I think I have found the perfect wood for a reamer. Sometime last year I started experimenting with making reamers from extremely dense woods. It has become one of the things that keeps the repetitive process interesting. I get to experiment with woods that I haven't used before, learn a little something about the working characteristics of the species, and end up with a very solid, hard wearing reamer. Win, win, win.
I just finished up a reamer made out of an exceptional piece of boxwood and it is one of the most pleasing woods that I have had the pleasure to use. It is heavy and hard, but cuts like butter; it is smooth and seemingly indifferent to which direction the grain is flowing. It holds exceptional detail and your fingers can sense the hardness as they touch the surface. I think I'm in love.
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| Macassar Ebony Reamer. |
I didn't have time to take pictures of it, but I also made one out of Macassar Ebony. Thankfully it went to a student of Greg Pennington's and Greg got a good shot of it in use with lasers running up both sides to dial in the right angle. The ebony is even more dense than the boxwood; it sinks in water. But it isn't as friendly to work with.
I've only made a handful of these super dense reamers and until now I've sold them to people who are already on my wait list. But, if you are considering ordering a reamer and are interested in a specialty wood, let me know, and I'll let you know what material I have that is properly acclimated.
The boxwood reamer pictured throughout this post is already spoken for and headed to Australia tomorrow. I have one more perfect boxwood blank and three pieces of Macassar ebony on hand which are all ready to throw on the lathe and make into reamers. The price for these ultra hard reamers is $185. I make the reamers to order, so please enquire if interested.
I just started another special batch of reamers today and they'll be ready to ship in time for the holidays. More about them later this week.
