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:
Besides the standard health risks associated with any type of wood dust, no further health reactions have been associated with Louro Preto. However, it is very closely related to Bocote, which has been shown to cause cross reactions once an allergic sensitivity to certain woods has been developed. Woods that can cause initial sensitivity include: Pau Ferro, Macassar Ebony, Cocobolo, and most Rosewoods.
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 significant difficulties while working with Louro Preto.
My Personal Experiences:
Louro Preto is very dense and hard but it cut easily enough on the lathe and thankfully, it didn’t burn up my bandsaw blade either. Louro Preto was comparatively a breeze to work with. It cut fairly clean, even along the cross grain, and required only light sanding. Because the wood was slightly oily, I added Abranet to the sanding regimen with great results. To the eye, Louro Preto is rather indistinguishable from Bocote, to which it is closely related.
Louro Preto
This piece measures 5.5″ x 2″.
I was curious to work with Louro Preto since I only had the one piece and have not seen it for sale anywhere since I purchased it many years ago. I liked working with Louro Preto as it cut cleanly and required only minimal clean up sanding. It polished to a high natural luster with ease and I am not certain that the addition of a final finish really made much impact on the appearance of the final piece; an indication of the degree to which the wood polishes nicely on its own. I would be happy to work with Louro Preto again but I am more likely to continue working with Bocote as it is much more readily available, reasonably priced, and almost identical in terms of appearance and workability.