"If You Go Into the Woods Today..."

agilitydog

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The song, Teddy Bears Picnic, starts: "if you go into the woods today, you'll get a big surprise". That's the wonderful thing about both wood and ukuleles. I've been reintroduced to familiar wood and exposed to exotic wood (interesting term, depending on the size of your island or the furniture in your living room that you grew up with).

In a brief exchange with Matt Clara, he mentioned Texas Ebony and being so new to building, I immediately began my research outside of luthiery resources and worked backwards: here ; here, [URL="http://www.hobbithouseinc.com/personal/woodpics/index.htm"]; and here, [URL="http://www.morlanwoodgifts.com/MM011.ASP?pageno=207"].

Here's the question, what resources do you folks use that might be outside the obvious? Right now I'm emailing a friend in Texas to get a sample of Texas Ebony and I'm wondering what useful "exotics" are growing on your block?
 
In Kentucky, osage orange and sycamore are outta sight. Also mineral stained tulip poplar (state tree) and spalted maple are hot along with black walnut and black locust. Persimmon is ugly IMHO but it's a member of the ebony clan and looks great dyed ebony.
 
I guess they're not what you would call "exotics" but we have spruce, maple, cherry, birch, willow, sallow, linde/basswood, oak, sycamore, beech, ash and lots of others right in our neighborhood (in the middle of Hamburg). BTW, trees that are old enough to be of interest for tonewood can't be felled here (at least not without lots of permits) - so no resources really.
 
Bradford Pear (not really in the woods but in every yard in every subdivision built in the 80's, 90's and 00's in this area...creamy light yellow-buttery wood and beautiful for carving with short main trunks; Holly (hard to find a wide, wild tree...I like the white and the green Jade sections); Box Elder has beautiful flourescent red flames; Red Maple w/Ambrosia streaks and lots of burls scattered through the woods.
 
Amen to the Bradford Pear. I hated the tree when it was in my yard, but loved working with the wood once it was cut down. I made the handle for my dad's cane out of a curly piece and it has aged beautifully. I have one large chunk that I have saved and will eventually resaw for a uke.
 
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