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Woodworking Artist J W's Innovative Woodworker Column |
Thursday, 15 December 2005
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Welcome I started this column because of my desire to share my woodworking experiences and to teach and help people become better woodworkers. I have more than 20 years of experience working with wood and have worked more than 500 different species of wood. I normally keep more than 125 species in stock. I have studied hundreds of woodworking magazine articles and more than 230 books on woodworking by as many as 190 authors. In addition I have studied numerous books and magazine articles on art, business, marketing, advertising and webmastering. I consult with both individuals and companies {World Tree Technologies, Impact Group New York, & B. K. Brown Designs} on the best wood, procedures and finishing techniques to use in the production of their wooden projects or products and how to advertise their products. Pink Ivory Wood
Botanical name is Berchemia or Rhamnus zeyheri. Its average specific gravity is approximately 0.81. It is in the classification of hardwood. It grows in Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and South Africa. Other names are Red Ivorywood, Umgoloti Wood and Pau Preto Wood. Legend has it that it is the royal wood of the South African tribe, Zulu. When the son of a chief is capable of cutting the tree down and can create a spear with the wood, he is considered a man. No other member of the tribe is allowed to cut a tree or have any of the trees wood in their possession. If they break this sacred rule, the punishment is death. Pink Ivory turns and carves fairly easily. It has a very fine texture, if sanded down in steps to 2000 grit sandpaper or finer it will shine without applying a finish or wax to it. The color can be light pink to a medium red with a pinkish tinge and sometimes a fairly bright red with a pinkish tinge. It costs $100.00 - $150.00 per board foot. Sometimes it is sold by the pound. Here is a supplier that usually has it, Righteous Woods. Tip Store lumber vertically from longest pieces in back to shortest in front, instead of horizontally on shelves or racks. It makes lumber a whole lot easier to see, look at {thumb through}, from getting marred and scratched, and it saves a lot of time. Quote Or Proverb The world is moving so fast these days that the man who says it can't be done is generally interrupted by someone doing it. Elbert Hubbard Bethlehem Jerusalem Holy Land Olivewood
Botanical name is Olea europaea. Its average specific gravity is approximately 0.70. It is in the classification of hardwood. Today Olive tress can be found in northern Africa, the Middle East and southern Europe especially in Italy. There are also small orchards in California, Florida and Arizona. Other names are Olivo Wood, Olivier Wood and Olbaum Wood. Olive Trees have been around for many centuries. Olive is in the Ash {Fraxinus spp} family. They can live for 1500 years or more and usually do not obtain a height of more than 25 feet or diameters in excess of 12 inches. The Holy Bible states that King Solomon's temple had Olivewood decorative art objects in it. Very large percentages are cultivated for oil and the olives. It is rarely sold or available in lumber and if one is lucky enough to find lumber, it will be small pieces and very expensive. The most famous and sought after Olivewood is the wood from the trees in and around the Bethlehem Jerusalem Holy Land area. Because the trees are only trimmed once or twice a year, it is extremely difficult to obtain the wood and then only in small pieces. No trees are ever harmed, damaged or destroyed by the trimming. Bethlehem Olivewood lumber is hard, heavy and strong. The color can be light to medium brown with a yellowish tinge with brownish, grayish and blackish markings. The lumber has great movement in service. It routs, shapes and planes well with carbide tipped cutting tools. Carves well and turns well on a lathe. Drilling and cutting is rather difficult. Most cutting tools seem to dull at an above average rate. Cutting tools should be kept quite sharp. It also does not tool burn easily If one does not own or have access to a moisture meter, especially with the blocks used for turning, I highly recommend stabilizing {treating} it using PEG 1000 {polyethylene glycol} before making any project from it. When first worked with tools and sanded, the wood gives off a slight sweet smell. Sands wells, very little gum up. Glues very well with polyurethane glue. It costs $50.00 to $90.00 per board foot. One must be very careful in purchasing Olivewood as some pieces may have high waste {unusable} as much as 66 2/3%. Small pieces this does not pertain to, but the larger the piece the poorer the quality. This is because the trees are small and do not have very much of a trunk. Here is one supplier that sells it in Israel, Bethlehem Olive Wood. Tip When routing woods that tool burn easily when you slow down too much or stop such as cherry, use a variable speed router. To get the burn marks out, set the speed of the router to about 2/3 of the maximum revolution and lower the bit just a hair, then make one more pass. You will get a slightly rougher cut but the burn mark or marks will be gone. Quote Or Proverb Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which one has overcome while trying to succeed. Booker T. Washington Snakewood
