Popular Types of Timber

Traditional Hawaiians typically used koa trunks to build waʻa (dugout outrigger canoes) and papa heʻe nalu (surfboards).  The reddish wood is very similar in strength and weight to that of Black Walnut (Juglans nigra).

Koa timber population has suffered from grazing and logging.  The largest koa grow in wet forest areas. Many of those have been logged out, though. Koa now comes largely from dead or dying trees or farms on private lands. Although formerly used for outrigger canoes, there are few koa remaining, large and straight enough to do so today. In areas where cattle are present, the koa regeneration is almost completely suppressed. However, if the cattle are removed, koa are among the few native Hawaiian plants able to germinate in grassland. It can be instrumental in restoring native forest.

Hamakua koa is especially sought for use in wood carving and furniture. Koa is also a tonewood. It is often used in the construction of ukuleles, acoustic guitars, and Weissenborn-style Hawaiian steel guitars.  Because of its inherent and vibrant chatoyance and curl, koa's beauty is highlighted in the `umeke bowl shape. 

Kou is an excellent tree for a roomy landscape. They can get to be medium-large trees and may not be suitable for small urban yards that cannot accommodate a height and canopy spread of 25-35 feet. Kou grows in the coastal regions of the Hawaiian islands. It is considered a rare wood. Kou was prized by Hawaiian royalty for food use: poi bowls, calabashes and utensils as Kou does not impart a taste to food. 

The bark of milo was used for cordage fiber, similarly to hau, but it is inferior in quality to hau and to olona. The tree also yields tannin, dye, oil, medicine and gum, from various parts of the plant. The milo wood was skillfully crafted into poi bowls called `umeke `ai, and into plates, too. Calabashes/bowls of kou wood were more highly prized than those of milo, and were more often used.  Milo wood is flavorless, since it is lacking in any unpleasant-tasting sap that could contaminate stored food.

The milo tree is a small to medium-sized one, growing to less than 40 feet high. The trunk can be 2 feet in diameter at full maturity. The bark is corrugated, with scaly twigs. The branches are widely spread and usually horizontal, making for an ideal shade tree. The glossy heart-shaped leaves are 3-5 inches across. Young leaves are edible. Bell-shaped pale yellow flowers with maroon or purple centers turn purplish-pink as they with in their short one day hibiscus life. Following the flowering stage, the one inch diameter seeds grow in globular 5-celled woody cases that have downy hairs on their surface. These remain on the plant for sometime, and ripen only in areas of dry climate.

Milo wood has an attractive grain that takes to a high polish and, in addition to food utensils and containers, was fashioned into paddles and other carved objects, as well as for an occasional canoe, although koa was considered to be the most popular material for canoes”.

Kamani is the Hawaiian name for Calophyllum inophyllum which is a member of the mangosteen family and was introduced to Hawaii by Polynesian settlers. The red and white colors of Kamani wood turns reddish brown as the wood ages.

True kamani is a large attractive spreading tree up to 60 feet high. It has a rounded head of dense foliage and rough grey bark. A reddish-brown hardwood is derived from the trunk.

A burl is a growth on a tree in which the grain has grown in a deformed manner, so finding pieces large enough to work with is difficult. Sought for is unusual bark and striking red color, you will rarely see it used for anything larger than pens and bowls. The Heartwood ranges from pink to orangish red. Pale yellow to gray sapwood is sharply demarcated from heartwood. Nearly always seen in burl form.

The term mallee refers to a species’ general growth form (known as a “habit” in biology). Usually smaller and shorter than trees, mallees grow multiple smaller-diameter stems from a common root system. Because of this, most mallee species are ill suited for lumber, though they do have a propensity for burl growths that can be harvested and used for turning and other small specialty projects.

‘Umeke la’au is the traditional Hawaiian form for a typical bowl-like container or calabash made of various types of timber, which were used in traditional Hawaiian culture store, transport, prepare and serve food.  The 'umeke is a closed form shape, meaning the diameter at the lip of the bowl is narrower than the widest point below and usually presents with the sharp curve inwards from the widest point to the top of the bowl.  This is artistically depicted in various shapes and sizes, e.g., width, height, by different artists.

Covers for `umeke were rare in traditional Hawaiian times.  'Umeke made in modern times are typically displayed open faced or without any covering.  That said, covers are available in various designs from traditional mushroom-like shapes or more contemporary flush fit forms.  

Natural or live edge is a variation on the traditional `umeke shape, highlighting the organic contours of the timber bark.  Bowls that retain the bark of the tree as a rim decoration are always popular, both as a turning project and as a purchasable item by those looking for unusual gifts.  Strictly speaking, forms which are bark-rimmed are considered to be "live-edge" bowls; if the bark is removed, they are referred to as "natural-edged" bowl.  Retaining the bark of a log or the spiky surface of a burl is highly regarded by aficionados.

Pewa, pronounced "pē'-wă", is a rectangular patch or wedge used for mending bowls, perhaps so called because of a resemblance to a fishtail.  Other popular shapes used in modern hawaiian woodturning include a bowtie or honu (turtle).

A pewa is typically embedded over a flaw, i.e., crack, either superficial or deep in a bowl; one or several can be used to physically strengthen the structure of the piece.  Aesthetically, a pewa actually adds value among collectors as they regard the use of pewa as an acknowledgement by the artist of the flaw and a concerted effort to fix it.