{"id":2175,"date":"2017-01-29T04:00:31","date_gmt":"2017-01-29T09:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.woodturningpens.com\/?p=2175"},"modified":"2016-11-05T16:16:53","modified_gmt":"2016-11-05T20:16:53","slug":"2175-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.woodturningpens.com\/2175-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Pistachio"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Geographic Distribution<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The tree that yields the edible, and highly popular, nut known as the “pistachio” in English, is known to botanists and other plant scientists by its Latin name Pistacia vera<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Many sources list Iran, or Persia at the time, as the native source of P. vera<\/em> and Iran to this day remains, by far, the most significant producer of pistachio nuts for human consumption, with the United States in a far distance second place with less than half the Iranian production.<\/p>\n

However, it may never be possible to know exactly where P. vera<\/em> originated simply because it has been a food source of humans since pre-historic times.  Archaeologists at the Gesher Benot Ya’aqov site in Israel’s Hula Valley, dated to 780,000 years ago, found the remains of pistachio nuts, shells, and tools used to crack the nuts.  Pliny the Elder noted that pistachios were introduced to Rome from Syria as early as 35 CE.  While the exact location(s) in which the P. vera<\/em> shrub, or tree, originated may never be known with exactitude, we can know that it was well established and exploited by very early human societies in the Near and Middle East well before recorded history began.<\/p>\n

\"Pistachio

Pistachio Exterior<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

Today, P. vera<\/em> is grown in a range of countries that provide suitable climates, especially very hot summers and frost free winters, which include, in addition to the aforementioned Iran and United States, Turkey, China, Syria, and Australia.  Other nations in Europe, Central Asia and Africa also produce much smaller amounts of pistachio commercially.  A native grove is preserved in the Nooken District of Jalal-Abad Province of Kyrgyzstan.<\/p>\n

For the sake of simplicity, I will refer to P. vera <\/em>from this point forward simply as Pistachio.<\/p>\n

General Characteristics<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The heartwood of the Pistachio tree tends to be variable in color.  Known colors range from a light olive green to an orange or purplish brown.  These variable colors are frequently seen with darker brown to black stripes distributed throughout.  The sapwood tends to be moderately wide and well demarcated from the heartwood.  This sapwood is generally of a pale yellow to gray color.<\/p>\n

Some users familiar with both woods report that Pistachio wood is quite similar to Claro Walnut harvested from orchards, especially due to the common presence of graft lines in the wood which mark where the scion, or smaller tree stock, has been grafted onto the hardier rootstock.  This is a very common method of propagation for nut bearing trees, including both English Walnuts grafted onto Claro Walnut rootstocks and Pistachio grafted onto rootstocks of at least one year of age, although usually of the same species and cultivar.<\/p>\n

The grain of the Pistachio tends to be quite wild and irregular.  Bark inclusions are also not uncommon.  This is most likely due to the generally small size of the trees, which are kept small by pruning to make harvesting easier.<\/p>\n

\"Pistachio

Pistachio Reverse<\/p><\/div>\n

The end-grain of Pistachio shows medium to large pores in a ring, or semi-ring, arrangement.  Rays are present and are of a medium to narrow size.  Occasionally, mineral and\/or gum deposits will be found.<\/p>\n

There is no known data regarding the rot or insect resistance characteristics of Pistachio wood.<\/p>\n

A reasonably good source of general information about Pistachio trees and their cultivation is Mark’s Fruit Crops<\/a> operated by the dean of the University of Delaware’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources.<\/p>\n

Working Characteristics<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Pistachio is rarely harvested for timber because the tree is much too valuable as a nut producer.  In addition, the trees are kept small and are not usually of a size considered adequate to harvest for lumber even if they are removed due to disease or for other reasons.  Because of this, there are no standard data available regarding the working characteristics of Pistachio wood.<\/p>\n

It is, however, known that Pistachio wood does have a characteristic, although slight, odor when being worked.<\/p>\n

Pricing and Availability<\/strong><\/h2>\n

As noted above, Pistachio is rarely, if ever, harvested for its wood.  When it is available it will have been recovered from individual yards or orchards.  This is uncommon, so availability is extremely limited and prices are quite high when it is available.<\/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

However, none of these fine vendors offers Pistachio wood.<\/p>\n

\"Pistachio

Pistachio Interior<\/p><\/div>\n

I located my source of Pistachio wood through standard Internet searching and I would suggest that interested parties try a similar approach.  You can expect supplies to be limited and prices high.  All vendors I have found are located in California, the center of the pistachio industry in the United States.<\/p>\n

I purchased my Pistachio, in the form of rough turned, boiled, and air dried for five year, bowl blanks from Wood From the West<\/a> located in Central California.  Their recently revamped website and store doesn’t list rough turned blanks for sale, but when I was in discussion with the owner about purchasing rough turned blanks, in mid-2015, he had hundreds of them available, so contacting them through their website is likely to be a good source if interested in this format of Pistachio wood.  Otherwise, the web store lists instrument backs\/fronts and slabs.<\/p>\n

One additional current source of Pistachio wood is Far West Forest<\/a> located in northern California.  This company sells reclaimed wood from orchards and homes.  All of their Pistachio is currently natural edged slabs.  The cheapest pieces sell for around $50.<\/p>\n

Woodfinder <\/a>is an excellent website that is dedicated to advertising wood dealers and I almost always recommend them.  However, they do not currently list any sources of Pistachio wood.  I can’t claim to be surprised.<\/p>\n

Uses<\/strong><\/h2>\n

When available, Pistachio is usually sold in quite small pieces.  Consequently, the few common uses of the wood reflect this limited availability of size.  Pistachio wood finds use as an inlay material, musical instrument fronts\/backs, carving blocks, knife scales, and small turned objects.<\/p>\n

