Source for russian olive?

[michaelwayneharwood]

Does anyone know a good source for Russian Olive? I know that it's a "weed" wood, but I am looking to pick up a few board feet if I can find it. I am specifically looking for 4/4 stock in usable widths of at least 6 inches (not 6 inches with a live edge) in lengths of at least 24", but 36" would be very nice.

Anyone?

 

[zontar]

I don't know any sources in you area or online--but it is a nice wood--we used to have a Russian Olive in our yard--it was there when we moved in, but it died.
Some of it went to a woodworker who makes pens & stuff--and he made us a Russian olive pen.

What would you be using it for?

 

[joseplluissans]

Not sure if they sell true olive, or the russian one:
Olive tonewood, Olive guitar top
But you can always email them to ask...

 

[michaelwayneharwood]

Not sure if they sell true olive, or the russian one:
Olive tonewood, Olive guitar top
But you can always email them to ask...

Thanks! I am betting that's true olive.

What would you be using it for?

Pretty much everything for an instrument build. I am not sure how stable the wood is, so it might not be a good fit for a neck... I got my hands on some from my father-in-law, who had some in his wood pile, and love the wood. It has beautiful grain, and ebonizes well using ferric acetate. The russian olive will be used as a fingerboard on a 15" piccolo travel bass:

 

[michaelwayneharwood]

Found some! I just got off the phone with Invalid Link Removed who has a ton of it in stock. Since it's not yet kiln dried I can pick it up at a decent BF price. Joy!

 

[bevan lurrito]

Interesting. Yep, it is a weed, but it is a very hard wood. I cut it down near ponds to make brush piles as fish (bass) attractors and a twig the size of a pencil is strong enough that if you snag 25lb line on it you will break off your lure. I never saw a tree big enough to get body blanks out of, but fingerboards should be no problem.

I used to live in Colorado, it is everywhere out there.

 

[michaelwayneharwood]

I never saw a tree big enough to get body blanks out of, but fingerboards should be no problem.

Denver Wood Slabs has fairly large slabs - 12" wide and wider up to 4 or 5 feet in length at 8/4 thickness. One slab will easily provide enough material to do at least one full instrument, and if I slice it up just for tops and fingerboards I will be able to get enough to last me for a while.

 

[zontar]

It has beautiful grain,

It certainly does.
A friend of mine who does woodworking once travelled a couple of days to get some

 

[michaelwayneharwood]

It certainly does.
A friend of mine who does woodworking once travelled a couple of days to get some

It's nice to hear I am not the only one who loves the stuff.

 

[bevan lurrito]

Any toxicity concerns? I went after the Russian olive because it would last longer underwater than anything else I could find.
Many dense hardwoods have built in insecticides and anti-rot compounds that our lungs are not equipped to deal with. I know I would sneeze a lot sawing the wet wood with a huge-toothed bow saw... dry, cured wood and sandpaper would be that much worse.

 

[michaelwayneharwood]

Any toxicity concerns? I went after the Russian olive because it would last longer underwater than anything else I could find.
Many dense hardwoods have built in insecticides and anti-rot compounds that our lungs are not equipped to deal with. I know I would sneeze a lot sawing the wet wood with a huge-toothed bow saw... dry, cured wood and sandpaper would be that much worse.

Nothing that I have been able to find online. I had no issues working with it.