Hawaiian Woods
Koa
Koa A-Frame Drone in the Key of D
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Koa (Acacia Koa) is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands and can be found in many forests at higher elevations. The word “koa” means “warrior” in Hawaiian. The warriors of King Kamehameha the Great, created canoes and weapons from a wood plentiful on the Big Island of Hawaii. This wood became synonymous with the warriors themselves, and it became known as koa.
Koa is also a tonewood making it highly sought after in the use of other instruments. The wood can be highly figured with curls in it that give it a shifting and changing appearance as you alter the vantage point. A lot of the koa I work with is from the fall off of other woodworkers. |
Koa Triple Drone with Mango/Koa/Purple Heart Dragon Fly Key of F at 444 Htz
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Mango
Mango Triple Drone with Metatrons Cube Engraving in the Key of G
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Mango (Mangifera indica) is of course well known for its delicious fruits, but it also has amazingly beautify looking wood. Because of the spalting that is commonly present, the wood can be a kaleidoscope of colors. Under normal circumstances, heartwood is a golden brown, while other colors such as yellow and streaks of pink and/or black can also occur. Curly or mottled grain patterns are also common.
It has lovely resonance with a beautiful voice. |
Mango Drone in the Key of G
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Monkeypod
Monkeypod Drone with Spalted Koa/Monkeypod Fetish
and Spalted Koa End Piece in the Key of F#
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Monkeypod (Albizia saman) tends to be a golden to dark brown, sometimes with darker streaks. Sapwood is usually thin and yellow/white, clearly demarcated from the heartwood. Monkeypod is sometimes seen with highly figured curly or wild grain patterns.
Other names are 5 o'clock tree and Raintree because in the evening and when it rains, the leaves fold up. This is a dense wood with a beautiful and rich tonality. |
Monkey Pod Drone Flute in the Key of F#
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Monkeypod Single Flute in the Key of F#
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Pheasant Wood
F# Drone Flute
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Pheasantwood, also known as Thailand cassia or Senna siamea, is a rare species of hardwood (scientific name: Cassia siamea), named after the black and golden figured patterns of a pheasant's tail feathers. The flat or slab sawn face shows the most finely defined patterns with contrasting golden and black streaks. It is a very dense wood giving it a clear and powerful voice. It is also very durable due to its density. This flute as a drone or triple is best kept as a higher flute as the deeper flutes tend to be very heavy.
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North American Woods
Eastern Red Cedar (Aromatic Cedar)
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Eastern Red Cedar or commonly known in the flute world as Aromatic Cedar for its powerful cedar aroma. Eastern Red Cedar is actually a Juniper and is commonly found from south eastern canada to the golf of mexica, east of the great plains. The fine-grained, soft brittle pinkish- to brownish-red heartwood is fragrant, very light and very durable, even in contact with soil. Because of its rot resistance and durability it makes a great wood for flute making.
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Maple
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Maple is a beautiful tree that is well known for its fall leaves throughout the United States. Some maple wood has a highly decorative wood grain, known as flame maple, quilted maple, birdseye maple and burl wood. This condition occurs randomly in individual trees of several species, and often cannot be detected until the wood has been sawn, though it is sometimes visible in the standing tree as a rippled pattern in the bark. Maple is considered a tonewood, or a wood that carries sound waves well, and is used in numerous musical instruments.
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Black Walnut
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Black Walnut is the type of walnut most commonly used for crafting flutes. It has a beautiful dark color with rich grain and texture. Black Walnut is a dense wood that creates a nice clear sounding flute.
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