There's plenty number of endemic species in East Asia, not all of them are good for furniture making though, too soft or too expensive. Somehow Japanese people L O V E big slab table with natural edge, not because it's Nakashima style, (most people don't even know about him) but it just simply look bare natural. So it's really really expensive to get wide and good looking plank here.
Anyway, that's not only reason I get relatively small piece. Simply I hardly know about Japanese species so I wanted to collect good stuff as much and as soon as possible.
No.1 Kempo-Nashi (Japanese raisin tree)
Hard enough to make cabinet. Japanese traditional box makers (Sashimono-shi) love to use it. (means expensive.) Has lovely orange-ish colour.
No.2 Sassafras
Not Japanese. It was included in $50-set which lumber guy selected. Look like afrormosia but you can use hand plane.
No.3 Keyaki (Zelkova)
Super famous specie in Japan. You'll see this wood everywhere here. If you want one, you better off get one as old as possible. Mostly used in flat-sawn.
No.4 Tamo
A member of Ash family, I reckon. Not as hard as White Ash in North America. Though they usually come from Russia.
No.5 Nara
Close to White Oak. Commonly used to make furniture, inevitably boring. Nothing wrong with this wood, it's poor design's fault. Someone need to stop them making dull-looking furniture.
No.6 Kuri (Japanese Chestnut)
Look like Ash or Oak but Chestnut actually. Great wood for furniture. Its nuts taste pretty good too.
No.7 Inu-enju
Look like Black Walnut but completely different. Seems it doesn't grow big, and quite light. I'm making dull-looking book case with this, sorry wood.
Next post: a trip to Takayama
3 コメント:
Sweet! That raisin tree looks nice. that Narra looks nothing like the Narra I have!? Remember the stuff at IP? That's what I have. The grain is pretty wild but overall straight and is a shimmery gold/yellow color. I have seen quieter Narra somewhere in between what I have and what you seem to have... strange.
I just got wood too! But haven't had the time to make a post about it yet heh
i thought most narra comes from like thailand and stuff, but yeah that looks nothing like the stuff ive seen!
i read up on zelkova and heard it was SUPER soft, it seems like most japanese woods are super soft woods
ah, they pronouns same. I should've written "Konara" or "Mizunara". Anyway Mine is Oak yet slightly different from English Oak.
I don't who wrote about Japanese Zelkova but he/she must have gotten no good woodworker/dealer friend. Of course it's sapwood is soft. And heartwood hardness widely varies according to the environment. Usually it's as hard as Walnut.
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