I am really enjoying hearing your info on the different woods Alice. Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge and experience.
I did a lot of research on the VV Woodvils when I was lucky enough to get one. I do not know near as much as about the other versions of the woodvils such as production numbers of each model etc. Woodvils just give me the warm fuzzies.
Wood REOs give lots of us "warm fuzzies."
Keep in mind that when I talk about the conditions I subject some of my Woods to these conditions are far less extreme and hazardous than those the Silver Anodized are subjected to. And my "extreme" conditions are a far cry from what a lot of other REOs are subjected to on a regular basis. "Swimming" in shallow bodies of water is probably one of the least extreme events that can happen to any REO. (I don't plan on testing a VVW as I can't soak it upside down in alcohol like I do the VVGs to get water (and other contaminants) out of them.
You are welcome. I'm
slightly educated about woods and their properties. A while back, before Robert did the 18490 Woodvils, I picked up a "lowly" plain grained, well used Walnut Woodvil from classies. I mean it was used enough some of the finish had worn off. It is plainest of plain compared to all the other Woodvils. I was so impressed with how pristine it was otherwise, with only a few almost imperceptible teensy teensy impressions in wood from drops I set my sites on getting a Walnut 18490 when they were released. But the other driving factor was how light in weight it was for such a tough wood and walnut is not as brittle as some of the other hard woods are. I do like practical a lot. I just can't have a stable of Woodvils that all have to be pampered all the time. The ones I've mentioned, Curly Oak, Walnut, Teak, Cocobolo, Purpleheart are the ones I've subjected to less than ideal conditions but I can't speak for some of the other woods that could be just as tough. I do have a VVW that is two different exotic woods that could fit into the really tough category but I can't remember the names of the woods right now. By it being a VV, though, I'll never expose it to many of the conditions the non-VVs are exposed to. Teak is pretty soft and can dent more easily but as far as moisture goes it can handle a lot. Purple heart is really tough as far as denting but it is brittle. Both of the Purpleheart Woodys I have had to have hairline cracks repaired. I do know that mine had been smacked flat onto hard surface a couple of times by me (not on purpose and it landed flat on back side) and it came to me with a chip off a shoulder but the other one, one Robert found stuffed back in a drawer, had not been used a lot and it had a chip on shoulder and he spotted a hairline crack he repaired before sending it to me. So I can't advocate the all round toughness of Purpleheart. I haven't had the Ebonys for very long but I'm sure they can take just about anything I can "
throw" at them. The Quilted Maple door on one puts it into "less tough" category.
Of course with most of the red toned, including purple, woods change of color is going to happen when exposed to UV. Different woods change in different ways. So that has to be considered when using the Woodvils in high UV environments. Or storing exposed to light. My first Woody, a Purpleheart had browned quite a bit by the time I got it, and I wasn't aware of the UV factor for several months of constant use outside here where UV is extreme year round most days. And that was before we became aware of the Howard's UV shield wax. So it darkened a little more. Now days none of my red/purple woods spend much of any time in bright light. BTW..... it can happen inside ambient lighting, too, or even exposed too long to indoor lighting. I first became aware about this with dark clothing stored for long periods in warehouses that were lit around the clock. (Depends on fabric and dyes of course.) So I store all my Woods in dark area and only use the ones least affected by UV outside during the day. There are a few red tone woods that will change in either/or light or darkness. A few months ago I was rereading about the Pink Ivory; some woodworkers forums. It seems one has little control over it. Luckily the boards I have to send to Robert, haven't changed much that I can tell in the two years I've had them, thank doGness. I need to do some more research to see what affect certain finishes have on the color changing or not. The Pink Ivory is very tough, fine grained, but is one of the heavier woods I've ever had in my hands. Fine grained except for some pieces that are figured. The big plank cost a frigg'n fortune!!!!! Hoping some day some fine Pink to Dark Pink to Red REOs will come out of those boards.
Hitting the hay for a bit. Rest well Fine REO Folk.
Feisty Alice
Pink Ivory | The Wood Database - Lumber Identification (Hardwoods)
...................
