Coffee Wood (Midwest Local)

go mike

go mike

Joined
Dec 5, 2008
Messages
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I found a source of Coffee Wood. It rates at 1390 on the Janka hardness scale. I just wanted to see if anyone knew much about this kind of wood. I have 8 blocks for sale in the supplies & tools forum, but I thought it would be more appropriate to ask about the wood here.

Here's a picture:
frontall.jpg
 
I had a LOT of coffee growing and old coffee stumps on our farm in Kona. Made a few down and dirty farm tool handles out of some of it. Pretty white wood. I always thought it'd be fun to cure some up and play around with it. Maybe some day. Keep us posted.
 
Karl: It's very different in hardness than hedge. Hedge is 2040 on the janka, and this is 1390. We have a lot of hedge trees near me, but I haven't seen the wood myself, so I can't compare it to this.

This kind of wood is Kentucky Coffee Wood. It originated when coffee imports were too expensive, so they wanted to grow it locally, and it is very different than regular coffee, so you might have something different in Hawaii. This is more of a yellow-ish color.
 
After cutting those pieces, I have a little extra. I will grind down one edge on it, to get a feel of pattern throughout the block. I'll post more pictures once I get done.
 
Looks a lot like oak.... I wonder if it's chickory which is a coffee substitute and a normal additive in Southern style coffee blends like Red Diamond.
 
Chickory is not a tree, as far as I could tell. It is more of a weed-shaped bush.

Kentucky Coffee Trees are used mainly in cabinets, but it's pretty much only available in the midwest.
 
Will Leavitt said:
I dunno... I've never actually seen a chickory plant/tree/bush :p I've drank plenty of it though.
Click to expand...

Chickory is a long stemmed plant with a blue flower coming on in the spring. You find it a lot around here growing in the road ditches.
Like Will, the coffe wood looks a lot like oak to me. It's pretty.
My mom and dad have a Kentucky coffee tree in their front yard, it makes it to where you almost have to wear a helmet when you mow because of the pods laying everywhere.
Later,
Iz
 
Hi Friends,

The coffee "trees" in Kona are not much of a tree. They are of the gardenia family. I believe the stuff you are talking about is different. Is this it, http://www.hobbithouseinc.com/personal/woodpics/coffee tree.htm? Kona coffee "trees" are pruned on a regular basis to manage cane growth and access to the coffee cherry. You can see the young fresh growth with cherry and stump in the left hand photo below. The woodiest tree-like part is from the decades old stumps from which the canes/suckers grow. Check out the other old gnarly stump in the second photo!

All the best, Phil
 

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The Kentucky Coffee Tree is similar to some oak varieties, in both hardness and grain structure. If you end up cutting up a coffee stump, I'd be interested to see how it turns out into a handle.
 
Kentucky Coffee Tree is a member of the Acacia family .It is a legume so the seeds are in a bean pod therefore the name 'coffee'. Other members of the family include locust, mesquite, and the Koa of Hawaii.A good wood for furniture .I don't know if there is much figure.
 
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