Rare wood...help

[Dileon]

new to carving wood...a few master craftsmens came over drop off wood that they said they were scared touch for the fear of meshing it up. Woods are extremely rare, when I went on the net to look them up...I fell on my face...because I can see why they are the extremely rare. I love the fact there is trust in my abilities ... and I do not want this wood to sit in my studio like it did theirs for the last 10 years or so. I know I have to dress for toxic just in case...but I also think that the carving should be honorable to the wood...if you can understand that? Anyway where do I start...what would you do if there is next to little information on a wood given to you? and what would you make? next finishes should I call my friend who fixes museum art? or what????....need suggestions, ideas,.... anything please..... Di

[AlArchie]

OK, what the heck kinda wood is it, anyway?

Al

[Ron T]

Hello and welcome, Dileon. It's nice to have you here with us. The more info you can provide on the wood, the more info and help you'll get. Can you attach some photos.

[CarverFromNoWhere]

Yes the type and dimensions of the wood would help, I prefer to use my realy rare and high quality woods for items like knife scales, pens, and small turnings. Or I put them into a cardboard box and hide them away for a long time .
Carl

[SeaLeveler]

A peice of wood I don't know what to get out of it,I put on shelf and turn it around every couple months and something will be hiding there.Tony

[Dileon]

Sorry my communcation skills are not good at this time....been locked up in my studio to long. OK its not about the kind of wood, this is the issue... Example..I go to local expensive tool (for real!) and wood supply, they got a block of Koa. 10"X6"X4" it cost 220 dollars.... now add you carving time plus...say you get it done in 20 hours give yourself 10 dollars an hour...add another 200 dollars...take it to the gallery down the road they want 50%.... that means your wood carving is now $800. This is my problem with the rare and the exotics. Now lets say I got a wood same size worth about 1,000 dollars....what in the heck are you going to do with it. Carl would hide it which is smart... and Tony I agree with thanks I will do that....how do you get past the worth money department and as all things it may work or it may be a learning lesson as may be fire wood as I heard it said. Here in the islands we have whole range of exotics, rare woods and since we are multi cultural asian woods are easy.....bass wood has to be shipped and it is expensive unless I connect to a supply source, then it may get taken away by agriculture is worry also....heck power tools are cheaper then the wood. Now I have sources here, but things are worth what they are worth...aren't they? Prehaps I am looking at this all wrong. I was thinking about making some hertiage item that can be passed down to the grandchildren but I was just throwing this out .... wondering what you make if you had wood extremely beautiful, rare, carvable in approximate size of lets say 12 by 6 by 6? smile Di

[jmischel]

"Things are worth what they are worth." Well, yes and no. If you can get for free a piece of wood that would normally cost $100 per board foot, then you have a choice: you can try to sell that wood for what it'd get on the open market, or you can take advantage of the opportunity and carve something that you wouldn't normally be able to carve due to the cost of the material. And since the material is essentially free to you, you can make your price less.

I'll admit that, as a purely hobbiest carver, I have a different take on things. I don't particularly care how long it takes for me to make something, just so long as I'm happy with the final product. That gives me the freedom to do whatever I like for however long I like, without regard to how much the material costs or worrying about getting paid by the hour.

I think the question you have to ask yourself is if you could sell the wood as it is, or if you want to put time into it and create something that might reimburse you for the time spent.

[Ron T]

Hi Dileon,

I've got some koa that my sister and friends brought back from Hawaii and I keep saving it for something special, too. But I keep reminding myself that my hands are getting weaker and if I don'/t carve them while I can, they might never get carved. What is the worth of a block of wood if nobody knows it's value? If I were to pass away suddenly, would the blocks just be thrown away o given away? I'm thinkingt it's better for me to carve something than nothing.