Ancient kauri rocker

[Rhys Hanna]

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I recently completed a Maloof inspired rocker to Charles Brock's design and while in rocker mode made up this one from 45,000 year old ancient kauri which was pulled from the swamps in the norh of New Zealand. Not the easiest wood to work with and a little soft top be a good furniture timber but it does finish well using the Maloof mixture for the oil and finished with his wax mixture.

Cheers,

Rhys

[Gordon Eyre]

I like this rocker and your work is excellent. Very well made piece.

[Barry Richardson]

Well done Sir! At the prices that ancient kauri sells for here in the states, that rocker would cost a fortune. I assume its less expensice in it's land of origin?

[John Thompson]

Nicely done... yeah.. as stated they definitely are charging and arm and a leg for the species here in the States...

[Rhys Hanna]

Thanks guys for your comments. I use 8" x 4" stock for the bandsawn boxes I make and that size works well for cutting out chair components as they can be cut out adjacent to each other in the stock which makes for good grain matching. I pay NZ$54 per metre in New Zealand which equates to around US$43.

Cheers,

Rhys

[John Thompson]

I assume that is linear meter with the 4" x 8" so 4" x 8" x 39.40". If sqaure meter that would be dirt cheap.. Not a bad price as the last I looked we couldn't touch one board ft. (1" x 12" x 12" for that but that was several years ago when it first became available here. The shipping from across the pond is expensive but I personally thought the price at that time was way out of my budget. Would love to work some but.... )

[Rhys Hanna]

Hi John.

Yes that is a linear metre as you guessed.

The timber is actually a bit soft for furniture making and does tend to mark a bit. The bush kauri is a better timber but very litle of this is available through milling restrictions on it. The swamp kauri, having lain in the swamp for all those years, has had the resins leached out of it to a greater or lesser extent and this makes for a softer wood. While bush kauri is just lovely to work the swamp kauri is often very difficult and I find I spend more time sanding things to shape than shaping with say a spokeshave or a plane.

Cheers,

Rhys

[John Thompson]

Thanks for the confirmation on that Rhys... I would have layed money it was.. To soft is too soft and presents problems with splintering edges.. dents.. etc. as you stated. But the color that it took while lying submerged for centuries is often spectacular. I suppose I'll stick with my quarter sawn white oak which I get relatively cheap. It works.. stains well and it is dense and strong for the craftsman style I build...

BTW... New Zealand is quite beautiful and you would have to venture far to find a piece of trash on the ground.. or at least it used to be that way.. I've been to see your neighbors over in New South Wales twice and would love to visit. I know Phillip Marcou (originally from S. Africa) who makes those expensive hand planes down your way.. Good man...

Cheers mate...

[Tony Shea]

The wood is as gorgeous as I thought it would be in a peice of that caliber. Very nice work. I also would love to get my hands on a bit of Kauri. THat's good to know that it's a bit soft as I've almost bit the bullet to get little over here in Maine for a project. But knowing it's a bit soft I may need to come up with a better project.

[Jeff Monson]

That is a wonderful chair! That wood waited a long time, you definitely made it worth the wait.