhinia chinensis) with big 6" scented white flowers all spring and into the summer. The other is a Contorted Mulberry ( Morus alba "Unryh"), truly an odd sight, with its gnarled and twisted branches. ...
 I have never seen even a blank for sale of either. Both trees get pruned every year or two and it nets me some great stuff wood. The pens from both are gorgeous and sell quickly.


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## YORKGUM

Nickfff said:


> Shittim, Setim {Acacia seyal}. The ark, tables, altars were made from it.
> 
> Cedar of Lebanon {Cedrus libani}.
> 
> Amazon Rosewood {Dalbergia spruceana} sometimes sold by the trade name
> of Jacarandá



Here's a pic of some shiitum blanks I just picked up. They are from the Sinai Desert.


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## keithkarl2007

irish bog pine and bog willow, going to see some next wednesday. Hope i get enough of each for 2 pens


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