Milo, otherwise known as South Pacific Rosewood, even though it is not a true rosewood of the Dalbergia genus, is one of the woods I have most recently turned. My usual sources for information about the workability and other properties of woods I turn comes up blank in regard to Milo so I will share what I do know which isn’t a great deal.
Milo is known to botanist as Thespesia populnea. It is native to the coastal areas of Asia and is also found throughout the inhabited, or formerly inhabited, islands of the south Pacific. Although the seeds of the Thespesia populnea are adapted to dispersal at sea, no known specimens exist in a timeframe that is before the human occupation of the islands where the tree is found and for this reason Thespesia populnea is considered a “canoe tree” not because it is used to make canoes necessarily (although this is a use for the tree in Tonga for example) but because the seeds or seedlings of this species were intentionally carried by early island settlers for planting in new locations. The tree was often considered sacred to the people of the Pacific islands and was often grown in sacred groves with other sacred trees. The most common use of the tree was in the making of bowls and calabashes whereas today it is often carved into handicrafts for sale to tourists.
Milo Interior
Because of the limited distribution of the tree and because of its high demand in its areas of origin, it is rare to find turning blank sized pieces of this wood. I consider myself lucky to have even one piece and I believe it was acquired from a specialist in Hawaiian woods. Hawaii is the most common place of origin for Milo wood examples purchased in the United States but most of the available material is used in the islands themselves.
The wood is very hard and it turns beautifully with very clean cuts achieved with Easy Wood Tools on my Robust lathe. The cuts were so clean that only minimal sanding was required to achieve an outstanding surface. The heartwood is dark brown with swirls of reddish brown and darker areas that are almost blank. My piece was also lucky to include some of the pale and clearly demarcated sapwood which makes for a nice contrast to the dark and swirly heartwood.
Milo Reverse
Shellawax provided a very nice final finish that is water and food resistant although the bowl should not be submerged or placed in a dishwasher.
My piece of Milo was small at only 5″ x 2″ and the finished bowl, or dish if you prefer, is only slightly smaller. Given the rare nature of Milo as a turning blank I am grateful even for this small piece.
It is possible to purchase Milo wood through eBay but the pieces offered there are almost exclusively rough cut pieces of logs with natural edges and still green. This wood comes from a tree downed in a storm on the big island of Hawaii. I am not certain of it, but there may be restrictions on cutting down Milo trees in Hawaii similar to those limits placed on the harvesting of Koa trees, a more familiar and highly popular Hawaiian wood.
Green Milo Blank for Sale
I admit that I was tempted to purchase one of these pieces of Milo, but I have literally hundreds, if not more, pieces of exotic and domestic turning wood and the last thing I need is more wood. However, if one is interested in working with this relatively rare wood, I can heartily recommend it for turning purposes.