Pics of Brazilian woods

Ivan Campos

Ivan Campos

Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
Joined
Apr 4, 1999
Messages
2,509
At the request of a few fellow makers, here are some scans of the local woods I have on my shop. This, of course is just a small sample of what can be obtained here.

isgrupo1.jpg

cana fistula, gonçalo alves, pau ferro, guajuvira and violet jacarandá

isgrupo2.jpg

pau rosa, ipê, cundurú (also known as false pau brasil), black jacarandá, pau brasil, cana fistula and caviuna

Sorry for the crappy images.
 
Wow , the cana fistula and ipe are my favorites , are they hardwoods ? Oily ? :)
 
Ipe is like a rock. It is used here in the rainy NorthWet for decks. It lasts twenty years without using Thompsons water seal or equivelant. If the deck is being nailed together, the nail holes must be predrilled!

Ipe is a super tough wood.
 
I have made some working knives with Ipe handles.It is one of the hardest woods I have ever seen.It doesn't cut well, drill well or sand well, real fine powder when sanding.And to top it off its not real pretty, But for those of you who dislike synthetics like me its the ticket.As tough as it is to work it makes a great and strong handle.I just finished re-handling a machete for a customer with it.I finished it with Tung oil and buffed it.I read this stuff is fire rated the same as concrete.Dave :)
 
Jebadiah: No, they are different woods as far as I know.
Ipê is hard and oily, while cana fistula is more dry.
IG, black jacarandá is the black piece right in the middle of the second pic.
Chuck is right, ipê is super tough. It´s dust can be terrible, too, and has caused me at least one serious allergic crisis, though I worked with it after that with no serious problems. The one on the scan is stripped but not so figured - there are much prettier pieces than this sample but they are rarer. After finished, it has that deep, three dimensional look.
 
i had a piece of ipe, and it looked like the wood at the top right. strange. it smelled like a sauna, also wierd! it wasnt hard to carve, but made a nice handle.
 
I have a piece of ipe that I've been wanting to try out on one of my brother-in-laws, but he won't come around for some reason.
 
Elven: it is not unusual to find a variety of woods (sometimes related, sometimes not) called by the same name. Over here, the ipê cabinetmakers use is a different wood from the one I am showing you, for instance...
Tom, you probably have not used the right tone of voice to invite him to see your new wood... "now just look a little closer to see the grain..."
 
Good looking wood, wish I had something like that around here. All I can come up with is some black walnut and honey locust. :yawn: :D
 
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