Exotic Woods - Awesome vs Awful!

[@daleaferrrier]

Osage Orange (also known as Bois D'arc) is my favorite wood of all time. It is super strong and does not rot... ever. I have picked up logs of it that had set out in a field for over 20 years with no sign of decay. And I have used pieces that have been submerged in water for years with again no sign of decay. It is so hard that even wood bore beetles can't get into the heart wood of the tree. In addition, as it ages it turns a dark purple color because the resin is photosensitive and will natrually darken with age. And it is available all over the US. It is not an exotic wood by any means. It is great for its strength and flexibility. I have made archery equipment out of it. That is what Bois D'arc means in french, "wood of the bow".

[@robthebeekeeper8997]

Dale Ferrier great to know! Thanks!

[@michaelgreen3770]

Very interesting and very creative. I liked the straight talking of the wood turner as she went through each segment of the process. Well done

[@darbinorvar]

+Michael Green Thanks Michael!

[@suziegon]

Absolutely love seeing you work with and compare the different exotic woods! They turned out beautifully. I'd love to see you deal more with exotic wood in the future if possible!

[@RageTheNumbers]

It's very thoughtful of you to add all the links that you do in the description. Thank you.

[@youenn2180]

Bravo !! You are skillful ,gifted ,I am an amateur woodturner and work with wood growing in my country ,Brittany, my favorite is yew ,then come oak ,chestnut ,ash and some others.. you use only one tool ..with the best result..

[@WoodworkingManiak]

Great video. Exotic woods are great to explore. I agree with you on the Palms... Black palm, red palm, and also if you ever decide to get Hawaiian Koa, it does the same thing... They end up looking amazing, but a pain in the behind to work with.

[@retiredtom1654]

I'm a 1st timer. Great video. Your the first to explain the wood hardness and how it turns. It was helpful to me as a fairly new woodworker/turner. As a side note, it is nice to see a female woodworker. You (they) seem to add a special viewpoint to creative design. Thanks!

[@darbinorvar]

+Retired Tom Thanks Tom!

[@naybobdenod]

Hi Darbin. What a refreshing change to see a lady with such excellent wood-working skills. The video was well made and the editing was good. The talk-through was also well prepared, easy to follow and very clear. Keep up the great work Darbin and good luck to you. Most sincerely John ( UK )

[@tylerwilloughby2833]

This is amazing! I just started woodworking myself and this was such a treat to find. Your shop looks incredible and you're video was great. Thank you!

[@lowellanderson6532]

Thoroughly enjoyed this, the first of your videos that I had seen, and thanks for the tip on the RZ mask. I ordered one using the code you provided and I really like the convenience and quality of the mask. This is a very nice channel.

[@kamalagata]

I found your channel today and already I could fall in love with your projects. Your videos are really inspiring to me. Brilliant work and so beautiful kinds of woods.

[@grahamsengineering.2532]

Very nicely presented video Darbin. My father was a French Polisher and Wood Machinist, so I greatly enjoy seeing things made from from wood such as you do even though I'm a Mechanical Fitter by trade. Please be careful with the long sleeves and gloves on rotating machinery although I note the gloves you use are very thin so would tear easy if caught. Take care and keep up the beautiful work.

[@mikelyons8288]

Her name is Linn not Darbin.

[@MakeSomething]

Super fantastic video! Love the explanation of the woods and how they turned!

[@darbinorvar]

+Make Something Thanks David, really appreciate it :)

[@stevemcentyre1570]

Nice project! I notice you went to long sleeves after the palm. Experience is a good teacher.

[@lucienlasocki2544]

What a beautifully well done video. This has to be one of my favorite videos of the year maybe even ever! This is just what I needed to brighten my day. Thank you thank you thank you.

[@darbinorvar]

+Lucien Lasocki Such a nice comment! Thank you :)

[@kentchr76]

I am in love with Shellac now. Definately going to try it! Thanks.

