Turn Hawaiian Koa wood ??

[mike anderson]

I am on vacation in Hawaii and just bought Koa wood .. It looks GREAT but how does it turn ???

 

[gimpy]

Koa is a medium dense wood and take a finish very well

 

[Jim Smith]

I find that it turns great. finishes up nicely and makes really beautiful pens (assuming you start with very nice Curley Koa)

Jim Smith

 

[plantman]

Acacia koa, Family, Leguminosae. Found in the Hawaiian Islands The grain is interlocked, sometimes wavy, or curly. Koa is easy to work, but working the endgrain will dull your tools. Glueing properties may vary depending on the dryness of the wood. Takes on an excellent finish. The wood is durable, resistant to insect and fungal attack, and is extremely resistant to preservation treatment. Have never had a problem working with it, and it makes a beautiful pen. Jim S

 

[eranox]

I just love it! It isn't difficult to turn at all. I'd say it's pretty similar to soft maple on the lathe

 

[SteveG]

You will find your finish cuts may not be as smooth as you would want, if you use a carbide turning tool all the way through, so a bit more sanding will be required. As you would expect, doing finish cuts with a skew will yield a nice surface requiring very little sanding. Come see the Koa trees growing in my back yard (speaking figuratively). The best quality Koa is found at mid elevations, around 4000'~5000'

 

[hippi]

koa is real easy to turn take it nice and slow and will have a nice looking pen
but be careful as koa is a little soft as it can dent easy