Issue 1, Volume 1

Ancientwood Newsletter

December 5, 2008

Ancient Kauri, Exotic and 'Green'

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Ancient Kauri is extremely old growth timber, it was buried underground in New Zealand for approximately 50,000 years. These huge trees were felled thousands of years ago by natural forces. It is rare to find an exotic material that is made available through environmentally friendly methods.

Ancient Kauri is regarded as the oldest wood available in the world, yet it is as workable as newly harvested wood.

Amazing beauty, the grain and tones of this wood are lovely, and it has a powerful shimmering iridescence. The glow of Ancient Kauri seems to come from inside. It is perfect for projects that require an extraordinary material.

Green:

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No living trees are harvested
Every tree grew for at least 1,200 years
Available kiln-dried or air-dried
Imported from the northland of New Zealand
Every board is certified and guaranteed
Excavated land is returned to natural state

Please visit our web site for more stories and information.

LEEDs Design & Green Building:

Meets all standards for environmentally responsible construction.
Full LEEDs credits apply – up to 3 points possible.
Reliable and immediate supply of materials available in US.
The most unique and rare wood in the world for all architectural and interior elements.
Includes one of the greatest natural history story's ever told. Where do your exotic veneers come from?
Design Ancient Kauri into your projects.

Overhauled Website

Online shopping cart.
Photos of Ancient Kauri blocks of various sizes and grain activity Ancient Kauri Catalog
Updated gallery of beautiful finished projects Ancient Kauri Gallery
Enjoy the amazing shimmer and iridescence of finished Ancient Kauri in Grain Details Gallery
View finished projects in our expanded Contributed Work Gallery

Wood on the Water

Our newest shipments of Ancient Kauri are 'on the water'. They will be arriving from New Zealand in a few weeks.

Slabs of all dimensions with and without natural edges; dimensional lumber, and timbers.
The largest piece of wood for sale in the United States at 6 feet wide by 40 feet long!
Massive timbers that will be resawn upon arrival.
As soon as the Ancient Kauri is carbon dated we will begin kiln-drying immediately.

Be sure to call or email for our great "pre-arrival" deals.

One Piece of Ancient Kauri - 20 Feet Long, a Huge Table

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The largest single piece of wood that was available in the United States has been purchased by Vineyard 7 & 8. Finished this spring, the 20-foot slab was flattened, filled, sanded, oiled and waxed to become a beautiful table made a single piece of wood.

The table was finished with organic linseed oil followed by an organic linseed oil/beeswax polish. The end result was a very durable, velvet finish on a timeless piece.

You can see it here: Ancientwood Galleries

Ancient Kauri Tips:

Sanding Ancient Kauri

The woodworkers at Ancientwood know the secret to a perfect finish on an Ancient Kauri wood project: it's all in the sanding.

In order to bring out the iridescent character of the Ancient Kauri, it is important to sand the piece to higher grit than typical wood projects. Our experts start with 80 to remove any marks left from the planer or drum sander, then move through the grits ending at 1200 to 2000 before applying a finish.

From 400 grit and up, the sanding becomes more of a polishing technique. Extra effort and time spent during this phase of construction is well worth it when you step back to enjoy how the grain stands out and the iridescence shines through.

It is important to wipe off the surface of the piece between sanding stages to remove any excess grit left from the previous sanding.
We suggest wearing gloves to limit the amount of oil transferred from the handler's hands to the polished but unfinished piece.

In Future Issues:

In the News:

We are delighted to be featured in the first chapter of Spike Carlson's book "A Splintered History of Wood".

Check out his site to see more about Carlson's close look at the story of wood from a historical perspective that is sure to entertain.

Please visit: asplinteredhistoryofwood.com

Excellent Kauri Available to You:

A photo of whitebait grain activity.

Please visit and enjoy the photos, tips, and stories about Ancient Kauri.

Great gift ideas for the your woodworking friends and family.

While you are there you can order your own prehistoric wood to enjoy.

Thank you.

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