[@oxintheshop]

I work will Palm some making salt and pepper shakers and bottle stopper. Looks great when done but does want to break apart when turning. Great video always happy to see your videos show up in my subscriber feed.

[@darbinorvar]

+The Ox In The Shop I bet it looks great for salt and pepper shakers.

[@rampanttricky17]

Great video! I just bought a mini lathe a few weeks ago and I have been enjoying practicing some basic lathe skills. I have "blanks" about the size of the ones you had that I bought for other uses, but I now think I might play on the lathe with them. Thank you specifically for the mini review of the different woods. I have a piece of black palm and when I received it it looked like a wood that would be a rough to work with and your experience certainly supports this hypothesis, but I do like how it looked in your finished project so i will look forward to making something on a day when I can be outside with a nice strong (unidirectional) wind and wearing appropriate gear of course. I also have some Osage Orange -- called Bodark (or bodarc) -- in Texas and surrounding regions -- and your video gave a a good idea of what I can expect from it. Thank you so much for another excellent and helpful video. By the way, your red glasses are a very nice bright color. Definitely a nice accessory.

[@darbinorvar]

+Steve Anderson Thanks Steve, I really did like the way the black palm turned out, however it was super annoying to work with. I have worked with the US version of osage orange and I think it's even harder!

[@bmwrider8659]

Very cool! I actually have all of these in my collection of woods for future projects and more, thanks for your info on working with these woods. My main interest is making cue sticks. I have about 20 fronts started. Last year I made jewelry boxes out of purple heart and ebony for my nieces and granddaughter. I was lucky to obtain some buloke (hardest known wood) and that will be for the butt of some cue handles, it polishes very nice. I really like the finished products! Very nice work.

[@PrincessAshley567]

I just found you channel a little while ago but I'm already in love! I don't see many female wood workers out there and expecially on youtube, so watching your videos is really inspiring to me! keep up the great work and beautiful projects!

[@darbinorvar]

Thanks Ashley :)

[@BookofIsaiah]

Great video Linn!!!! I really loved the variations in color and grain of the different wood types! 👍

[@darbinorvar]

+BookofIsaiah (Matt B) Thank you! I found it quite interesting too.

[@jae878]

I love doing work on lathes. I have two metal working lathes, totally different in operation but still fun to work with. I haven't done anything on an actual wood lathe with the proper tooling since high school. Watching this has made me want to do something on a wood lathe again. I noticed that your tooling has carbide inserts. I didn't even know they had insert tooling for wood turning. That makes things nice. Turning that black palm is a little more like metal except the metal chip are also hot lol. Great video. Thx!

[@darbinorvar]

+jeff edison Thanks Jeff - it's a lot of fun to play on the lathe!

[@ellarkay9842]

Very well filmed and produced. Fantastic commentary. Gorgeous workshop.

[@railfan439]

Lynn, make a set of wooden jaws for your vise. It will save your projects from being marred by the metal.

[@WoodFlipWorkshop]

I like the approach you take to your projects. Also the result turned out very well ! Thanks for this great video !

[@athiker7209]

You made me hungry! My neighbor down the street had 3 Osage Orange trees, but he cut them down. I wish i had been around when he did. I won't miss running over all the hedge apples out in the street. Thanks for all the information on the different types of woods.

[@darbinorvar]

+Ron Briz I wish I had some more around! I've used some of the American version for making mallets and it's so hard, but absolutely gorgeous.

[@kraftybeard4272]

Great to see all the information on each of the woods, really liked finding out where they came from!

[@darbinorvar]

+Krafty Beard Thanks!

[@roadsidemanners]

I have Rocklers 3 pc pen turning tools and love them, looking forward to getting the larger tools you have. Great video!

[@resbalonso]

Great project results! The best part of the video was the delicious spread! Love cheese!

[@DarknessLPs]

Wow those are beautiful woods. Thank you so much for sharing, I think I like the redheart the best, once I get a lathe I think I'll make a table and chair set out of it if it's not too expensive to ship and purchase.

