{"id":2214,"date":"2017-03-06T04:00:04","date_gmt":"2017-03-06T09:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.woodturningpens.com\/?p=2214"},"modified":"2017-01-21T17:53:04","modified_gmt":"2017-01-21T22:53:04","slug":"2214-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.woodturningpens.com\/2214-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Afzelia"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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

As is often the case when discussing tropical exotic hardwoods, it is necessary to do some housekeeping to be certain that we are clear about exactly which wood we are referencing.  In this case, we have to cover two continents.<\/p>\n

Afzelia<\/em> refers to a genus level designation used by botanists and other scientists to classify trees that grow in both Africa and southeastern Asia.  The African species are more abundant and include: A. africana, A. bella, A. bipindensis, A. bracteata, A. pachyloba, A. palembanica, A. peturei, and A. quanzensis<\/em>.  Of these, A. africana<\/em> is the most commonly exported species.<\/p>\n

The southeast Asian species include: A. rhomboidea and A. xylocarpa<\/em>.  Of these species, A. xylocarpa<\/em> is the most commonly exported species.  A. xylocarpa<\/em> is native to deciduous forests in: Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.<\/p>\n

When commercially harvested examples of A. xylocarpa<\/em> display a pommele or blistered figure they may be sold as “Afzelia xylay,” an abbreviation of the species name, or they may be referred to by the more poetic naming convention which we are using here, “Afzelia Lace.”<\/p>\n

As is true of terms such as “bird’s eye maple” or “rainbow poplar,” the use of the descriptive term “lace” refers ONLY to a figure present in some examples of Afzelia<\/em> spp<\/em>. woods, usually A. xylocarpa<\/em>, not to a distinct species of tree.<\/p>\n

For the sake of simplicity and common understanding, I will refer from this point forward to Afzelia spp<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Afzelia Lace Burl<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

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

The general characteristics described here apply to all Afzelia spp<\/em>. woods.  The significant difference in describing Afzelia Lace is strictly limited to the figure that is present is samples marketed as such.  All other characteristics of the wood remain the same.<\/p>\n

The heartwood of Afzelia spp<\/em>. tends to be of a reddish brown color.  The sapwood, which is quite well defined from the heartwood, is of a pale yellowish white coloration.<\/p>\n

As is often the case with colored tropical hardwoods, the color of Afzelia spp<\/em>. woods will darken over time, especially upon exposure to ultraviolet light present in sunlight.  There are methods that can be taken to slow, although never completely halt, this process and information about such techniques is best presented in this excellent resource<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The grain of Afzelia spp.<\/em> woods is almost always interlocked, and this gives rises to the most common figures that make the wood so popular with wood workers.<\/p>\n

The texture of Afzelia spp<\/em>. woods is of a medium to coarse texture, most likely a result of the interlocked grain, even when finely surfaced.<\/p>\n

Afzelia spp<\/em>. is naturally highly lustrous once properly surfaced.<\/p>\n

The endgrain of Afzelia spp<\/em>. presents as diffuse and porous with large to very large pores, but fortunately, these are few to very few in numbers.  Yellow and\/or brown heartwood deposits are likely to be present.<\/p>\n

While it wouldn’t seem likely to be relevant for the most common uses of Afzelia spp.<\/em> in the western world, the woods are rated as very durable in terms of resistance to fungal rot.  However, Afzelia spp.<\/em> is only moderately resistant to termites while its resistance to other forms of insect attack ranges from resistant to vulnerable.<\/p>\n

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

While Afzelia spp.<\/em> is generally considered to be a beautiful wood, especially the highly figured examples, it is also often found to be a rather difficult wood with which to work.<\/p>\n

The major reason that Afzelia spp<\/em>. is considered difficult to work is the very same reason that it is so incredibly popular for wood working projects: the interlocked grain that lends itself to such wonderful and varied figure.  As might be expected, this interlocked grain tends to cause tearing during machining, especially during plane operations.  Guidance on addressing this issue is available elsewhere<\/a> from minds greater and more experienced than mine.<\/p>\n

