# special guy looking for special cocobolo



## phinds (Mar 4, 2020)

Hey guys,

I know links to this amazing video have been posted here before, but just as a reminder:






The creator of the video contacted me to see if I had any fancy cocobolo that would be suitable for a new project that he's taking on with the BBC / David Attenborough. I don't but I'm hoping that someone here might be able to help him out.

Thanks,

Paul

Reactions: Like 1 | Way Cool 2 | Creative 1


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## Eric Rorabaugh (Mar 4, 2020)

@Mike1950

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## Mike1950 (Mar 4, 2020)

Size?


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## phinds (Mar 4, 2020)

Mike1950 said:


> Size?


Don't know. I'll ask. Since I assume he'll be doing end grain stuff again, it's likely he wants something short and fat.

EDIT: just looked at his email again and realized that he said the new project is an "X-ray experiment". Don't know what that might mean in size. I've emailed him.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Mike1950 (Mar 4, 2020)

phinds said:


> Don't know. I'll ask. Since I assume he'll be doing end grain stuff again, it's likely he wants something short and fat.


Yikes, yall want wood but no size.... the guy that wants end grain sanded to billion grit... sheesh..

Reactions: Like 1 | Funny 4


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## DKMD (Mar 4, 2020)

No chunks of cocobolo, but I’ve got Honduran rosewood/burl in chunks


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## phinds (Mar 4, 2020)

DKMD said:


> No chunks of cocobolo, but I’ve got Honduran rosewood/burl in chunks


Thanks. I'll let him know.


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## ripjack13 (Mar 4, 2020)

I have this piece. I could let em have half of it. Or I may be even talked into the whole thing.
show the prettiest pieces of wood YOU have ever owned


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## phinds (Mar 4, 2020)

ripjack13 said:


> I have this piece. I could let em have half of it. Or I may be even talked into the whole thing.
> show the prettiest pieces of wood YOU have ever owned


Fantastic. I'll pass that on.


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## phinds (Mar 4, 2020)

Here's a reply that I got from Brett before I gave him your link. I'm heading out of town tomorrow morning and won't be back until late Friday. I'll follow up then.



> Hi Paul,
> 
> Thanks so much for the message and for the kind words. It is an honor to know that real woodworkers have enjoyed the film and taken something away from it. For me, just searching out the ID of wood I used and looking for new pieces has been such a journey into the world of wood varieties. I do have a few more that I am trying to identify, so i'll send some media your way.
> 
> ...

Reactions: Like 1


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## bfophoto (Mar 5, 2020)

Hello all, I am the maker of the video above and the one seeking a piece of cocobolo. My ideal size is 3" x 5" of end grain and then 3-4" along the pith, with the pith near the center to show the concentric growth ring pattern. I will use one inch of the longitudinal length to hold the piece solidly in a vice, and will cut through the other 2-3 inches in increments of 1/50" or so, photographing the end grain each time with the camera aligned with the pith. I am looking for that 2-3 inches to have some nice figure with decent contrast visually.

Thanks in advance for any advice or leads and apologies for my beginner wood terminology.

Reactions: Like 4


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## bfophoto (Mar 5, 2020)

ripjack13 said:


> I have this piece. I could let em have half of it. Or I may be even talked into the whole thing.
> show the prettiest pieces of wood YOU have ever owned



Hi there, thanks so much for the reply. That is the best-looking piece of cocobolo i've seen so far in my search, and it may be close to what i'm looking for. May I ask what the thickness is?

Reactions: Like 1


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## djg (Mar 5, 2020)

Cool video; I've never seen that before. Kind of lends to the idea that wood is a living thing. Good luck in your project.


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## Mike1950 (Mar 5, 2020)

bfophoto said:


> Hi there, thanks so much for the reply. That is the best-looking piece of cocobolo i've seen so far in my search, and it may be close to what i'm looking for. May I ask what the thickness is?



most pieces of rosewood at pith will be star cracked at pith. if this is ok I might have a piece and for sure have Brazilian kingwood.


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## JR Parks (Mar 5, 2020)

bfophoto said:


> Hello all, I am the maker of the video above and the one seeking a piece of cocobolo. My ideal size is 3" x 5" of end grain and then 3-4" along the pith, with the pith near the center to show the concentric growth ring pattern. I will use one inch of the longitudinal length to hold the piece solidly in a vice, and will cut through the other 2-3 inches in increments of 1/50" or so, photographing the end grain each time with the camera aligned with the pith. I am looking for that 2-3 inches to have some nice figure with decent contrast visually.
> 
> Thanks in advance for any advice or leads and apologies for my beginner wood terminology.


