C. camphora<\/em> trees, due to their large size and use as a shade tree, are widely planted throughout the tropical areas of the world and small hobby mills located in tropical or semi-tropical areas, in the United States Florida or Hawaii, are a good source of C. camphora <\/em>for turning and other hobby uses.<\/p>\n Camphor Tree in Australia<\/p><\/div>\n For the sake of simplicity and common understanding I will hereafter refer to C. camphora<\/em> as Camphor.<\/p>\n The color of Camphor wood can vary widely depending on the exact species and the growing conditions. In general the wood is of a light brown color that often featuers streaks of color which can include gray, red, or even olive green. There are sometimes even darker streaks present.<\/p>\n Green Turned Camphor Bowl Blank<\/p><\/div>\n The sapwood of Camphor is lighter in color and is not always clearly demarcated from the heartwood.<\/p>\n Camphor burls are commonly seen and as is true of most burls, they are considered highly decorative and desirable.<\/p>\n The grain of a piece of Camphor timber can vary widely from straight, to interlocked, or even wavy.<\/p>\n The texture of Camphor wood is uniformly medium.<\/p>\n Camphor wood often has a slightly greasy feeling due to a high oil content.<\/p>\n Camphor is durable and resistant to rot but its resistance to insect attack is mixed depending of the insect in question.<\/p>\n Camphor has a very moderate density and hardness and that makes it easy to shape and machine. As is always true, any interlocked areas can be difficult to work with, especially due to a tendency toward tearout in plane operations, but this is usually a minimal concern.<\/p>\n Camphor glues and finishes well.<\/p>\n Green Turned Camphor Bowl Blank<\/p><\/div>\n Easily the most notable feature of working with Camphor, especially green wood, is the odor. The odor of camphor is very distinctive and it is for this scent that the tree is named. Anyone who has ever used an inhaled nasal decongestant or medicated chest rub will recognize the smell immediately. While most pronounced during active working, the scent will linger in the shop for days or until every bit of shavings and dust are collected. Fortunately most people do not find the scent offensive.<\/p>\n Camphor wood is rarely, if ever, exported in the form of lumber. Most of the time it is seen as burl veneer.<\/p>\n However, lumber, turning blanks, and log sections are sometimes seen for sale from domestic sources where the tree has been introduced and harvested locally. Prices for such “domestic” exotics are usually in the moderate range when compared to other imported hardwoods. Solid burls and veneer sheets are much more expensive.<\/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>, WoodTurningz<\/a>, Amazon Exotic Hardwoods<\/a>, Griffin Exotic Wood<\/a>, Exotic Woods USA<\/a>, Got Wood?<\/a>, and Wood Turning Blanks 4U<\/a>.<\/p>\n At this time, only Wood Turning Blanks 4U is offering Camphor. The sizes on offer range from a 4” x 2” for $1.50 to a whopping 16” x 4” selling for $71.11. These are very reasonable prices especially for pieces on the large end since any turning blanks of such size usually command quite a premium price.<\/p>\n Woodfinder<\/a> is an excellent website that is dedicated to advertising wood dealers. In your search for Camphor, 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 Camphor finds use as veneer, turned objects, chests, cabinetry, and furniture. Camphor is said to help slow the tarnishing of silver and to ward off moths. Camphor timber may be used in specially designed boxes and cabinets for storing silver and for protection from moths for this reason. Camphor is also cultivated for the harvest of the aromatic oils which find use in over-the-counter medications and aromatherapies.<\/p>\n Camphor is not listed as being endangered by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Appendix II<\/a> nor does it appear on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.<\/a><\/p>\n The closely related species Cinnamomum balansae<\/em> from Vietnam, C. mercadoi<\/em> from the Philippines, and C. osmophloeum<\/em> from Taiwan are listed by the IUCN as vulnerable\/endangered due to a population reduction of over 20% to 50% in the past three generations, caused by a decline in its natural range, and exploitation.<\/p>\n To the best of my knowledge, Camphor is not subject to any additional 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, 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 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.<\/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 In addition to the usual hazards posed by wood dust, it is important to note that Camphor has been reported to cause skin and respiratory irritation, as well as a number of other effects, such as headaches, giddiness, and asthma-like symptoms. As always, caution is essential until you are certain you are not sensitive to Camphor.<\/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 Camphor.<\/p>\n I recently took delivery of 5 large (12” x 3” up to 16” x 4”) Camphor blanks and I have green turned and sealed them to await full dryness. The wood turned very easily but that is common with green wood so it isn’t a reliable indicator of how the dry wood will turn.<\/p>\n Green Camphor Bowl Blanks<\/p><\/div>\n The color is quite varied and in most cases quite attractive with streaks of reddish brown and black. I look forward to being able to finish the blanks to see the completed effect.<\/p>\n And then there is the odor. Wow, the scent is literally knock you down overpowering in the shop even days later. My sinuses have never been so clear. I enjoy the fragrance but if you are a person who does not, don’t choose Camphor wood for your next project.<\/p>\n As always, I wish all my readers a great experience in whatever your 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":" And then there is the odor. Wow, the scent is literally knock you down overpowering in the shop even days later. My sinuses have never been so clear. I enjoy the fragrance but if you are a person who does not, don\u2019t choose Camphor wood for your next project.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":175,"featured_media":2884,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[128,138,139,130],"tags":[148,154,159,160,181,183,188,200,217,240,247],"yoast_head":"\nGeneral Characteristics:<\/h2>\n
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