While looking for a true rosewood native to Australia I found some pretty interesting info on Dalbergia sissoo, a true Indian Rosewood used for guitar making and fine furniture. It is not so rare, indeed its been declared a noxious pest in Australia and it seems in Florida too.
The landcare groups can't get rid of the stuff fast enough.
http://www.se-eppc.org/eddmaps/distribution/secounty.cfm?sub=10114
.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shisham
I'll look
for this at PALS (Plywood and Lumber Sales, San Francisco and West Oakland) next time I'm there -- but I doubt I'll find it, despite their broad selection of imported species. I wish these miracles were more widely known. . .!
Here's their current list:
http://www.earthsourcewood.com/products.aspx
Very interesting, I don't...
Very interesting, I don't think for bespoke furniture there are any real ethical challenges, small amounts of good timber can be sourced from just about anywhere, people backyards, windstorm felled trees etc etc. Its the large manufacturers and paper mills that do the real damage.
I doubt that many mature specimens of Dalbergia could be sourced in Florida given its so built up, luckily here though its more isolated and there are a few mature looking stands that no-one has got to yet. Still waiting to hear from the gov't department responsible for them.
The sample flooring (?)
in the photo is certainly dramatically marked. It might be a bit much for some projects but I would certainly give it a shot.
The default choice when selecting a specie or lot of wood (timber, to you ?) would be a plain, "quiet" grain for a complex furniture form (a highly detailed design, with moldings, carved detail, etc) and a more lively grain (as above) for a simple design with plain surfaces. I suppose there would be exceptions, to this rule as to any. . .
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