Visit to Hawaii

Hey Juergen

Don't know about clubs or shows, but can give a little info. on Big Island wood. In Kona (west side of big isle), the two main places to buy are Aloha Wood and Hardwoods. They're both in the Kaloko industrial area, which if you fly into Kona and drive south, you'll see a couple miles before town - easy to find. Aloha in particular may have some turning chunks in some of the lesser known local species such as Kou, Milo, Kamani, Norfolk Pine, Mango, Ohia. Bring a chainsaw and you can score Monkey Pod and Keawe for free :-) Sadly, even though this is the only place it grows, Koa is not in spectacular abundance. There is fortunately some responsible logging going on, but most of the primo virgin curly stuff is long gone.

Another thought: there is a Vicmarc distributor in Hawaii - find him through Vicmarc's website. I bet he's quite connected with the Hawaiian turning community :-) Have fun!

Peace, Sanaka