I don't actually know if it would work or not. I have some small
pieces of it that I've used and I haven't particularly noticed it to
be oily (but I've not really paid attention to that), but it is
extremely hard: a brand new forstner bit will barely chew into it.
-Arle
On Feb 8, 2008, at 11:16 PM, Stan Leake wrote:
Arle, I have wondered about this. What qualities does desert
ironwood (Olneya testosa) lack? Is it the hardness or oil content?
Wood from the desert tree Guaiacum coultari probably would work as a
substitute for Lignum vitae. The tree is closely related to Guaiacum
oficinale and Guaiacum sanctum.the two sources of lignum vitae.
Guaiacum coultari grows in northern Sonora Mexico, not too far south
of Arizona. It might not work for ship's bearings because the tree
is smaller than the two trees that yield lignum vitae-- . A botanist
once told me that its wood is as hard as lignum vitae.
--Stan
On 2/8/08, Arle Lommel <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Lignum Vitae IS Ironwood.
Not necessarily. Ironwood is used to describe quite a number of very
hard woods, not all of which would be suitable. Sometimes another term
is used to specify what is meant (e.g., "desert ironwood") but not
always, so the name ironwood won't tell you what it is. For example,
when someone says ironwood to me, I think of the stuff that grows in
the Arizona desert, a very different thing than lignum vitae. At least
in the western U.S., if you see "ironwood" for sale, it is likely that
it is the desert stuff, not what you want.
Where I live now in Indiana some folks refer to osage orange/hedge
apple as ironwood (although it usually just gets called "hedge"). It,
at least, might work in place of lignum vitae: similar hardness (nails
spark when driven into it) and similarly high oil content.
-Arle