[@gayle3860]

Fantastic, love the exotic woods. I use Purple Heart with Oak for a contrast. Keep up the great work Young Lady!! Words from an Old Swede.

[@darbinorvar]

+Gayle Strand Thank you! Purple heart and oak makes for a very nice contrast.

[@copperbot10]

I got a bit of redheart just to tinker around with, it comes off the spoke shaves I use like styrofoam, yet it was quite durable once it was down to a final shape and finished

[@nrk411]

That black palm... ugh! I tried turning something similar a while back, with dull tools! Not a good idea, it was shooting little wood daggers at me the whole time! I love turning Osage and Redheart though, will have to look for the desert ironwood! Nice job Linn!

[@thesage1096]

holy moly, you are one of the best small scale wood workers i have seen on youtube

[@darbinorvar]

+The Sage Thank so much! I really appreciate that.

[@AlexPacin]

Great video! I suggest adding some adhesive-backed cork (sold in rolls) to your bench vise jaws. Cheap, easy to replace, cushions your work, and will give you a much better grip on that walnut.

[@darbinorvar]

+Alex Pacin Good tip!

[@homesteadonomics]

That desert ironwood looks great to turn! Love hearing the pros and cons of each wood too!Joe

[@darbinorvar]

+homesteadonomics I loved the desert ironwood! Also has a really nice color and variation to it. Thanks Joe!

[@auredavids2489]

What a great project! Love it from start to finish. Of course the promotion of the dust mask is a bit of a distraction although I can completely understand that now and then you need to make promoted videos.. Love your style and look foreword to seeing more projects!

[@sirohin1]

thank you for sharing Lynn!! I really like all your videos and the one thing I like most is that you come up with everyday use projects that we cAn/use to accommodate our needs. One question I have for you is how do you sell your custom products ? I find I so hard to din clients who can appreciate my hard work and time I spend on my projects :(

[@larchejacquesclarel9451]

yeah i also love the african blackwood, read heart and the osage orange. very good finish and great looking

[@FXRPIONEER]

i love that you work with so many unique woods.

[@denoftools]

First off my family and I love your channel. You have such a great attitude and fresh approach to DIY. Ok, now my question. Where do you get your wood? I watch a lot of the DIY\Maker channels and they never comment on where they get their materials.

[@alanfalleur6550]

+Red Beard (Jeff King) Woodturningz dot com probably.

[@FredMcIntyre]

Really nice work! beautiful cheese set!

[@nshimala]

Nicely reported. I have used all of these woods for my pens and other turned items. For the black palm, I found the easiest thing to do is to get the rough shape, then use a 60 or 80 grit sand paper to finish the shaping. No needles flying around or bad catches with the turning tool.

[@darbinorvar]

+nshimala I agree, it was much better to sand than to turn.

[@valbeaumont8402]

Awesome work you're doing there. I notice that a lot of wood was lost as shavings. Can/do you recycle these wood shavings by gluing them together into blocks/plugs that can then be worked on? What if you glue together shavings from various woods? The wood patterns will be gone of course but the various color combinations could be interesting.

[@Ticky66MN]

Very well done video Linn. You're going to convince me to get a lathe so I can produce butter like shavings in my shop. Thank you!

[@darbinorvar]

+Ticky66MN Well, I didn't know until I had one how fun it is to turn!

[@CysCorner]

Linn! Great looking handles! I love how you taught about each wood with the map :) The colors are so pretty, I can never get enough of exotic wood. I love finding new varieties and discovering their unique properties. I think I need a mask like yours, thanks for the link :)

[@darbinorvar]

+Cy's Corner Thanks Cy! It was a really fun project, and I agree, it's really interesting to discover new tropical species for different projects!

[@hagenohea]

Beautiful handles, Linn. And I could listen to that sweet accent all day long!

