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Hawaiian Koa Wood -
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Hawaiian Koa is a native forest tree unique to Hawaii.
A member of the Acacia family, koa is one of the world's
most expensive woods because of both its rarity and
beauty. Koa trees generally grow on the Big Island
of Hawaii and the slopes of Maui's Haleakala Mountain at
elevations of 4,000 feet and higher. Although it is the
second most prevalent native tree in Hawaii, harvesting is
restricted largely to fallen trees. Preservation of
remaining koa forests is a top priority in the Islands. |
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Koa is a medium density hardwood similar to
walnut. It is sometimes referred to as
"Hawaiian mahogany". Color varies
from pale blond to deep chocolate brown and the
wood tends to take on a three-dimensional quality
when rubbed with oil. Koa is a very difficult
lumber to work with as it burns easily and has a
tendency to tear-out with even the sharpest of
carbide blades. This adds to the expense of items
made from koa as more hand sanding is required. |
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In
the Hawaiian language "koa" means "bold,
brave, fearless, warrior-like". These are qualities
that were essential to the ocean-going vessels the ancient
Hawaiians made out of koa trees. The early Hawaiians also
made surfboards, calabashes and posts for grass houses
from Koa trees. The "tannin" from the bark was
used for tanning and the leaves and ashes were used
medicinally. At one time Hawaiian Koa was held in
such reverence that it could be owned only by Hawaiian
Royalty. |
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Today koa is used for furniture, woodwork,
ukuleles and of course quality picture frames. We
consider koa to be the finest Hawaiian wood
available for framing Cruiser Art prints. Framed
prints offered by Cruiser Art utilize very high
quality Hawaiian Koa veneer. We prefer veneer for
two reasons. It helps keep the price affordable
and the veneer is made from the very best koa wood
available, which offers the richest color and the
most beautiful grain patterns to be found. |
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