I had three small pieces of Imbuia in my turning blank stack and I finally used them. I’ve written at length about Imbuia in the past so I won’t repeat basic information found there in this post.
The first thing I noted about the Imbuia is how hard it was, which was odd since The Wood Database, on which I rely for lots of basic information about what to expect from a wood I haven’t worked with before, lists the Janka hardness at 970 (to compare, Red Oak is about 1300 Janka Units), but this was much harder than that. The US Forest Service lists the Janka hardness of Imbuia as over 3000 units and that seems more realistic based on my experience.
Figured Imbuia x3
Imbuia has a WONDERFUL scent when turned, very sweet and spicy, akin to Christmas cookies baking. The scent is so nice that I would buy incense made from Imbuia.
The Imbuia cut cleanly and required only a slight bit of clean up sanding and that is always a nice treat!
The figure and color are quite striking and it is interesting to note that some Imbuia is very pale and very plain. This happens to be highly figured Imbuia which doesn’t represent all samples of this wood.
The middle bowl in the photo presented the greatest potential challenge as it has some serious checking and I wasn’t sure that it would hold together given the large fissure on the reverse which is visible in the photo. I know some turners don’t like checks and other “imperfections” but I think they enhance as much as they take away. These features, from my perspective, are part of the wood as a natural product and they remind us that the products of nature are not always perfect but still beautiful.
Figured Imbuia Reverse
I greatly enjoyed working with this Imbuia and I would gladly work with it again, however, it is extremely hard to find on the market in bowl blank sizes. I just checked all of my favorite vendors as well as a broader search and all I can find in Imbuia are pen or other longer/larger spindle blanks. If you have the good fortune to find Imbuia, especially highly figured Imbuia, bowl blanks, pounce before it is too late!