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Post by sdb777 on Feb 5, 2010 13:34:32 GMT -6
Was wondering what the most expensive piece of wood you have ever turned would be? And how much did you pay for it?
Was thinking about trying something exotic, but I'm somewhat dismayed about the price of something that small. Hopefully some of the answers given to this topic will give me the 'courage'(for lack of a better word) to make the commitment, and write the check!
So let me hear it!!!
By the way, I'm thinking along the lines of Ziricote, or maybe Imbuia Burl.
Scott (alot for a little bitey piece) B
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Post by TDHofstetter on Feb 5, 2010 13:43:54 GMT -6
That's a really hard call... I've turned quite a few pieces of exotics. Bloodwood, ziricote, bocote, kingwood, marblewood, a couple different rosewoods, philippine ebony (black as a tire), tulipwood... a number of others. It's definitely worth the experience.
I never did keep very close track of how much any of 'em cost me; I tend to agonize over the price till the "commit" button is clicked on the vendor's Website, then instantly blank the price out of my head.
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Post by Ruffnek on Feb 5, 2010 14:19:28 GMT -6
I'm pretty sure I've never paid for a piece of turning wood. I have more free, local wood available than I will ever be able to turn.
Edit In: I guess the most expensive I've turned would be a piece of local Sweetgum because I sold the bowl for $125. ;D
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Post by triplefreak on Feb 5, 2010 14:29:22 GMT -6
Call me a liar or whatever. I'm a member of an AAW club. This old guy came in one day with a humongous piece of ebony burl in the back of his truck. He asked if anyone wanted it. I spoke up right away & said if it'd fit in my car, I'd take it.
Well, it didn't exactly fit, but I took it anyway. I drove 30+ miles with this humongous piece of wood sticking out my car trunk.
I didn't even know what it was, until I did a little research, thanks to Google.
I ended up selling it for $750. Had I known what it was before I sold it, I probably could've gotten 3 times that amount from it.
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sawduster
Moderator 
The Motley Crew
Posts: 1,831
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Post by sawduster on Feb 5, 2010 15:03:08 GMT -6
A friend gave me a smallish piece of ebony, no clue where it came from, and I made a pen and a few center bands for other pens out of it. I think I ended up giving the pen away, because it lingered on my website for quite a time, even at only a small premium over the other pens, with no takers.
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Post by sachbvn on Feb 5, 2010 17:47:14 GMT -6
Scott, Check out www.woodturningz.com - you will find a lot of cool blanks for only .95 each - plus they do flat rate shipping - so that isn't bad either. Think about it.... 2 bucks a pen kit (let's just say slim lines from WT) plus a .95 blank - under three bucks you have a really nice looking pen. The most expensive blank I've ever bought..... there was a Thuya Burl blank I bought from WT and busted in on the lathe..... 6.00 I think it was.... I've bought several 5.00 blanks - well..... those were all wood - I did buy a coffee bean blank that was more like 7 bucks or just over....maybe 7.50. To be honest though... I wanted to try EVERYTHING.... I could have easily lived off of scraps for my entire lifetime of pen making. If you are going to buy a blank - three blanks that all cost .95 each that are pretty cool and easy to turn are: Cocobolo, Zebrawood, and Bocote. Ziricote is kind of cool but a little more difficult to turn - IMO. Zac |
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Post by TDHofstetter on Feb 5, 2010 18:26:36 GMT -6
Zebrawood. Zebrano. That's another I've turned. Kinda' neat stuff, but I sure like bloodwood & kingwood, though.
Ziricote's goofy. When I got it, mine looked like a badly weathered, burned-out fencepost. Turned, it took a polish that was STUNNING.
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Post by sachbvn on Feb 5, 2010 19:02:20 GMT -6
Ewww eww eww.... kingwood - that is another that is pretty nice to turn, and looks REALLY good!
Zac
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monty
WoW Member
Posts: 147
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Post by monty on Feb 5, 2010 19:58:57 GMT -6
Ya'll are rank amateurs. I've paid as much as $60 for a piece of Chittam Wood or American Smoketree burl (very difficult to find). I was able to get two pen blanks out of it so that come to $30 a pen blank.
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Doug B
WoW Member
[b]Rescued Firewood[/b]
Posts: 1,938
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Post by Doug B on Feb 5, 2010 22:07:21 GMT -6
I paid $55.99/BF for some Macassar Ebony LOML picked out for me to make her a pen and pencil set out of one time. I got something less than half a board foot and I still have a good sized chunk of it left for something special. That's the most I have paid for any wood.
The most I've paid for a single pen blank is $32.00 for Rattlesnake. I'm guessing there is some hazard pay included in that price ;D
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Doug B
WoW Member
[b]Rescued Firewood[/b]
Posts: 1,938
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Post by Doug B on Feb 5, 2010 22:10:02 GMT -6
...paid as much as $60 for a piece of Chittam Wood... Monty, I don't see how you can sell your CA so cheaply when you are wasting all that money on Chit wood ;D |
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