[@darbinorvar]

+P McRae Thanks :)

[@eddiecarlcalhoun]

REALLY BEAUTIFUL WORK... LOVE ALL THE DIFFERENT WOODS AND BOARD... GIVING ME IDEAS!!!!

[@darbinorvar]

+eddiecarlcalhoun Thanks!

[@Wordsnwood]

Most every dutch (immigrant) household that I know also has a cheese slicer much like that one! :-) I'm constantly surprised to encounter people who have never heard of it. Really nice job on those handles and comparing the different woods. thanks!

[@darbinorvar]

+Wordsnwood (Art Mulder) Thanks Art, I'm always surprised at how few cheese slicers I find in America! I've had quite a few shipped over from Sweden :)

[@PeriodWoodworker]

Don't give up on the black palm. However to turn it you need to cut instead of scrape. Try a gouge or skew chisel and it will be much more responsive and less dusty. Nice projects. Thanks for sharing, Steve

[@darbinorvar]

+PeriodWoodworker It would be interesting to see if that would be different to turn.

[@davidhenry32]

Excellent video! Useful info about interesting woods; well designed products; clear technical presentation; entertaining and attractive conclusion. Congratulations!

[@darbinorvar]

+davidhenry32 Thank you so much!

[@JimFancherDIY]

Hi Linn! Your videos just get better and better. This one makes me want a lathe. Today!

[@darbinorvar]

+Jim Fancher Thanks so much Jim!

[@Nono-hk3is]

I'd love to see a video on how you square up boards with hand planes and how you choose the planes for the job.

[@paulinocosta2849]

Wow ...very very good ...I love this project wood ...congratulations ...I'm brasilian and I loved your chanel...very good !

[@JoshuaRilliet]

Toujours un plaisir de découvrir vos créations, très bon travail Lynn ;)

[@tushargoel2061]

Simply awesome. Makes me wanna setup my own backyard workshop !

[@adamlynch4607]

I find a very sharp gouge or skew chisel best on the open grained hardwoods like oak, idigbo, kerruing, and black Palm as it reduces the tear out. Very smart set of tools you made.

[@darbinorvar]

+Adam Lynch I''ll have to try that next...

[@adamlynch4607]

+Darbin Orvar give it a go see how you get on. That's best results I've had

[@tarekabdelfatah7159]

The only word that would come out of me after watching this video is wow. this is one of the very few videos i watched on you-tube and really enjoyed. its beautiful, interesting, creative and gives very positive and happy feeling. Thank for your this magnificent video. for sure like and subscribe.

[@darbinorvar]

+Tarek Abdel Fatah Thank you Tarek for that very thoughtful and kind comment :)

[@FelishaWild]

Hi Lynn. Black palm is a tricky one to turn. Using a good sharp cutting tool like a bowl or spindle gouge is much better than using the carbide tools. They slice through the fibers better. Also taking light cuts helps as well. Very nice project. :)

[@darbinorvar]

+Felisha Wild I'll have to try that sometime and see if it works better!

[@wju425]

Your work is awesome and a beautiful set to behold.

[@darbinorvar]

+Burb Thanks :)

[@secondwind75]

Those turnings look great, Linn. Exotics can be difficult sometimes. You're really starting to master that lathe though! Great job! (Love my RZ mask too). Troy

[@darbinorvar]

+secondwind75 Thanks Troy!

[@lelandlewis7207]

I also use these woods, for making pens, and knew exactly what you would think of them. lol redheart (chockte kok) and African blackwood are two of my favourites. Also, padauk, bloodwood, purpleheart and yellowheart. Lovely work.

[@darbinorvar]

+Leland Lewis That's funny! The exotic woods are so interesting.

[@MrLarry0001]

Great video! Exotic woods can be difficult to work with. Very nicely done!

[@RegisDhenin]

très beau travail !!! merci pour le petit clin d'oeil a la FRANCE avec ses fromages !!! bravo

[@SIDWIRE]

Awesome project. I too liked the looks of the finished projects. Thanks.

