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.
Health Hazards
Yellowheart has been reported to cause skin irritation in some people.
Appropriate protective equipment is therefore recommended, as always, when working with this, or any other, exotic wood, unless you have worked with the species before and are certain you are not sensitive to it. Complete information about health hazards associated with a wide variety of exotic hardwoods is available from The Wood Database.
However, the known risks posed by prolonged and repeated exposure to dust from any wood species are still present when using Yellowheart. 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.
Fortunately, I experienced no negative side effects when working with Yellowheart.
My Personal Experiences
I had only a very small, perhaps 3”x3”x2” piece of Yellowheart to experiment with that I purchased, dry, from a national retailer many years ago. I was curious about working with such a highly colored wood and was excited to try it out after waiting for so long.
Yellowheart proved to be an absolute dream wood to work with. The wood cut with my Easy Wood Tools, especially the Easy Hollower #1, extremely easily and quite cleanly. There was very little sanding required, other than removing the stubborn fibers along the end-grain sections, and even those were relatively easy to tame.
I was very taken by the extremely high natural sheen and luster of the wood once it was sanded down to 800 grit. Actually, the fine appearance was evident even at higher grits of sandpaper but the effect when very finely surfaced was little short of incredible. I felt confident that I could have left the piece unfinished and anyone seeing it would believe that I had applied a high-gloss finish of some sort. Only rarely have I worked with wood with this fine of a texture and luster.
In the end, I did choose to apply a finish. As is my current practice for most woods, I chose the liquid formula of ShellaWax and was quite happy with the end result.
I am intrigued by the distinct area around the rim of the piece that is stained quite black and gray, although relatively splotchy in appearance. The wood in that area almost demonstrates chatoyancy, or that cat’s eye effect, and I have no idea what caused that particular coloration or effect in only that small area of the wood blank. The only cause that I am familiar with that could produce such coloration is spalting but that is simply a very uneducated guess. None of the authorities I consulted reported this type of discoloration in their descriptions of Yellowheart.
I have already mentioned my experience of the scent of Yellowheart above and won’t repeat it here.
Overall, I was absolutely delighted with my experience of Yellowheart. It turned beautifully, sanded easily, and finished out incredibly nicely. I enjoyed it so much, that I immediately took advantage of the great pricing being offered by West Penn Hardwoods and have several much larger blanks on the way to my shop as I type.