Jarrah Wood For Pens??

[William Young]

Has anyone here used Jarrah wood for pens? I had never heard of jarrah before today. A fellow gave me some jarrah, yew, walnut, fruitwood, cherry, purpleheart , a gorgeous chunk of birdseye maple and some other unknown woods. He is a master finish carpenter and furniture builder and he gave me all that wood just because I gave him a pen made out of a piece of purpleheart that he had prevviousy given me.
They were cutoffs and of no use to him for his bigger projects but they are like gold to me.
Here is a link to what the jarrah wood looks like. The pieces I got are the same as the pictures at the top of the page .
http://www.hobbithouseinc.com/personal/woodpics/jarrah.htm
W.Y.

 

[Scott]

Hi William,

I made a nice gift pen out of Jarrah Burl about a year ago. The guy had been a missionary in Australia, and the Jarrah had special meaning to him. It was nice and dense to work with, very pretty, but the finish I put on it darkened it a lot, more than would ordinarily suit my taste. So test your finish on a piece of scrap before diving into it! I think you'll enjoy it!

Scott.

 

[tipusnr]

I've never used it but my handy dandy wood book says it is a member of the myrtle family also known as Western Australian mahogany. It also says that it warps and checks easily and must be worked with sharp tools. Used for industrial flooring and railroad crossties. It is rarely stained, holds glue well and generally finished with wax or varnish. It is 10% stronger than oak and 40% harder.

Sounds like it should turn well as we all use sharp tools....right? Also sounds like you've made quite a friend there. Good luck.

 

[wayneis]

I've used Jarrah wood many times both for turning pens and in making picture frames and jewelery and music boxs. It is a very nice wood to work with. Sands easyly and takes a good shine. Try it, you'll like it.

Wayne