Botanical name is Piratinera Guianensis. Its average specific gravity is approximately 1.30. It is in the classification of hardwood and it grows in South America, Guyana and Surinam. Other names are Leopard Wood, Speckled Wood and Letterwood. It is extremely hard! In fact some Snakewood can be harder than Lignum Vitae making it the hardest wood in the world. Color is usually light reddish brown to dark reddish brown. It can have remarkable figure with dark brown or black speckles, stripes and spots like a leopards or with strange markings. It has a tendency to dull tools very quickly it is best to use extremely sharp carbide tools when working with this wood. In my experience when sawing Snakewood it is not uncommon for the saw blade to throw sparks. You should clean the wood with Acetone prior to gluing it and use a polyurethane glue. The price varies depending upon the amount of figure the wood has. Highly figured will cost $150.00 - $350.00 per board foot. Sometimes they sell it by the pound. One board foot will normally weigh approximately 6 pounds. There are a few suppliers who carry Snakewood most of the time, one such supplier is, Eisenbrand Exotic Hardwoods. Tip When marking around templates or patterns, you should use a mechanical pencil that uses 0.5 or 0.7mm lead. This allows for a precise and consistent marking to follow when using a scroll saw or bandsaw for cutting. Also you can twist the lead out say an inch or so to mark in those hard to reach crevices. Quote Or Proverb Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up. Thomas Alva Edison Thuyawood Burl
Botanical name is Tetraclinis artculata. Its average specific gravity is approximately 0.72. It is in the classification of softwood {Conifer}. It grows in Morocco and Algeria. Other names are Citrus Wood, Thyine Wood and Sandarac Wood. It is a burl, which is an outgrowth on the root of a tree. When worked {sawed, planed, sanded etc.} it gives off a sweet but also a sour smell combined. It is usually light golden brown to light to medium brown sometimes with a slight reddish tinge and has wild grain and numerous knots making a mottled or bird's eye figure. The wood is difficult to work because of its brittle nature. Extreme care is required during the kiln drying process. To eliminate this you can either air dry (requiring an extended amount of time depending upon the thickness of the wood) or I recommend stabilizing {treating} it using PEG 1000 {polyethylene glycol} before making any project from it. This will decrease the waiting time to do a project. It costs $50.00 to $75.00 per board foot but it is extremely difficult to obtain a source. The source that I have located to obtain this wood is, Exotic Wood Group. Tip To produce exact fitting pieces, use the cut and fit method. To do this take each piece, line it up with the joining piece and mark approximately with a pencil where the cut needs to be, then cut the piece {sometimes takes as many as 3 or 4 cuts} until it fits precisely. Quote Or Proverb Some look at things that are, and ask why. I dream of things that never were and ask why not? George Bernard Shaw Article Source: http://www.ArticleBlast.com |
Johnny {J W} Morlan
Johnny was born September 18, 1956, in Chillicothe Missouri. When he was about 3 years old his family moved about 90 miles away to Moberly Missouri. This is where he grew up, went to school and graduated from high school in 1975. He moved away from Moberly in 1981.
When he was about 7 years old he started helping his dad who did carpentry jobs. When Johnny was in his teen years his dad would sometimes become extremely irritated with him because he would always want to make the finish moldings and cabinets more intricate. His dad felt their customers might not appreciate or like the more fancy designs. Johnny also enjoyed creating small wooden objects. His dad told him there was not a market for such things, nobody would be interested in them or want to buy them. As he grew older he found out most people also agreed with his dad's statements.
In 1989, Johnny decided to stop listening to all those people and that was when J W Morlan's Unique Wood Gifts was born. He took 1 year of wood shop class in junior high school where he made average grades. Johnny has always loved and had a passion for working with wood.
Before Johnny started his own business he worked for a contractor that built and refinished cabinets and furniture.
He also worked for five years with a lumber and hardware store in the paint department where he helped hundreds of customers with their home and woodworking projects. He was well known in the area for being able to match a competitor?s stain or paint color well enough to spot paint or stain with it. He did this by using paints or stain bases and adding different colorants to it by eye {no computer matching in those days} until it matched the sample the customer had supplied.
