Another little bit of koa

[Ken Martin]

Last December I made an appeal for a small piece of curly koa to complete a turkey call. Well, I find myself in the same position today. I just made a swap with a friend who has developed sensitivities to certain exotic woods and a piece of curly koa was included. It is enough for a paddle, or even a base, but not both.

So, I am looking for a small, thin piece of koa. The curlier the better. Minimum dimensions are 9” long by 2” wide and 1/2” thick.

I am able to resaw, so a piece that is close may work. A larger piece might net me another call or two.

Watcha got?

 

[ScoutDog]

@rob3232 has lots of koa, last I heard. Plus, he’s a great guy to deal with.

 

[Nature Man]

@Kalai

 

[rob3232]

Ken @Ken Martin Here are a couple pieces for your consideration. The piece on the right is a little thinner (.42") the other is 1/2". Overall length is 21". Of course it's hard to capture the figure in a photo especially rough -sawn but I tried I can try misting them and take more pictures if would like? The measurements on the tape are what I think will work for you using multiples of 2". $57 shipped for the pair.

 

[Ken Martin]

Hmmm… there’s a lot of unusable wood in those two pieces. However, they are curly, for the most part.
Could I get a look at the endgrain, especially of the one on the left? I need to see how the sapwood lays

 

[rob3232]

Here you go. I didn’t realize sapwood is an issue. I can dig through some bins and find some pieces with less sapwood.

 

[Ken Martin]

Yessir, sapwood generally doesn’t have good tone qualities. I may be building a turkey call, but it is still a rudimentary musical instrument and all those rules apply.