[@darbinorvar]

+SID WIRE Thanks Sid!

[@onlyinfresno]

I think my favorite is the ironwood by far! Nice job!

[@JonPetersArtHome]

Beautiful work Linn! and a great video

[@robertcornelius3514]

+Jon Peters Art & Home How about doing a video to get these wood suppliers to lower their prices. :)

[@darbinorvar]

+Jon Peters Art & Home Thanks a lot Jon!

[@Thom4123]

What a beautiful job and types of wood love how all of your handles turned out ( pun intended). And what a perfect breakfast with the cheese and apple.

[@darbinorvar]

+Thom spillane Thanks! I'd enjoy that spread anytime of day :)

[@sapelesteve]

Really nice work Linn. Love all those exotic wood species..........Steve

[@darbinorvar]

+Sapele Steve Me too :)

[@dcox01]

I love how they turned out. I hand crave spoons and I was looking at some black palm. Glad I watched your vid it looks like a real bear to work with.

[@darbinorvar]

+dcox01 I'm curious to see how it would be to carve!

[@diggler306]

Loved this! All the different colors. Such a great use.

[@darbinorvar]

+Joshua Dirkson Thank you!

[@rhihodag9873]

Interesting video! I'm not a turner but purchased a piece of redheart a while back to make some small crosses. I really love that vibrant red color. Also I have seen this mask in a couple other woodworking videos and was very interested in it. You were my inspiration, Linn, and I went to the RZ Mask link you included and purchased one. I included the DarbinOrvar" code also. No more cheesy (pardon the pun) fiber masks with elastic bands. Thank you Linn!!!

[@darbinorvar]

+RHI Hodag Great to hear!

[@robertevans6481]

Great turning I thought you would not like the black palm ....looks great once finished but since it's relative soft wood it splinters a lot.....and the redheart I loved that one.....have not done the others YET...great video and some great turning music too....

[@darbinorvar]

+Robert Evans Thanks Robert! I was surprised by the black palm, and pleasantly surprised by the other species!

[@dnngskn62]

The handles look great. Quite a contrast between them. Very nice video.

[@darbinorvar]

+Donnie G Thanks Donnie!

[@PPMOCRG]

Those are beautiful! You are inspiring me to turn some handles.

[@Cactusworkshopchannel]

This is soo cool!! the designs you made are great and very well proportioned! and it was very interesting! thanks :D

[@darbinorvar]

+Cactus! workshop Thank you!

[@andrewsanderson2591]

Very nice video,and excellent end product ; had the same experience with black palm - turned it once,never bothered since..

[@darbinorvar]

+Andrew Sanderson Thanks Andrew!

[@murraystrand]

Nicely done! I love the mix of the colors!

[@albertkelly7129]

loved this. all the woods are beautiful but that redheart is super amazeballs!!

[@darbinorvar]

+Albert Kelly I love it too!

[@albertkelly7129]

+Darbin Orvar i never even knew it existed. purpleheart is famous but not red, wonder why? thanks for sharing this and if possible keep the exotic species going, might just be a niche in that..

[@lexugax]

Tip: Instead of trying to make the edges of the boards for the cheese board exactly 90 degrees, just plane two boards to be joined at the same time, that way even if you get the angle off a bit, they complement each other and you still get a perfect joint.

[@PedrinhoGuitar]

Congratulations!!!!! Excellent video and you are very, very professional. I am Brazilian and I did not know the red wood. Thank you.

[@darbinorvar]

+Pedrinho Guitar Thank you!

[@kimbye1]

Cool video, you sure chose some seriously hard woods. Next time try some Katalox and maybe some purpleheart, I think you will love it.

[@Marcblur]

Another wood you'll really love is Bloodwood. It's somewhere in-between blackwood and osage orange for turning.

[@darbinorvar]

+Marcblur I'd love to try Bloodwood sometime!