Awesome video Brett! Thanks for showing Paul.

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## Maverick (Mar 5, 2020)

Great video Brett. Really enjoyed it. Reminded me of the psychedelic 60's.

Reactions: Like 1 | Thank You! 1


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## phinds (Mar 6, 2020)

Maverick said:


> Great video Brett. Really enjoyed it. Reminded me of the psychedelic 60's.


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## ripjack13 (Mar 6, 2020)

bfophoto said:


> Hi there, thanks so much for the reply. That is the best-looking piece of cocobolo i've seen so far in my search, and it may be close to what i'm looking for. May I ask what the thickness is?



It's 15/16" thick. and 5x14"...


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## ripjack13 (Mar 6, 2020)

Rats...I just read your post. looks like it wont work for your application. That would have been cool to see.


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## phinds (Mar 6, 2020)

ripjack13 said:


> Rats...I just read your post. looks like it wont work for your application. That would have been cool to see.


Well, not sure that Brett's next project is the same thing. If you read the whole thread, you'll see that


> he said the new project is an "X-ray experiment". Don't know what that might mean in size.


but he did later specify the size but still hasn't clarified what "X-ray experiment" might mean for wood.

Reactions: Like 1


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## The100road (Mar 6, 2020)

DKMD said:


> No chunks of cocobolo, but I’ve got Honduran rosewood/burl in chunks



oh you shouldnt have told everyone that doc. I’ll be bugging you for “chunks” of HRB eventually. ;)

Reactions: Like 1 | Funny 2


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## ripjack13 (Mar 6, 2020)

phinds said:


> Well, not sure that Brett's next project is the same thing. If you read the whole thread, you'll see thatbut he did later specify the size but still hasn't clarified what "X-ray experiment" might mean for wood.



I did. Maybe it could still be useful?


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## phinds (Mar 6, 2020)

ripjack13 said:


> I did. Maybe it could still be useful?


That's what I was thinking.

Reactions: Like 1


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## bfophoto (Mar 9, 2020)

Mike1950 said:


> most pieces of rosewood at pith will be star cracked at pith. if this is ok I might have a piece and for sure have Brazilian kingwood.


Ahh, that is good to know. I've done this procedure with a few pieces that had some star-cracking at pith, and it wasn't too visually distracting. Could I trouble you for a photo of a piece that has the pith? Thanks so much!

Reactions: Like 1


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## bfophoto (Mar 9, 2020)

phinds said:


> Well, not sure that Brett's next project is the same thing. If you read the whole thread, you'll see thatbut he did later specify the size but still hasn't clarified what "X-ray experiment" might mean for wood.


Sorry for the confusion, the "X-Ray experiment" is just what I am calling the technique I used in the short film at the beginning of this post. For someone who hasn't seen the film, it can be tricky to describe what is going on, so i've used terms like "wood x-ray" or "wood MRI". I was heartened to learn that many woodworkers had already seen the film, and knew immediately what they were looking at.

Reactions: Informative 1


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## bfophoto (Mar 9, 2020)

ripjack13 said:


> It's 15/16" thick. and 5x14"...


Thanks for checking on that. The thickness is a little small, but I have done the technique with pieces even smaller so it could work. I'm still waiting to hear back from the producers on exactly what they want... Thanks again for all the help and advice!

Reactions: Like 1


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## Otterhound (Mar 9, 2020)

Try RC Tonewoods . They are near you .

Reactions: Like 1


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## Byron Barker (Mar 28, 2020)

I'd donate some chrysanthemum wood cut offs to him. I think it would fit his project well.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## bfophoto (Mar 29, 2020)

Byron Barker said:


> I'd donate some chrysanthemum wood cut offs to him. I think it would fit his project well.


Hello there, thanks so much for the message. I was not familiar with chrysanthemum wood, but I looked up some images and it is quite an amazing looking wood. The cutoffs you have, are they in branch form, or are they cut into blocks?


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## Byron Barker (Mar 29, 2020)

They are in their natural form. I've got quite a few different sizes ranging from 3cm-12 cm. I've got some Chinese pistache cut offs that would be gorgeous too. Also natural form


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