Makana Hut Woods of Hawai'i
ACACIA KOA
Is indigenous to the Hawaiian Islands and has a beautiful grain whose colors range from blonde to deep chocolate brown with deep reddish brown the most common color. Koa is part of the Acacia family of trees and is recognized as one of the finest textured woods in the world. Much of the Koa trees in the past were harvested with little or no attention to reforestation and resource management. Recently, the State of Hawaii has issued restrictions on the harvesting of these trees as reforestation projects continue to be implemented. Though limited in its abundance, Koa is even more desirable in Hawaii for upscale furniture, woodwork, ukulele, ceremonial bowls and more. Today, more than ever, Koa continues to be a widely recognized symbol of prestige and coloring.
Fish Hook Necklaces (Also Called Makau) Made From Hawaiian Koa Wood
The Grades of Koa Wood are:
SELECT: Rich in color and straighter grain, with very little or no figure.
CURLY: Rich color, variable grain with three-dimensional highlights, somewhat rare.
PREMIUM CURLY: Top of the line, magnificent color and “curl”, highly three-dimensional, almost translucent and is very rare.
Mango Wood – Custom Carved Paddle
(Mangifera Indicia) is a beautiful light colored wood with touches of gray & brown grain providing very nice grain patterns. It is also available as figured or curly wood. The Mango tree is an evergreen tree of the Sumac family and a favorite fruit tree in Hawaii with many varieties of mango. It was imported to the islands in the 1800s. Sometimes there is a high degree of spalting resulting in a very attractive black grain pattern. Spalting is a result of fungi entering the sapwood.
MILO WOOD
(Thespesia populnea) The heartwood is a dark rich chocolate brown and similar in appearance to dark walnut. The sapwood is pinkish white and together provides a beautiful contrast. The photo above shows a Tiki KU with lots of outer sapwood with the lighter color dominating the Tiki and the neck is a combination of dark & light-wood laminated to form a beautiful Tiki.
