Israeli Olivewood Pens and Letter Openers<\/p><\/div>\n
All of the previous information regarding general and working characteristics, sustainability, uses, and my experiences with the wood remain much the same if not identical. However, I now realize that Olivewood is in far great supply than it once might have been and that is the information I wish to update.<\/p>\n
Pricing and Availability<\/strong><\/h2>\nWhile it remains true that most Olive trees are too commercially valuable for the fruit they produce to be harvested for timber, sources of Olivewood in a range of sizes continue to appear and develop. Some of this wood is O. europaea<\/em> while much more material is from the close related African variety O. capensis<\/em>. In the past, I referred to O. hochsterreri<\/em>, which is now considered, along with O. welwitchsii<\/em>, to be a subspecies of O. capensis<\/em>. It remains true that the African Olive is much more commonly available in larger sizes than is the European variety, but the exact subspecies designation of the African examples is unlikely to be known, nor does it matter for practical purposes.<\/p>\nRegardless of whether the Olive is European or African in origin you should expect prices to be among the highest commanded by any wood. Likewise, availability is likely to be limited, especially for the European varieties.<\/p>\n
In this blog, I almost always recommend several vendors with whom I have done considerable business and in whom I have great confidence. These vendors are: West Penn Hardwoods<\/a>, Bell Forest Products<\/a>, NC Wood<\/a>, Got Wood?<\/a>, and WoodTurningz<\/a>.<\/p>\nOf these fine vendors West Penn Hardwoods, NC Wood, and Bell Forest Products are all offering Olivewood for sale.<\/p>\n
West Penn Hardwoods has by far the greatest selection ranging from dimensional lumber to bowl blanks to spindles to flitches to cants. As a pricing example, an 8″ x 8″ x 3″ bowl blank sells for almost $100! Spindle blanks sell for less and pen blanks sell for as little as $2.50 provided you buy a pack of 10.<\/p>\n
Bell Forest Products, in the past especially, was selling a large range of sizes of Olivewood but is now more limited with the larger bowl blanks being sold out and not restocked as of this time. The largest turning blank available is a spindle of 4″ x 4″ x 12″ that sells for $69.00 while smaller spindles sell for less.<\/p>\n
Both West Penn Hardwoods and Bell Forest Products are selling African Olivewood, some derivation of O. capensis<\/em>.<\/p>\nBy contrast, NC Wood has recently taken delivery of several logs of O. europaea<\/em> sourced from Italy. As you should expect given the cost of importation from Italy and the general scarcity of Olivewood, pieces of these logs come dear. All bowl blanks sizes are now sold out (I have at least one from this source) and the largest spindle left in stock is a 4″ x 4″ x 12″ that is selling for a whopping $60. Other smaller spindle sizes sell for less of course.<\/p>\nOther sources of Olivewood are likely in existence, especially in the areas of California where the trees are extensively cultivated for the fruit. Many orchards have recently been removed due to relocation of the industry farther north as well as due to disease or the aging of the older trees to the point where they do not produce as generously as they once did. Small scale mills and vendors are likely easy to locate through Internet searches or through contacts which you might have in the areas of California in which these trees grow. In addition, Olive trees have been widely planted as ornamentals, especially in areas of low water availability and pruned pieces or removed trees may be available on an almost random basis from tree services in areas of the western United States in which these trees grow. It never hurts to ask around.<\/p>\n
Regardless of whether the Olive is European or African in origin you should expect prices to be among the highest commanded by any wood. Likewise, availability is likely to be limited, especially for the European varieties.<\/p>\n
In this blog, I almost always recommend several vendors with whom I have done considerable business and in whom I have great confidence. These vendors are: West Penn Hardwoods<\/a>, Bell Forest Products<\/a>, NC Wood<\/a>, Got Wood?<\/a>, and WoodTurningz<\/a>.<\/p>\n Of these fine vendors West Penn Hardwoods, NC Wood, and Bell Forest Products are all offering Olivewood for sale.<\/p>\n West Penn Hardwoods has by far the greatest selection ranging from dimensional lumber to bowl blanks to spindles to flitches to cants. As a pricing example, an 8″ x 8″ x 3″ bowl blank sells for almost $100! Spindle blanks sell for less and pen blanks sell for as little as $2.50 provided you buy a pack of 10.<\/p>\n Bell Forest Products, in the past especially, was selling a large range of sizes of Olivewood but is now more limited with the larger bowl blanks being sold out and not restocked as of this time. The largest turning blank available is a spindle of 4″ x 4″ x 12″ that sells for $69.00 while smaller spindles sell for less.<\/p>\n Both West Penn Hardwoods and Bell Forest Products are selling African Olivewood, some derivation of O. capensis<\/em>.<\/p>\n By contrast, NC Wood has recently taken delivery of several logs of O. europaea<\/em> sourced from Italy. As you should expect given the cost of importation from Italy and the general scarcity of Olivewood, pieces of these logs come dear. All bowl blanks sizes are now sold out (I have at least one from this source) and the largest spindle left in stock is a 4″ x 4″ x 12″ that is selling for a whopping $60. Other smaller spindle sizes sell for less of course.<\/p>\n Other sources of Olivewood are likely in existence, especially in the areas of California where the trees are extensively cultivated for the fruit. Many orchards have recently been removed due to relocation of the industry farther north as well as due to disease or the aging of the older trees to the point where they do not produce as generously as they once did. Small scale mills and vendors are likely easy to locate through Internet searches or through contacts which you might have in the areas of California in which these trees grow. In addition, Olive trees have been widely planted as ornamentals, especially in areas of low water availability and pruned pieces or removed trees may be available on an almost random basis from tree services in areas of the western United States in which these trees grow. It never hurts to ask around.<\/p>\n