{"id":1740,"date":"2010-07-20T15:58:20","date_gmt":"2010-07-20T19:58:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.woodworkerssource.com\/blog\/?p=1740"},"modified":"2010-07-20T19:12:05","modified_gmt":"2010-07-20T23:12:05","slug":"rosewood","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.woodworkerssource.com\/blog\/wood-conversations\/rosewood\/","title":{"rendered":"Indian Rosewood Might Inspire Your Next Project"},"content":{"rendered":"
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You don't have to get too close to Indian rosewood to recognize its impeccable character<\/p><\/div>\n

I doubt you need any form of begging or persuading from me to understand that one moment spent looking at a perfect board of rosewood will put your personal woodworking goals into a tailspin.<\/p>\n

Oh right, you thought you were going to build that cabinet out of hard maple?\u00a0 Hickory?\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n

Just one moment with a stack of rosewood lumber and the voices inside your head go something like this: Well, maybe I can make my own\u00a0pulls out of rosewood.\u00a0 Wait, no!\u00a0 Raised panel doors.\u00a0 Yes rosewood panels.\u00a0 I’d better just buy this board right here\u00a0at least.\u00a0 And that one there.\u00a0 Oh, and that one too. We’ll just eat peanut butter sandwiches for a week.<\/em><\/p>\n

I understand that finding Fine Woodworking’s “Tools & Shops” issue in the mailbox is both a blessing and a curse,\u00a0but a stack of rosewood before your eyes\u00a0is another incontestable siren.<\/p>\n

While working with woods like walnut (as an example) are pleasant and rewarding, rosewood raises the bar.\u00a0 Routing, planing, sawing, and finishing rosewood ratchets up the rewards because of the color, the scent, and gorgeous lines\u00a0present a whole different experience.\u00a0\u00a0An incomparable experience that ends well with a simple clear hand-buffed finish.<\/p>\n

Rosewood isn’t just a wood for fancy furniture or high-end guitars.\u00a0 Just take a look at the selection of rosewood projects at the LumberJocks.com<\/a> website.\u00a0 You’ll find beautiful handmade tool handles, block planes, dovetail boxes, pens, bowls, cutting boards, and more.<\/p>\n

Yes, musical instrument makers love it as well.\u00a0 It was the\u00a0mid-1960s when Indian rosewood gained some traction for acoustic guitars due to the squeeze on Brazilian rosewood.\u00a0 Fortunately for luthiers, the rosewood from India proved to have beyond-acceptable tone quality and extraordinary beauty.<\/p>\n

Now, there’s just one problem with rosewood:<\/p>\n

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Standard issue rosewood log, complete with sapwood ring and funky shape.<\/p><\/div>\n

In log form, she has a long way to go before looking like pretty lumber you’d actualy want to use in your projects.\u00a0 Getting the lumber is a slow and\u00a0laborious process with a lot of waste, as you can guess from looking at the shape of this log.<\/p>\n

Back in the 1970s, a ukele manufacturer imported a batch of lumber for their parts. They ceased operations and their supply of rosewood sat.\u00a0 Until last month.\u00a0 Over 30 years seasoning, we’ve latched onto the supply and brought it to our warehouse.\u00a0 Now woodworkers in 2010 can enjoy this well-aged Indian rosewood lumber.\u00a0 See the product list here: Indian Rosewood Lumber at Woodworkers Source<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\t\t