Sustainability<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Persimmon is not listed as being in any way threatened or endangered by the Convention in International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Appendices<\/a>.  However, Pistachio is listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)<\/a> as Near Threatened although it does not meet the criterion for inclusion on the Red List.<\/p>\n

It is very important to note that this listing by the IUCN does NOT apply to wood obtained from orchards or individual yards.  This listed ONLY reflects diminishing stocks of WILD sources of P. vera<\/em>.<\/p>\n

To the best of my knowledge, Pistachio is not subject to any special restrictions by any United States government agency.<\/p>\n

I realize that inherent in working with wood is the killing of a part of the natural world that may be slow to return and if I become deeply concerned about this fact, I will have to find a new hobby.  I hope that such a time does not come to pass or at least not any time soon.  In part because I am concerned about legally and responsibly obtained wood, I am reluctant to buy from sellers outside of well-established and known vendors.  I am highly unlikely, for example, to purchase any wood from auction sites, such as Ebay<\/a>, because of uncertain sourcing and documentation, as well as the potential, even likelihood, of material being misidentified in order to achieve a higher selling price.<\/p>\n

However, due to the commercial scarcity of some domestic woods, resorting to auction sites such as Ebay or Etsy<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Health Hazards<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Parts of the Pistachio tree and nut have been reported to cause skin irritation.  However, that said, there have been no direct reports of Pistachio wood itself causing either toxic or allergic effects.<\/p>\n

Contaminated or poorly processed Pistachio nuts are a source of aflatoxins, a known carcinogen, but again, this is not a concern associated with the wood itself.<\/p>\n

However, the long-term negative health effects of exposure to sawdust of any species are well documented.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Complete information about health hazards<\/a> associated with a wide variety of exotic hardwoods is available from The Wood Database<\/a>.  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<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Fortunately, I experienced no negative side effects when working with Pistachio.<\/p>\n

My Personal Experiences                        <\/strong><\/h2>\n

As I noted above, I purchased rough turned Pistachio bowl blanks that had been boiled and then allowed to air dry for as much as five years.  The vendor from whom I purchased these bowl blanks is an avid wood turner himself, as well as operating an artisanal lumber mill, and he reported extensive experience in working with Pistachio wood.  He told me that while he occasionally had green Pistachio wood available that it was very difficult to process green without extensive checking so he was reluctant to sell it in green condition.  He had rough turned and boiled literally hundreds of bowl blanks and all of them were for sale although none were listed on a web-based store.  I conducted my purchases exclusively through e-mail based on a selection of rough turned bowls blanks that he photographed and e-mailed to me.<\/p>\n

The blanks that I purchased range in size from about 8” to 10” round and 2-3” deep.  They are all in very rough condition and don’t look like much to be honest, but that is fine and I wouldn’t expect them to look any different given their rough turned and boiled condition.<\/p>\n

I don’t personally have any experience with boiling rough turned blanks as a method of drying and processing green wood so I won’t comment further other than to say that the method seemed to have worked well for Pistachio wood.  I would also say that from what I have read that anyone contemplating this method should research it thoroughly BEFORE attempting it to ensure that they avoid potentially serious injury.<\/p>\n

Because the bowl blank was rough turned and then air dried, it had distorted a fair amount.  To make it possible to mount it for turning, it was first turned between centers to create a viable reverse chucking area.  Once that was done, the process was very similar to turning any wood bowl blank.<\/p>\n

The wood is quite hard, reported as harder than Oak, Hickory, or Ash, so patience is certainly required.  Because the wood had distorted there was a good bit of bouncing and otherwise rough work in the beginning, however, once the piece was reasonable round the wood cut cleanly if slowly.<\/p>\n

The Pistachio sanded well if slowly as would be expected from a dense hard wood.  It took a beautiful finish with Shellawax<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The coloration and grain of the Pistachio is frankly stunning with lots of rich contrasting color and swirl.  It is easily one of the most beautiful woods that it has been my privilege and pleasure to work with.<\/p>\n

My only regret is that the wood is so limited in its availability and so expensive when it is available.<\/p>\n

I firmly intend to contact the vendor I purchased my blanks from to obtain more once I finish working with the ones I already have.  If any interested wood turner can locate a source of Pistachio I would HIGHLY recommend giving it a try.  Just be patient, use sharp tools, relatively slow speeds until you have it well rounded, and be prepared to be blown away by the beauty of the finished piece.<\/p>\n

As always, I wish all my readers a great experience in whatever their wood working interests happen to be and to those who like working with lathes especially, do a good turn today!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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The coloration and grain of the Pistachio is frankly stunning with lots of rich contrasting color and swirl. It is easily one of the most beautiful woods that it has been my privilege and pleasure to work with.
\nMy only regret is that the wood is so limited in its availability and so expensive when it is available.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":175,"featured_media":2177,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[128,138,139,130],"tags":[148,154,171,176,181,183,187,200,210,217,239,240,247],"yoast_head":"\nPistachio - Wood Turning Pens ..<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Read about my experience working with the rare and uncommonly beautiful Pistachio wood sourced from a California orchard in a rough turned bowl blank format\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.woodturningpens.com\/2175-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Pistachio - Wood Turning Pens ..\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Read about my experience working with the rare and uncommonly beautiful Pistachio wood sourced from a California orchard in a rough turned bowl blank format\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.woodturningpens.com\/2175-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Wood Turning Pens ..\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-01-29T09:00:31+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2016-11-05T20:16:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.woodturningpens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/Pistachio-Interior.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"768\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Wood_Pens\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Wood_Pens\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"11 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.woodturningpens.com\/2175-2\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.woodturningpens.com\/2175-2\/\",\"name\":\"Pistachio - 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