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What's the deal on India Rosewood?

odie

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In the past two days, I'v sold all three of my India Rosewood bowls. Two of them to one customer in a stand alone invoice. He was obviously looking specifically for India Rosewood. Something must be up.

I see this:
https://reverb.com/news/new-cites-regulations-for-all-rosewood-species
.....but, that isn't very recent.

I do have some India rosewood stashed away, and maybe the price I ask for a finished piece should reflect some (unknown to me) new information about this wood.....?????

-----odie-----

edit:
The reason for the billion-dollar demand for rosewood - and the subsequent trafficking - has less to do with musical instruments and much more to do with furniture.

In particular, China’s high-end furniture market created enormous demand that led to severe deforestation of several Dalbergia species in Thailand, Vietnam, and several other countries.
 
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Buy more blanks....inventory what sells.....some turners say that is why they use a shinie finish; because that is what sells....rule of the crow
 

Bill Boehme

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I have a number of pieces of rosewood and cocobolo ... most of it has been lying around in my shop for 10 to 20 years. It's disappointing to see that various species of dalbergia may become endangered or extinct for no reason other than greed.
 

odie

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Knee-jerk reactions to the problems of humanity's overindulgence by the environmentalist extremists can be just as undisciplined (causing unintended consequences) as those whose only appetite is satisfied by the lust for, and acquisition of money. There is a certain "tunnel vision" by the former, in their reaction to the problem by attempting to eliminate the demand. This only exacerbates the problem, because it creates a black market that will supply a demand that cannot, nor ever will be completely eliminated. The more intelligent solution is for humanity to regulate the supply, rather than attempt to artificially eliminate the demand. I don't have the answers, but the solutions to these environmental problems will only be had by looking for answers that are applied with more "vision" than either of the extreme elements of the problem.

To my knowledge, India is one of the few countries in that region that does regulate the supply of export forest products. I do not know if their efforts are succeeding in managing their forests, or not......but, I believe certain other countries might be completely at the mercy of corrupt entrepreneurs and government officials.

In recent times, our own country, the USA, has been over-regulated by the influence of extreme environmentalism.....to the extent that under-harvesting of our wood products is resulting in dangerous fire hazards in our forests. In ancient times, nature took care of this by letting the forests burn......and, we are completing the natural cyclic methods of forest management. Man can do better than this, by allowing the supply to service the demand, and in the process, create jobs and financial benefits. There, too.....it must be regulated......not over, or under regulated. There too, I'm just a very insignificant voice in the wilderness, and don't have the ability to find, or implement the solutions we need to prevail over greed, or knee-jerk environmental solutions.

-----odie-----
 
Last edited:

hockenbery

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to the extent that under-harvesting of our wood products is resulting in dangerous fire hazards in our forests. In ancient times, nature took care of this by letting the forests burn...

A hundred + years of Fire suppression has transformed fires from a 5-10 year cyclic maintainance of the forest to destructive fires that kill the trees.

The old growth forests were maintained by fire. The fire would burn through and not reach the canopy.
When fires are prevented the understory fuel and litter accumulate and the fire burns hotter and longer reaching the canopy.

Another issue is the reforested areas tend to burn in the canopy because the trees all the same age closer together than nature would plant them make canopy fires more likely.

Historically the old growth forest burned a least once every 5-10 years. Few trees were killed by the fire because it rarely reached the canopy.

Modern management techniques intentionally burn the forests in our area.
 

odie

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Modern management techniques intentionally burn the forests in our area.

The Forest Service in Montana used to have regular "controlled burns", as they were called at the time. This was back in the 80's, when I was more aware of forest management operations. Yes.....I do believe these burns are proper, and logically applied to areas where Mother Nature has been denied her more natural way to manage forest growth. I don't recall any controlled burns for quite a few years......if they still have them. I do know that the logging industry has been severely limited, causing many loggers to be unemployed, and lumber mills shutting down. I worked in one of the major lumber mills that was shut down by questionable lawsuits brought about by (well funded) extremest environmental groups, and compliant activist judicial decisions. Prior to that, I also worked as a "hooker" with a "high lead" logging operation for several years before I was hired by the main lumber mill in my neck of the woods. All this was quite a long time ago, and since then I've not been connected to the lumber industry in any capacity.......

-----odie-----
 
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odie, so you went from cutting timber to turning it?
Bumper sticker: Save our jobs. Eat a spotted owl.
 

Dennis J Gooding

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Interesting that this thread has turned to forest fires. The Chetco Bar fire, probably the biggest in the nation currently, is burning a few tens of miles of where I live in Southern Oregon. It has spread to over 220 square miles so far and is producing smoke in my area that limits visibility to under a mile.
 
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Dennnis, sorry to hear of the big fire- loss of timber and wildlife habitat, and recreation opportunities. My wife and I were in Albuquerque last year. Several fires- I recall Sandia Mountain outside the city and one east near the town of Moriarity. My BIL and SIL were in Gatlinburg a week ago and they were astounded at the destruction from the fire. Many businesses and homes were totally destroyed. The AAW magazine has an article about Arrowmont- lost a couple of buildings but seem to be going to operate this winter.
 
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Arrowmont is operating now, our club, CMW, had a 4 day session there in the Spring and my wife went ot 4 day WIT session at the end of August.
 

odie

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From the wood database:
Workability: East Indian Rosewood can be difficult to work with tools because of its interlocked grain and density. The wood can sometimes contain chalky deposits that will rapidly dull cutting edges. Glues and finishes well.

I think I ran into a piece of EIR that has the chalky deposits.......man, this stuff will completely dull a sharp tool in less than one second! Goes from sharp to can't cut at all just that quick! That sounds crazy, but it's true. It's going to take me forever to finish this piece, if I have to resharpen that often.....:(

-----odie-----
 

odie

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Roughed four more of these East India Rosewood bowls today.......not a problem with these. I'm thankful for that, because the one that kept dulling my tools so quick was really miserable......and took forever just to rough it out. All of them were running about 16% MC.

-----odie-----

IMG_3128 (2).JPG
 

Bill Boehme

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Roughed four more of these East India Rosewood bowls today.......not a problem with these. I'm thankful for that, because the one that kept dulling my tools so quick was really miserable......and took forever just to rough it out. All of them were running about 16% MC.

I've encountered a couple pieces of wood like that. One was a green piece of black walnut and the other was live oak. Carbide scrapers managed to do the job on the live oak, but not before wearing out two of them. I can't remember for certain, but I believe that I used a 50 grit sanding belt as my "turning tool" for the black walnut. The walnut became the handle for a Thompson detail gouge.
 
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