C. rodiei <\/em>is native to Guyana and Suriname in South America with most of the supplies reaching the United States coming from Guyana.<\/p>\n For the sake of simplicity and common understanding I will refer to C. rodiei <\/em>from here forward using the common name Greenheart.<\/p>\n The heartwood of Greenheart tends toward a pale olive green color with darker streaks prominent. The sapwood is yellowish in color and tends to be poorly differentiated from the heartwood.<\/p>\n The grain of Greenheart varies from straight to interlocked, fine to medium in appearance. When it is well sanded and polished Greenheart has a good natural luster and shine.<\/p>\n Greenheart is rated as very durable against rot and it is also resistant to most insect attacks. Greenheart is considered to be one of the best suited wood for marine environments due to its resistance to rot. Greenheart also weathers well when used in outdoor settings.<\/p>\n In general, Greenheart can be somewhat difficult to work with because of its high density. Greenheart will have a moderate to high blunting effect on cutters so frequent sharpening or cutter changes are highly recommended.<\/p>\n As is true of any species of wood, sections with interlocked or highly figured grain require great caution in machining to prevent tearout<\/a>.<\/p>\n Gluing is sometimes difficult and the well-established procedures for gluing tropical woods should be followed carefully.<\/p>\n Greenheart turns well and it is also easy to finish.<\/p>\n Greenheart responds moderately well to steam bending.<\/p>\n Greenheart displays no characteristic odor when cut or otherwise worked.<\/p>\n Greenheart is seldom available in the United States in lumber form. Greenheart is usually sold for decking or other outdoor materials. Prices should be moderate for an imported exotic species, but finding a source may be a problem.<\/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>, 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 none of these fine vendors is offering Greenheart. A simple Internet search returns some vendors offering spindle blanks as well as some bowl blanks sizes but I have no personal knowledge of any of the listed vendors selling on both Amazon and eBay.<\/p>\n Woodfinder<\/a> is an excellent website that is dedicated to advertising wood dealers. In your search for Greenheart, 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 The majority of the common uses of Greenheart reflect its suitability for marine environments. Greenheart is most commonly used in boatbuilding, docks, decking, posts, fishing rods, pool cues, and other turned wood items.<\/p>\n Greenheart is not listed as being endangered by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Appendices<\/a> but it is listed by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)<\/a> as Data Deficient. Previously, the ICUN had listed Greenheart on its Red List of Threatened Species but the Guyana Forestry Commission disputed this listing and Greenheart was removed from the Red List.<\/p>\n To the best of my knowledge, there are no special restrictions placed on Greenheart by the United States government.<\/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 Although severe reactions are quite uncommon, Greenheart has been reported as a sensitizer. Greenheart has also been observed to cause a number of other health effects, such as wheezing, cardiac and intestinal disorders, severe throat irritation, and the tendency for wood splinters to become infected. As always, caution is essential until you are certain you are not sensitive to Greenheart.<\/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 Greenheart.<\/p>\n I found Greenheart to be an OK wood to turn but it doesn’t make my favorites list, which is probably just as well since it is so difficult to source. Greenheart cut quite rough on the cross grain sections although it did cut cleanly with the grain. The wood fibers lifted a good deal and that required a significant amount of focused sanding to remove.<\/p>\n Greenheart Bowl<\/p><\/div>\n I guess you could call the color “green” but it is a bit of a stretch of the imagination I think as it certainly isn’t a vibrant green.<\/p>\n With some effort it is possible to achieve a nice shine with Greenheart provided you are willing to invest the necessary time on the finishing processes.<\/p>\n Much to my surprise, Greenheart made the Wood Database list of the “10 Best Woods You’ve Never Heard Of<\/a>.” In the explanation it is noted that Greenheart is a “pain to work with” which doesn’t sound like a ringing endorsement of a “best wood.” I can easily think of a dozen woods I like a great deal more, although you’ve probably heard of my favorites. Maybe obscurity is recommendation enough, but not in my book.<\/p>\n All cuts were made using the Easy Wood Tool<\/a> system on my Robust American Beauty lathe<\/a>. Forward chucking was in a Nova Chuck<\/a>, while reverse chucking was done using a Nova Chuck with Cole Jaws. Sanding was with Gold and Green Wave sanding discs from Packard Woodworks<\/a>. Final finish is Shellawax<\/a> with an underlayment of EEE Ultra Shine.<\/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":" Geographic Distribution: The wood commonly known by wood workers as Greenheart is known to botanists and other scientists as Chlorocardium rodiei. In older works and sources it may also be listed as Ocotea rodiei. C. rodiei is native to Guyana and Suriname in South America with most of the supplies reaching the United States coming from Guyana. For the sake of simplicity and common understanding I will refer to C. rodiei from here forward using the common name Greenheart. General Characteristics: The heartwood of Greenheart tends toward a pale olive green color with darker streaks prominent. The sapwood is yellowish <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":175,"featured_media":3241,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[135,128,136,137,129,139,130],"tags":[154,168,171,181,188,194,200,217,226,239,240,241],"yoast_head":"\nGeneral Characteristics:<\/h2>\n
Working Characteristics:<\/h2>\n
Pricing and Availability:<\/h2>\n
Common Uses:<\/h2>\n
Sustainability:<\/h2>\n
Health Hazards:<\/h2>\n
My Personal Experiences:<\/h2>\n