Finally, the high density can make Katalox difficult to glue, especially when coupled with a high natural oil content. While the density cannot be reduced, one way to combat high oil content is to wash the surfaces to be glued, immediately prior to the application of glue and clamping, with a solvent such as acetone or lacquer thinner which acts to remove the immediate surface oils and helps increase bonding strength.
Katalox Planks
Katalox is reported to have a faint odor when freshly cut or worked.
Pricing and Availability
Katalox should be expected to command from the middle to high part of the price spectrum for imported exotic hardwoods. While expensive, it is usually widely available in both turning blank sizes as well as lumber, although expect most of these pieces to have considerable sapwood present, although as noted above, the presence of sapwood can be considered a design advantage.
In this blog, I always recommend several vendors with whom I have done considerable business and in whom I have great confidence. These vendors are: West Penn Hardwoods, Bell Forest Products, NC Wood, Got Wood?, and WoodTurningz.
Of these fine vendors, only Got Wood doesn’t stock Katalox, but that is because they specialize in domestic species.
West Penn Hardwoods sells a very wide range of sizes and types of Katalox including everything from flitches to pen, bowl, and spindle blanks, to lumber in both figured and curly forms. The largest bowl blank on offer is a fairly small 5”x5”x2” which sells for a reasonable $8.98.
Bell Forest Products also sells a decent range of turning blank sizes, mostly spindle sizes, but up to a large 8”x8”x3” bowl blank for $36.00. They also sell Katalox 4/4 lumber for as little as $10.45 bf depending on quantity.
Wood Turningz sells Katalox pen blanks for $1.75 each, three sizes of spindle blank ($7.95 – $19.95) as well as 8”x8”x3” bowl blanks for $29.95.
Finally, NC Wood sells seven different spindle sizes of Katalox ($6.00 – $24.00) as well as two sizes of bowl blanks, 6” and 8” squares of 3” thickness for $24 and $42 respectively.
As to which vendor would be best I can’t say, but I would suggest that an interested buyer look at all the options, consider shipping distances and prices, as well as other items that might be of interest from any one seller before selecting a vendor. I’ve had excellent experiences will all of these vendors and would feel confident purchasing Katalox from any of them and have done so in the past.
Katalox Spindle Finished
Woodfinder is an excellent website that is dedicated to advertising wood dealers. In your search for Katalox, this can be an invaluable resource provided you use multiple search terms to capture all the possible listings. I can’t speak to the quality of any of the listed dealers, but Woodfinder does have the advantage of allowing searches to be performed based on location which might allow an interested buyer to visit a listed wood dealer in person to hand pick pieces at a comfortable price.
A significant problem with using Woodfinder is that many vendors are listed for woods that, upon further investigation, they do not offer. I don’t know if perhaps once they did and they didn’t update their listings or if some vendors use a standardized list of woods that include most everything conceivable with the idea that once you land on their page you will find something you want to buy even if you didn’t know it beforehand. It happens to me all the time!
Uses
Katalox is used for several decorative purposes.