I got a question in my inbox by Dean Center. He suggested I answer here. He was wondering if we can still get Kou in Hawaii. If you read my article on Woodturning magazine last month, lol, you would know that True Kou become almost extinct in the mid 1800's. An introduced beetle almost wiped them out. It was the preferred wood of the ancient Hawaiians because is easy to work with. At the same time the very first English turners showed up here, and they were able to turn Koa and Koa'ia. That was the beginning of the declined of the ancient Hawaiian calabash maker with traditional tools. Most of the new parking lots in Hawaii in the last 40 years started planting Tahitian Kou. Also a Cordia species. Very hard to tell them apart except for the color of the flowers. The native Cordia Subcordiata Kou has light orange-orange flowers.
When visiting my good friend Big Island Woodturner John Mydock, a native Hawaiian showed up with a load of Milo and Kou. I quickly arranged for a big pallet load to come to Maui. I felt like I won the lottery!! True Kou! The step by step on how to make a puahala calabash on this month woodturning magazine is a piece of Kou from that shipment. I also love to turn Milo. Getting harder to find, but its ore available than Kou. Got a little piece of Naio, a very hard dense wood, I was able to make a small box with threads. I also got a small piece of Kauila, super hard and dense. I made a lid with threads for a box. Hawaiians used it for the tip of the spears and other war things like clubs... Another favorite wood of the Hawaiian was Kamani. Not to be confused with the False Kamani, an introduced species. Very nice wood, available but hard to find. I just made a box that was treated with Cactus Juice...
We also get lots and lots of Macadamia nut, because the price of the nut went down, entire plantations have shut down, and here some subdivisions came up in former Macadamia Nut plantations. You look at it the wrong way and it splits on you. You cut it, stop to drink water and the log cracks in half... Natural edges are really nice. Another wood is Lychee, my second favorite for chasing threads, very nice wood, if you are lucky you might get a curly piece... We also have lots of Manila Tamarind, smells like gun powder when you turn it, dense wood. We have a lot of Kiawe, the king of threads so far, its native of Peru, planted here for the first time in 1835 by a priest. Its White Algarrobo, truly an invasive species, covering a lot land. Main use is fence posts and BBQ...
Well, yes, I like to write, lol. Aloha from Maui
When visiting my good friend Big Island Woodturner John Mydock, a native Hawaiian showed up with a load of Milo and Kou. I quickly arranged for a big pallet load to come to Maui. I felt like I won the lottery!! True Kou! The step by step on how to make a puahala calabash on this month woodturning magazine is a piece of Kou from that shipment. I also love to turn Milo. Getting harder to find, but its ore available than Kou. Got a little piece of Naio, a very hard dense wood, I was able to make a small box with threads. I also got a small piece of Kauila, super hard and dense. I made a lid with threads for a box. Hawaiians used it for the tip of the spears and other war things like clubs... Another favorite wood of the Hawaiian was Kamani. Not to be confused with the False Kamani, an introduced species. Very nice wood, available but hard to find. I just made a box that was treated with Cactus Juice...
We also get lots and lots of Macadamia nut, because the price of the nut went down, entire plantations have shut down, and here some subdivisions came up in former Macadamia Nut plantations. You look at it the wrong way and it splits on you. You cut it, stop to drink water and the log cracks in half... Natural edges are really nice. Another wood is Lychee, my second favorite for chasing threads, very nice wood, if you are lucky you might get a curly piece... We also have lots of Manila Tamarind, smells like gun powder when you turn it, dense wood. We have a lot of Kiawe, the king of threads so far, its native of Peru, planted here for the first time in 1835 by a priest. Its White Algarrobo, truly an invasive species, covering a lot land. Main use is fence posts and BBQ...
Well, yes, I like to write, lol. Aloha from Maui