What to add to my woods list

I was in contact with a guy with several slabs of olive, he never got back to me. Im in California, so it should be the perfect place.
 
Should Olive wood be stabilized? I ordered a small piece from a vendor, one of those that gives a "certificate of authenticity" that is was from Jerusalem (or one of those places) and from olive trees that "Might" be 1,000 yrs old..... or might not be {g}

It's a fine grain wood that finishes nicely with just using a sanded layer of CA to seal the small pores.

Ken H>
 
Ken H> said:
Should Olive wood be stabilized? I ordered a small piece from a vendor, one of those that gives a "certificate of authenticity" that is was from Jerusalem (or one of those places) and from olive trees that "Might" be 1,000 yrs old..... or might not be {g}

It's a fine grain wood that finishes nicely with just using a sanded layer of CA to seal the small pores.

Ken H>
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From what I've figured out, it can be, but doesn't need to be.
 
My go to request is figured mahogany or saepele. I know luthiers love it, cleaning up the supply. If you ever get some, pm me and I'll be buying.
 
Ken H> said:
Should Olive wood be stabilized? I ordered a small piece from a vendor, one of those that gives a "certificate of authenticity" that is was from Jerusalem (or one of those places) and from olive trees that "Might" be 1,000 yrs old..... or might not be {g}

It's a fine grain wood that finishes nicely with just using a sanded layer of CA to seal the small pores.

Ken H>
Click to expand...

Olive is interesting in that respect. Some woods are very oily and very dense, think cocobolo. It doesn't take stabilizing, and it doesn't need it.

Other woods like camphor burl are light and very oily. They probably need stabilizing but don't take it very well

Olive is heavy and hard but not terribly oily and can be stabilized, but doesn't really need it.

I still stabilize mine not for the added strength, rather because some olive can be a touch unstable, and can lead to minor cracks in a finished product
 
Ben, Thanks for the info. I've learned to really like stabilized wood, most of what I've used is by K&G with some I've done using Cactus Juice. While some woods do good with Cactus Juice, with most woods, it does seem K&G is better. I've also used a natural woods (Rosewood, ebony, bloodwood, Bocote, Snakewood, Olive, Thuya, etc) with success.

Ken H>
 
Greenberg Woods said:
I was in contact with a guy with several slabs of olive, he never got back to me. Im in California, so it should be the perfect place.
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California Olive can be beautiful but you will have a lot of loss during the drying and processing.
If the slabs are crosscut I wouldn't touch them unless you are using them for end tables.
Most of the orchard olives will have a burl portion going from ground level up about 3 feet.
That is the only portion I would use and cut as close to quartersawn as possible.
Orchard grown olives grow a lot faster than the stuff from the middle east so it moves a lot more when drying.
It is also the slowest drying wood that I have ever used.

Just my 2 cents.

On the subject of stabilizing.
If it is a very oily piece I would not do it. If it is a less oily variety then you can stabilize it but there won't be much weight gain.
With the California Olives the oil content varies with the variety of olive. Some are so oily when you touch it it feels like a bar of soap.
The wood turners like it because it cuts so smoothly and polishes easily like it has been waxed.
 
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Interesting. I have a family friend in Isreal who has been asking me if I want some of his olive burl. But I've been really trying to get some of the shittum and Jerusalem olive.
 
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