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The Editors Mailbox

Now This is a Big Slab of Wood

Matthew Kenney, senior editor

16 users recommend

Big wood. This slab of Kauri is massive and old.

Courtesy Ancientwoods, Ltd.

Come and get it! I don't know about your family dinners, but this table is plenty big for mine. It's made from a very big slab of Kauri.

Courtesy Ancientwoods, Ltd.

Big wood. This slab of Kauri is massive and old.

Photo: Courtesy Ancientwoods, Ltd.

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I love wood, as my lust for Cuban mahogany illustrates. So I was pleased to get an email from Ancientwood, Ltd., telling me about a slab of Kauri they recently brought into the US. Kauri is salvaged from peet bogs in New Zealand, and most of it is roughly 50,000 years old. (Now that's truly old growth wood!) We wrote about the company and the wood back in FWW #173, along with some great old cyprus from South Carolina.

We have a small chunk of Kauri here in the office and it is truly beautiful. The density of the growth rings is stunning, and the color is a very attractive caramel red, a bit browner than cherry.

Enjoy the photos.

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UPDATE: Book Giveaway: Great Book of Wooden Toys, by Norm Marshall

Comments (4)

2straightlines writes: MKenney, haven't you heard of that non-wood substance called humour? It's spelt humor in the USA. I am pretty sure kauri would/wood have been used as railway sleepers in NZ though. Western Australia used Jarrah for railway sleepers and house frames, Huon Pine was used for farm fence posts etc in Tasmania. It's only as certain woods become rare that they are only used for restricted purposes, and even off-cuts become much sought after by wood workers and others.
Posted: 6:07 am on October 12th

MKenney writes: 2straightlines:

Why would someone burn kauri? It costs at least $25 per bd. ft.!
Posted: 3:47 pm on July 22nd

2straightlines writes: I've heard that Kauri burns really well in an open fire place. Has any one heard how it burns in a slow combustion stove? Probably makes really hard-wearing railway sleepers too!
Posted: 5:46 pm on July 15th

chairmannz writes: This a nice slab of kauri, to big to fit in my workshop.
I also like to work with kauri, its just great to work with this old wood


Posted: 11:05 pm on July 3rd

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