However, due to the commercial scarcity of some woods, resorting to auction sites such as Ebay or Etsy may be the only way to obtain some desirable domestic, or in some cases exotic imported, species that are not routinely commercially harvested. The potential risks of buying in these marketplaces have to be balanced against the desire to work with a specific species of wood. That is inherently an individual decision.
I also realize that many, if not most, wood workers do not have endangered species lists memorized, therefore I think it worthwhile and important to do even a small amount of research before purchasing any lumber, domestic as well as imported, to be certain of the potential impact you are having, even in a small way, on threatened or endangered populations. This information is easy to come by and takes only minutes to locate through any Internet search engine, including those you can access on your phone as you are standing in the lumber yard or store. Unfortunately, you simply cannot count on a vendor to tell you a product they are selling is endangered.
Health Hazards:
There are no known reports regarding health effects related to working with Almond. As always, caution is essential until you are certain you are not sensitive to Almond.
It is important to remember that although many people may, or may not, be sensitive to any given wood, the only experience that truly counts is your own, so use reported side effects as guidance but not as a substitute for cautious and safe practices.
Appropriate protective equipment is therefore always recommended when working with this, or any other, wood, exotic or domestic, unless you have worked with the species before and are certain you are not sensitive to it.
Complete information about health hazards associated with a wide variety of exotic hardwoods is available from The Wood Database. Additional information about how to best use a dust collection system and personal protective equipment, such as respirators, can also be found through this excellent and comprehensive resource.
Fortunately, I experienced no negative side effects when working with Almond.
My Personal Experiences:
Wow, I am in love with Almond as a turning wood. It is a true shame that more of this amazing wood isn’t available to turners and other hobbyists.
The first thing I noticed about the Almond was how dense it was, heavy for the volume. And it was clearly hard as well as it took some effort to cut the divot for the Nova Chuck in the bottom of the blank. What was amazing was when I roughed off the bottom and sloped the sides, you couldn’t see a single nick, no tearout, no roughness on the cross grain. Smooth as could be to the point that I felt guilty running the sandpaper over it. And there was a bit of interesting figure hiding in there too. And when it came time to finish the piece it came out like glass with a shine and sheen I rarely get to see. I was amazed and truly regret that I don’t have any more Almond to work with and no sources from which to get some.
Almond Interior View
The only really bad part of the Almond was that my piece was not dried properly at all and it was a mess of major checks and outright cracks with pieces about to fall off. Honestly, I was surprised it stayed together as well as it did even though two fairly significant pieces, one on the edge and one on the bottom, flew off during the process. Because the wood was fragile I didn’t turn it nearly as thin as is common for me since it seemed more important to have something a bit thicker to show for the effort than a bundle of thin random pieces.