In addition, Afzelia spp<\/em>. has a pronounced dulling effect on cutting surfaces, so frequent sharpening, or the use of disposable carbide cutter heads is essential to finding success when working with Afzelia spp<\/em>.<\/p>\n

To add to the potential joys of working with Afzelia spp<\/em>., the results when gluing are best described as “variable.”<\/p>\n

When it comes to finishing an Afzelia spp<\/em>. piece, bear in mind that those heartwood deposits addressed above can be water soluble which can create significant problems when using water-based finishing products due to discoloration and contamination that adversely affects the curing processes.<\/p>\n

All things considered one has to wonder why a wood worker would bother trying to overcome these challenges and the simple answer is because the figure can be amazing enough to make it all worthwhile.<\/p>\n

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Afzelia Figured<\/p><\/div>\n

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Afzelia Xylay<\/p><\/div>\n

\"\"

Afzelia Xylay<\/p><\/div>\n

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

The cost of Afzelia spp.<\/em> will all depend on what type of wood you want or need for your project.  Prices for clear lumber tend to be moderate, but if you desire highly figured pieces then prices will rise up into the highest reaches of all prices paid for imported exotic tropical hardwoods.<\/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 dealers stock any Afzelia spp<\/em>., figured or otherwise, at this time, although both West Penn Hardwoods and Bell Forest Products have sold this material in the past and may, therefore, sell it once again when it becomes available at a price that makes it reasonable to offer.  This limited availability is not unusual because unfigured Afzelia spp<\/em>. is not highly desired and figured wood sells for over $600 per board foot because it is both rare and highly desirable.<\/p>\n

However, I do know of one vendor, with whom I have had some quite satisfactory dealings, that does offer Afzelia spp<\/em>. in both figured and burl forms, provided that you can work with strictly spindle pieces ranging in size from pen blank size up to almost 20” in length.  This vendor is Griffin Exotic Woods<\/a> located in the high desert region of Colorado.  Be aware that not everything posted on their website is actually available for purchase; the only way to know is to attempt to put a specific piece in your cart.  If you succeed, then the piece is still available, but if you receive an error message that you are ordered too many pieces despite only requesting one, well, then you have found a piece that doesn’t really exist.  I am pretty certain that Griffin is a small family business and that updating the website is not a high priority, or at least not one that they routinely have time for, but they will warn you of this themselves when you shop their site.  And, if there is something you really want or need, it never hurts to call and ask about what they might have lurking about that isn’t shown on the website itself.  These folks deliver excellent pieces of woods that can be otherwise very difficult or impossible to find.<\/p>\n

Now, I will confess that I have been somewhat misleading in that, technically, West Penn Hardwoods does have some Afzelia spp<\/em>. pen blanks for sale<\/a>, but these are listed only under the “Closeouts” section as “B Grade” blanks due to low figure, defects, or odd sizes.  I have shopped from this section of the West Penn Hardwoods website before, but it will be much more realistic to simply call them, and I have been happy with the material I have received, although I cannot speak directly to the Afzelia spp<\/em>. stock.  The best case scenario in these situations is to be able to dig through the bin yourself to find the ideal pieces for your purpose, and if you happen to be near Conover, North Carolina<\/a> then it might be worth it.  Otherwise I would proceed with caution, although the price is right at only $3.00 each.  But, as is true with Griffin Exotic Woods, the “Closeouts” section of the West Penn Hardwoods website is not always the most up to date so be prepared to be disappointed when you discover that these lower grade blanks were sold out months ago.  But again, it is only requires a phone call to find out.<\/p>\n

Woodfinder <\/a>is an excellent website that is dedicated to advertising wood dealers.  In your search for Afzelia spp<\/em>., 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.<\/p>\n

