Timber_Specialities

Timber Specialities

Boxwood

Boxwood is a superb timber used primarily for smaller projects such as boxes, games pieces and jewellery where its close grain structure and ability to hold fine detail are very useful features. Bowood takes threads excellently and can transform any attempts at hand thread chasing from a frustrating struggle to a personal victory - a sort of "give us the tools and we'll finish the job"! (See Allan Batty's Masterclass video on Thread Chasing)

Our boxwood is UK- and European-sourced as it becomes increasingly scarce and is sold by weight (1 Kg = approx. 2.2 pounds). Boxwood grows only to a relatively small size so sections are not large. A typical diameter for a billet of boxwood is 40 mm (1.5") and 100 mm (4") would be an impressively large piece (and may have a less compact grain structure). The section lengths are approximately 100 mm (4") to 200 mm (8"). The timber is sold with its bark in situ and without pre-conditioning for moisture content reduction: the billet ends may be wax dipped to stabilise moisture content.

As a guide, a piece of boxwood taken at random from our stock, measuring 190 mm long and of roughly oval cross-section 65 mm x 50 mm weighs 0.565 Kg. Our system accepts orders for a minimum of 1kg and in multiples of 0.5 Kg thereafter. Simply enter the required weight of boxwood in the box, below, then press the "Order" button.


	Enter the required weight of boxwood:


	Kg. @ £4.17* per Kg.

Please note that whilst we will supply the requested amount as closely as possible from stock we cannot guarantee exact weights (we do not cut to weight).

Banksia Nuts

Above: Large, and below, Medium Banksia Nuts. Large are typically 7" - 10" overall length and 3" - 3.1/2" in diameter. Medium are typically 6" - 8.1/2" overall length and 2.1/2" - 3" diameter. All sizes are approximate.

The Banksia Nut is the fruit of - surprise, surprise, the Banksia tree, named after the pioneering naturalist - Banks. After the tree has seeded the empty pods are collected from the forest floor, under licence, in its native south-west Australia. What arrives here is a dried fruit ready to be turned into works of art to amaze and delight your friends and family.

However it is a material that hides an aggressive nature, against which you need to take precautions. Firstly, the holes in the Banksia are where the seeds reside: whilst in a perfect world all of these would have fallen to earth, the reality is that the orifices can still contain a seed whioch can be propelled out at devastating speed when you start the lathe. Hence both eye and face protection is ESSENTIAL. Do not even start the lathe experimentally without taking this precaution. Furthermore the ends of the fruit are furnished with a lovely velvety down: BEWARE - some people find that they are highly allergic to the irritating hairs divested by these velvety portions of the fruit. Hence it is also strongly advised to wear hand protection and to ensure that the arms are covered too - likewise the face, though the facemask should be taking care of that. Finally, those same velvet hairs can irritate the respiratory tract so you need to wear respiratory protection too. You have been warned.

Having said all that are they worth the risk? For most of us, a resounding "yes". Many of us are not affected by the hairs, and common sense - eye sense - avoids the projectile seeds risk. But please don't risk getting caught out. Take the precautions outlined.

*NB: Prices quoted in pounds sterling.
Value Added Tax will be added to invoices to EU residents unless
a valid VAT registration number is quoted when ordering.

©1997-2010 P. Hemsley. The information on this website is the copyright property of Peter Hemsley. Coeur du Bois and The ToolPost are trading styles of Peter Hemsley. Whilst reasonable efforts are made to ensure the accuracy of information presented, no liability can be accepted for errors in this information nor for contingencies arising therefrom. If you are inexperienced in any aspect of woodworking, we would strongly counsel that you take a course of formal instruction before commencing to practice