I got a full round of a koa log for Xmas. It is short, about ten inches long and about 18 inches across. Anyone have any experience turning koa endgrain? I have no experience with this wood. It appears to be about as hard as walnut. Any advice? GCS
The best advise it to not turn it until you know what you are doing and what you want to make - be very careful in your planning and cutting of this wood - it is beautiful, valuable and can make some amazing pieces - be very thoughtful and ready to turn it - remember the person who gave it to you spent quite a bit. Study the wood like a diamond cutter studies a diamond before he cuts it!
Good luck
Ray
I'm not a turner yet, my DVR is en route, but as I live where Koa grows, I've worked scads of it. Walnut is a good comparison for hardness, with Koa probably slightly harder in general. Porousness-wise it is pretty tight - not like maple, but more close pored than mahogany. It can be very cranky to work, likes to burn when routed, curl and all the nice figure it's known for causes grain direction problems. It's quite stable when dried properly, but this could be a problem issue with your log section. It is getting very scarce, almost all the really nice stuff has been logged. A nice bit of Koa is well worth the effort.
Peace, Sanaka
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