Johnny has worked with unique woods since 1983. People from over 220 countries have viewed and admired his creations. He is a member of the International Who's Who Historical Society {his short biography is featured in the 2001-2002 edition of the International Who's Who of Entrepreneurs}. He is a member of the following organizations and associations: Rainforest Alliance Smart Wood Program, National Arbor Day Foundation, International Wood Collectors Society, Woodworker's Website Association, Woodworkers Book Club and a lifetime member of Handyman Club of America.
He received two honors in 2002, one being nominated for inclusion in the 2002 edition of the International Directory of Distinguished Leadership and the other being nominated by the Governing Board of Editors of the American Biographical Institute for the title Man Of The Year - 2002. In 2003 he was contacted by and did accept being represented by an art marketing agency in London England to market his wood art works throughout Europe.
Some of Johnny's creations were chosen to be featured and sold on the TV show America's Product Showcase. His desk set creations were selected by Home Shopping International to sell on their website {HSI Online.} Some of his designs, woodworking tips and jigs have been published in trade magazines.
To help create quality, unique pieces of work, Johnny has studied hundreds of woodworking magazine articles and more than 220 books on woodworking by as many as 180 authors. In addition he has studied numerous books and magazine articles on art, business, marketing, advertising and web mastering. He consults with both individuals and companies {World Tree Technologies, Impact Group New York, & B. K. Brown Designs} on the best wood, procedures and finishing techniques to use in the production of their wooden projects or products and how to advertise their products.
He has worked more than 500 species of wood. His wood collection he periodically takes to schools and shop classes. There he answers the student's questions, educates them about the sustainable sources for wood and shows them the world of wood that many of them will probably never see.
Numerous motivational and philosophical proverbs hang on the walls of his studio. He lives and teaches them. He Loves teaching people who like and are interested in woodworking the true {Art} of woodworking!
Some of Johnny's creations have been bought by or given as presents to professional people, foreign dignitaries of state, celebrities and even the President and the First Lady of the United States.
Five Star Reviews Magazine's,
Review/Write Up Of J W Morlan's Unique Wood Gifts,
That Is Featured In Their January, 2005 Issue
Exquisite taste. Beautiful craftsmanship. A continual quest for excellence. These three elements combine to make J.W. Morlan's Unique Wood Gifts one of the finest purveyors of individually-made solid wood items in the world.
Here are the names and some comments of a few of my past clients/customers, who have either purchased an already made creation from me or have had me do a custom made/commissioned piece for them.
Brown Wheeldon Investment Advisors LLP
World Tree Technologies
Jayson A. Wolfe, Attorney At Law
Women's American ORT
Recording Products
Lockheed Martin Corporation
SBR Incorporated
David Syn, M.D.
Coleman & Associates
Helene Grosman
Carol Rients LLC
Mary Kay Zanoni
Luv-N-Care, Ina Wallace
Laura & Doug Welsh
Emspace Design Group
Aaron Glavas
Ginny Peters, President Industrial Drives Inc.
Rex Roten, Roten Law Firm Chartered
Jeff Knoedl, Knoedl Tax Advisory Group
Absolutely the most exquisite craftsmanship
I have ever seen, in any of my travels. Just beautiful!
Patti F - Florida
I am genuinely impressed with your expert craftsmanship and unique vision...so freshly expressed in your superbly executed creations, being, at once, utilitarian and aesthetically satiating....!! Bravo...I am, again, inspired! Dan Owens
Awesome. Just opened it.
Absolutely Awesome. I know she will love it.
Ina W - California
I have my desk set prominently displayed on a shelf attached
to my desk within easy reach for daily use. I love it.
Paul M - Pennsylvania
Yes, he loved the cardholder! He has it on his desk for all to see!
Thank-you so very much for the beautiful work!
Mary Z - Michigan
Your Work Is Fantastic!
Pauline Lionel-Ickenox Art Agency Ltd.
London, England
J W Morlan's Unique Wood Gifts
8101 Waco Ave.
Lubbock, TX 79423
Toll Free # 1-866-748-9805
Fax # 1-806-748-9805
E-Mail Address morlanwoodgifts@fastmail.fm
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