Milled my koa

pastryguyhawaii · Jan 12, 2013

I finally got around to milling this big crotch piece of koa. I'm really happy with my mill I got and how my 2094 handles the job. Like anything else I do I'll get better at it the more I do it but am pleased with my slabs. It's the reason I got the mill, I wouldn't attempt to free hand this wood.

View attachment 273073 The guardian of the koa.

View attachment 273074 View attachment 273075 View attachment 273076 View attachment 273077 It has some interesting grain to it. This is the log I traded my 660 for. I think just one table will more than pay for it.

excess650 · Jan 12, 2013

Very nice!

brookpederson · Jan 13, 2013

Beautiful wood! Is koa rare or hard to find? Trading a chainsaw for a log, it must be pretty hard to find. Rep for the golden retriever:msp_biggrin:

pastryguyhawaii · Jan 13, 2013

brookpederson said:
Beautiful wood! Is koa rare or hard to find? Trading a chainsaw for a log, it must be pretty hard to find. Rep for the golden retriever:msp_biggrin:

Thanks. Hawaii is the only place koa grows and I've seen on one ranch tons of it just lying on the ground. The people milling it just take the curly sections and leave the rest. It's only grows at high elevations on private or state land so it's not so easy to access. I got a few years use out of that 660 plus the end value of the wood will be worth multiple times the saw. Because I got the Jonsered 2094 I could let it go.
Aren't golden's super nice dogs?

PheasantHunter · Jan 21, 2013

Nice looking wood (and dog, goldens are great dogs). I am going to be on the Big Island in a month, I would love to find some koa turning blocks, any advice? Any wood sources/stores/mills worth checking out on the island?

pastryguyhawaii · Jan 22, 2013

PheasantHunter said:
Nice looking wood (and dog, goldens are great dogs). I am going to be on the Big Island in a month, I would love to find some koa turning blocks, any advice? Any wood sources/stores/mills worth checking out on the island?

Thanks. I pass by a mill that sells koa on my drive to work. It's about 45 minutes south of Kona. What size wood are you looking for? I may have a piece that would work.