[@stephencarr8366]

Interesting note about the ironwood, it will make it's own very tough finish. Save all of the shavings, once the blank is sanded, wrap the shavings in a rag and use that to rub against the turning blank, the natural resins heat up, come out and make a very cool finish.

[@darbinorvar]

+Stephen Carr That sounds quite interesting!

[@forge52100]

Cool project and comparison. I've used desert ironwood and African black wood for knife handles. Both are naturally oily and stabile and the iron wood comes in many grades. Try scorching the osage orange with a torch or heat gun to really bring out the grain, try on a small scrap piece and play with it first. I've used stabilized black palm, it's the only way I will use it. If your brave, give cocobolo a try, but I refuse to use it anymore as I'm mildly allergic to it, but is beautiful wood and oily and stabile. You should give a look at some of the stabilized woods out there, stabilization makes beautiful, but otherwise soft and useless woods useable.

[@darbinorvar]

+forge52100 Thanks for the tip! I haven't tried cocobolo yet, but heard mixed things about it.

[@forge52100]

+Darbin Orvar It's a beautiful wood, but the allergies aren't worth it too me. It used to not bother me, but over time I got more sensitive to it, so far it's like a really bad case of hay fever. That's with a 3M chemical respirator, and afterword I have to shower to get any dust off me as it makes me itch like crazy. Some people don't have any problem with it, others break out in hives from the start.

[@mikesmicroshop4385]

Hay Lynn take a look at this video on a way to edge join two edges with a hand plain so that they match even if the edge is not square to the sides of the board! It really makes it easy to get great glue lines on a wide glue up! :) I need to do more with my lathe, you keep inspiring me to try new things love your videos!!!!!!!!

[@rickl.orchids]

awsome is right!......great show, and good mention on the caution with turning exotics......

[@LeahtheReds]

fantastic work! this was really neat to watch, i wish i could try doing that some day

[@darbinorvar]

+LeahtheReds Turning is surprisingly fun!

[@jarredfedor4150]

I was having trouble using the discount code on their website, not sure if this is known yet or not but I wanted to let it be known. Thanks!

[@nava1uni]

If you use a spindle gouge you will find that you can get the curls rather then the splinters. You are using carbide tools and they are scrapers and on woods like black palm don't do as well. Also since the handles will be subjected to water and lots of handling you might want to use wipe on poly instead of shellac. The shellac will not wear as well to a lot of handling.

[@felipelacerda1356]

That's beyond amazing! Congratulation! You've got a big faz right here.

[@darbinorvar]

+Felipe Lacerda Thank you!

[@BarryHull]

Darbin, great work, thank you. I found you because you left a comment on another channel.

[@EMTdrummer]

Really liked the video.... well thought out... infectious personality too!!

[@GCK50]

Very, very interesting, and very well made video, and the handles look great, too.

[@darbinorvar]

+GCK50 Thank you!

[@CaptainJack2048]

Great work... I actually thought "Oh, no..." when I saw the black palm in your wood blanks. Really looks good, though, especially with the finish you used.

[@darbinorvar]

+Jack Evans I really like the way it looks all finished, but I'm not too eager to turn it again!

[@kperellie]

Very nice work!, And, you made me hungry, so off to get some Cabot Cheddar.

[@LibertyWoodworking]

Red heart looks amazing, that's my favorite. Now I want cheese thanks Linn

[@darbinorvar]

+Liberty Woodworking I was surprised too at the brightness!

[@GrahamOrm]

Excellent. Made my mouth water at the end too!

[@CrankyPantss]

Very interesting demonstration. Thanks for sharing it with us.

[@darbinorvar]

+CrankyPants Thanks!

[@boxmfg]

nice project...good choice of exotic woods. and there's nothing wrong with making an advertisement on a tool that you're using, in this case the RZ Mask. I think it's a great mask I have that myself. keep up the good work, Nevermind the critics... love your accent ;-)