Bubinga

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:

In addition to the usual hazards posed by wood dust, it is important to note that Bubinga has been reported to cause skin irritation and/or skin lesions in some individuals.  As always, caution is essential until you are certain you are not sensitive to Bubinga.

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 Bubinga.

My Personal Experiences:

I have greatly enjoyed my time working with Bubinga and I am a bit saddened that it will be much more difficult, if not impossible, to find and purchase in the future, but if you saw my existing wood stocks you’d understand why I don’t need another piece of wood.

Since I had been working with Hard Maple and Persimmon, both hard domestic woods, I thought I knew what it took to turn a hard wood.  But, it turns out that Bubinga is literally twice as hard as Maple but close to the hardness of Persimmon.  The best advice I can give is to have a large amount of patience when turning Bubinga to avoid catches and tears.  With a sharp tool, Bubinga cuts very cleanly with the grain but it is a bit rough against the grain, but it sands out easily enough in my experience.  By the time I have sanded my Bubinga down to 800 grit it is so glossy that it probably doesn’t need a finish, but a coat of Shellawax really brings out the figure.

Platter One Interior

If you have the patience for it and if you can find a piece you really like, and if you can locate a piece known to have high figure it is worth the additional price, then I would definitely recommend buying and working with Bubinga.  If you are new to turning you might want to get some practice with easier woods first and consider Bubinga to be a goal wood you are working toward, but that doesn’t mean you can’t buy it and store it against the day you are ready.