100 year old Long'an

Byron Barker

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This is still one of my favourite woods in Taiwan and I think people are seriously crazy for not seeing the beauty in it. It is seriously undervalued. I got this huge slab for 20USD! Stunning hard wood with wavy grain and almost flesh-like heartwood. Wish my phone could do it more justice.

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Byron Barker

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Curious how this looks wet after it's been planed or sanded down.
My friend who is a furniture maker just about fell over himself when he saw it and immediately asked to buy it. He is going to put some bowties on it and plane it down for making a small coffee table. I'll take some pics when he gets to it. He is an awesome furniture maker.
 

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This is still one of my favourite woods in Taiwan and I think people are seriously crazy for not seeing the beauty in it. It is seriously undervalued. I got this huge slab for 20USD! Stunning hard wood with wavy grain and almost flesh-like heartwood. Wish my phone could do it more justice.

View attachment 185631

Which species is that one Byron?
 

Byron Barker

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Is there molongan. n one species of Long'an? I thought there was just the one: Dimocarpus longan. It's usually just used for fruit, honey production and firewood, so the trees are kept manageable. However, if you go into the countryside you can find these really old ones on abandoned or unkempt farms.
 

Byron Barker

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Sorry about the multiple posts there. Tried to edit and ended up posting 3 times. Why doesn't WB have a delete comment option?
 

Mr. Peet

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Is there more than one species of Long'an? I thought there was just the one: Dimocarpus longan. It's usually just used for fruit, honey production and firewood, so the trees are kept manageable. However, if you go into the countryside you can find these really old ones on abandoned or unkempt farms.

That is the species I have, just my samples are a drab brown. Don't have any good 1/4 sawn with sapwood. Thanks Byron.
 

Byron Barker

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That is the species I have, just my samples are a drab brown. Don't have any good 1/4 sawn with sapwood. Thanks Byron.
Yes, I hear you there. Most of the wood is just brownish or reddish without much of anything going on. The really old wood has crazy variations in heartwood color. I cut a 50+ year old tree and the contrast was just starting to show up in the heartwood, but there was a very gradual change in color. The sapwood wasn't clearly demarcated like these older pieces.
 

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That is the species I have, just my samples are a drab brown. Don't have any good 1/4 sawn with sapwood. Thanks Byron.
I can get some more pics of other 100+ year old Long'an for you if you'd like. There are a whole lot of variations in it.
 

phinds

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Reminds me, I dug up a bunch of pistache flat sawn boards for you. How can I send you pics?
Go to my site and see the email near the top of the first page and attach them to an email to me. I'll share w/ Mark.

I don't need the long'an since it's not on my site.
 
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