For the sake of simplicity and common understanding, I will refer to U. californica<\/em> as Myrtle from here forward, although the wood is also commonly referred to as Oregon Myrtle as well.<\/p>\n Myrtle heartwood color can be variable, from light orangish brown to gray or olive, sometimes with darker streaks present. Pale sapwood is usually well defined. Figured grain patterns (curly, mottled, burl) are not uncommon.<\/p>\n The grain of Myrtle can be straight, irregular, or wavy. Myrtle has a fine uniform texture with low natural luster.<\/p>\n Heart rot is common in Myrtle, and various decay fungi are known to infect living trees. Myrtle has poor insect resistance.<\/p>\n Myrtle is fairly easy to work, though tearout can occur on pieces with figured grain. Myrtle has a tendency to burn during drilling and routing, and appropriate speeds and sharp cutters are recommended. Myrtle turns, glues, and finishes well.<\/p>\n Myrtle has a strong, spicy odor when being worked.<\/p>\n Myrtle is occasionally available as smaller lumber or veneer. Per board-foot prices for Myrtle are among the highest for domestic hardwoods. Figured pieces and burls are very 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>, 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 my favored vendors are offering Myrtle, but a quick Internet search for Oregon Myrtle Turning Blanks will yield multiple small vendors but be prepared for quite high prices.<\/p>\n Woodfinder<\/a> is an excellent website that is dedicated to advertising wood dealers. In your search for Myrtle 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 Myrtle is most commonly used in the making of veneer, cabinetry, fine furniture, musical instruments (guitar backs), interior trim, gunstocks, turned objects, and other small specialty items.<\/p>\n Myrtle is NOT listed in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Appendices<\/a> nor is it listed by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.<\/a><\/p>\n To the best of my knowledge, the United States government does not place any restrictions on Myrtle.<\/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 Aside from the standard health risks associated with any type of wood dust, there have been some adverse health effects associated with Myrtle. Although severe reactions are quite uncommon, Myrtle has been reported to be a skin irritant as well as a sensitizer.<\/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 significant difficulties while working with Myrtle.<\/p>\n I’d never worked with Myrtle before but I had read good things about it as a turning wood and I was delighted to discover that all the good things I’d heard were absolutely spot on. My piece has a mix of heart and sap wood so there is a nice color change on one side. Myrtle cut super clean and required only very light sanding to achieve a very nice and smooth finish. The Shellawax went on quite nicely which is usually the case with the harder woods. And the scent, sweet and spicy, is quite delightful in its own right.<\/p>\n Myrtle 5.5 x 2<\/p><\/div>\n I so enjoyed working with Myrtle that I did a quick search to find more pieces and while I was easily successful in finding sources I decided that the cost was prohibitive especially considering how many turning blanks I already own. But someday when I am looking for new wood I will most certainly keep Myrtle at the top of my list.<\/p>\n All major cuts were made using the Easy Wood Tool<\/a> system on my Robust American Beauty<\/a> lathe, although I do use Robert Sorby bowl gouges<\/a> for light final passes before sanding. Forward chucking was in a Nova Chuck<\/a>, while reverse chucking was done using a Nova Chuck with Cole Jaws<\/a>. Sanding was with Gold and Green Wave sanding discs from Packard Woodworks<\/a>. Final finish is Shellawax.<\/a><\/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":" Myrtle is native to the California and Oregon coastal areas. It is a nice hard wood that turns, sands, and finishes quite beautifully.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":175,"featured_media":3622,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[135,128,136,137,129,138,139,130],"tags":[154,168,171,181,183,200,210,230,239,240,241,247],"yoast_head":"\nGeneral Characteristics:<\/h2>\n
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