Fine Woodturning by Tony Manella

Wood Trading

One of the great joys I have in woodturning is the variety of woods available. I manage to collect quite a wide variety of local woods and always have way too much for my own use. Of course I have also bought exotic wood from many different sources, but trading wood has to be my favorite way of getting woods unavailable to me here in Pennsylvania.
I've traded for woods from several states including Texas, California, Utah and Hawaii. For me trading for wood allows me to expand the number of woods I have in my sphere collection. I am determined to make the largest collection of turned spheres in the world (a modest goal). I am currently closing in on 200 woods from around the world and am looking to expand that number as much as possible.
I only offer wood I would want to turn myself, no split wood destined for the firewood pile. An even exchange in weight is the usual trade but I don't mind sending more that I get. I can offer bowl blanks, hollow form blanks or even billets. In exchange I am happy with the same or just your offcuts from trimming your pieces, as long as it is wood I don't have in my collection. The following is a list of some of the woods I have. If you want a wood that grows here in Pennsylvania, and you don't see it on my list, e-mail me and I may be able to get some to trade.

Royal paulownia
Norway maple
Spalted silver maple
Osage orange
Japanese yew
Apple
Curly aspen (a large tree planted as an shade tree in Maryland)
Kentucky coffee tree
Ambrosia (red) maple
Staghorn sumac

Spheres - The woods currently in my collection


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