Kowhai

Ianab · July 20, 2004, 02:37:09 AM

This is a wood that will be new to most of you, Kowhai
It's a NZ native tree thats commonly grown in gardens and parks for it's bright yellow flowers that attract the bird life. Not used as timber because of it's poor form and from my experience the difficulty in drying. Most of the small boards I cut from this garden tree cupped or bowed or warped, or all 3 :

This is a small slab that I left live edged, I hope the grain and colour show up properly. Now I just got to decide what to use it for... ???

This page has some pictures of the tree and flowers.
http://www.wairereboulders.co.nz/plants/kowhai/kowhai.htm

Ian

RavioliKid · July 20, 2004, 07:56:05 AM

Gorgeous!

I can't wait to see what you do with it.

WV_hillbilly · July 20, 2004, 09:00:07 PM

lanab you need to scrollsaw something out of that piece . That is a pretty neat looking board . the shape looks like a mitten .
:D

Ianab · July 21, 2004, 01:57:33 AM

hehe.
The mitten image had occured to me.. and the scrollsaw idea.. but who wants a scrollsawed mitten ??? :

I'm sure some ideas will occur to me

Ian

Weekend_Sawyer · July 21, 2004, 06:53:32 AM

That's a nice looking pice. Do you treat it so it will not crack?

We helped in a barn raising a few years back and the owner took a slab like that of sasafrass and had the names of all who were there lasered onto it. looked real nice.

That would make a nice clock face/name plate or some such wall hanging.

Jon

RavioliKid · July 21, 2004, 12:21:37 PM

Who wants a scrollsawed mitten?!

Have you ever seen the state of Michigan on a map? The lower peninsula looks just like a mitten! Now, you just need to find a piece that looks like the upper peninsula.

(Might be kind of hard to find a taker in New Zealand, though!)

Furby · July 21, 2004, 04:59:08 PM

Hey Rav, I have some cherry mittens. Any idea where to find a piece of cherry U.P. ??? ;D

WV_hillbilly · July 21, 2004, 05:08:29 PM

lanab I'm sure that a creative scroller would have no problem cutting a design into that piece . After that you probably wouldn't think of it as a mitten anymore .