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!<\/p>\n

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

The common uses of Afzelia spp<\/em>. woods depend on what species you are referencing, where you are located, and whether the wood features any figure.<\/p>\n

For example, in areas where A. africana<\/em> is native and common, it makes an excellent wood for boat building and dock construction.  In areas where other Afzelia spp.<\/em> are native and common, the wood may well be used for exterior millwork and general construction.<\/p>\n

Some Afzelia spp<\/em>. is imported for use as a flooring material, provided that it isn’t figured, in which case the cost would be prohibitive.<\/p>\n

Highly figured Afzelia spp<\/em>. is most commonly turned into veneers and inlay pieces for cabinetry and other furniture uses.  In addition, highly figured examples of Afzelia spp<\/em>. are coveted for turned objects and other specialty wood items such as gun grips and knife handles, for, of course, extremely high end and collectible forms of these objects.<\/p>\n

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

Afzelia spp<\/em>. 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> which is surprising because Afzelia spp<\/em>. does appear on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List<\/a>.  The Red List inclusion is due to population reductions of between 20% and 50% over the last three generations, depending on location and species in question.  Given this Red Listing I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if CITES restrictions do not appear soon.<\/p>\n

To the best of my knowledge, Afzelia spp.<\/em> is not subject to any special restrictions by any United States government agency, but this will change the moment Afzelia spp.<\/em> is included in CITES listings and regulations.<\/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

While Afzelia spp<\/em>. is not known to cause any severe or serious adverse health reactions, it has been reported to cause minor skin, eye, and respiratory irritation, including sneezing.<\/p>\n

In addition, the long-term negative 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 Afzelia spp<\/em>.<\/p>\n

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

Sadly I was only working with a pen blank sized piece of Afzelia spp<\/em>., sold to me as a highly figured “Afzelia Lace” blank, but from what I was able to experience, I greatly enjoyed it.<\/p>\n

The figure was immediately obvious even before I turned the blank.  Fortunately, interlocked and twisted grain is not a major concern or issue when turning wood on a lathe so I experienced no difficulties whatsoever.  The wood turned beautifully with new carbide cutters.  Because the wood was of a decent hardness it cut cleanly and required little sanding effort, and what was required was easily accomplished.<\/p>\n

By using a cyanoacrylate finish I avoided any difficulties associated with a water based finish product and the high gloss finish was excellent and durable for a writing instrument.<\/p>\n

I believe I have a few more pieces of highly figured Afzelia spp<\/em>. in stock in my shop stores and I look forward to using them over the coming years.  If you can locate a supply at a price that you find reasonable then I would highly recommend experimenting with Afzelia spp<\/em>. yourself.<\/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<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The major reason that Afzelia spp. is considered difficult to work is the very same reason that it is so incredibly popular for wood working projects: the interlocked grain that lends itself to such wonderful and varied figure. As might be expected, this interlocked grain tends to cause tearing during machining, especially during plane operations. Guidance on addressing this issue is available elsewhere from minds greater and more experienced than mine.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":175,"featured_media":2188,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[141,138,130],"tags":[144,148,171,180,183,188,200,214,217,221,239,240,247,249],"yoast_head":"\nAfzelia - Wood Turning Pens ..<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Afzelia, when highly figured, is one of the most highly desired and most expensive woods available to a wood turner, difficult to work, but worth the effort\" \/>\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\/2214-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Afzelia - Wood Turning Pens ..\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Afzelia, when highly figured, is one of the most highly desired and most expensive woods available to a wood turner, difficult to work, but worth the effort\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.woodturningpens.com\/2214-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Wood Turning Pens ..\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-03-06T09:00:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2017-01-21T22:53:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.woodturningpens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/Afzelia-Burl.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1069\" \/>\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=\"13 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.woodturningpens.com\/2214-2\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.woodturningpens.com\/2214-2\/\",\"name\":\"Afzelia - 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