Imagine If

[charlie b]

Am building Das Lathe Bench for the JET mini/midi. Got a 10 foot length of redwood 5x6 for the sled base from an arborist/ sawyer friend .

This is NOT the Borg redwood fence post type stuff those living in CA are familiar with. This is fairly tight grained heartwood. After joining and planing I just had to oil a piece to pop the grain. This stuff is A-Freakin-Gorre-Jus! Until you pick it up (or press your finger nail in it) you'd think it was rosewood. Works like mahogany - with both power and hand tools. Chops and pairs nicely, planes and scrapes glass smooth. AND you don't need to fill any pores.

That got me imagining.

Imagine if

- redwood were harder

- eucalyptus, in its hundreds of varieties, was easier to work (and glue)

- purple heart and padouk color wouldn't change over time

- zebra wood and the like weren't so damn brittle

Got more - other than "if hardwoods weren't sp expensive"?

charlie b (who some day will at least do a quick project - dirty is out of the question)

-

[ljaques]

On Thu, 16 Feb 2006 08:02:55 -0800, with neither quill nor qualm, charlie b quickly quoth:

Bbbbut, how does it pare? ;)

My slab of old heart redwood (mantle) is a nice piece like that. 'Twas from the mid Sixties. I had fun removing the RBS from it and redoing it with Waterlox and wax.

It is. It's called Jarrah and it comes from Oz. ;)

-snip-

...people used hardwood in the color they wanted vs. staining the shit out of pineywood.

...people used the same care and time with finishing that they did for wood selection and the production of the piece.

Yeah, you'll do that the same day I finish the bow saur, huh? Bwahahahaha!