For Sale 16 Tropical Hardwood Blocks for Sale

[MrsWatty]

Hello, my elderly Dad is sadly no longer able to do his turning and joinery anymore so I am trying to help him clear his workshops. Would anyone like to buy these Tropical Hardwood Blocks? I don;t know exactly what the hardwood is though. I have attached a photo of it in a machined state (the plant stand - which isn't for sale, I've just attached it to show the wood type). I have attached a list of the block sizes (in mm). Ideally I would like someone to collect them, but I could ship them if the buyer covered the shipment cost (and told me how to do it!). The wood is in Cheltenham. Would £300 for the lot be reasonable? It has all been stored in the house for decades. Any advice (or offers) would be gratefully received.

 

[RobNichols]

IMO Those are basically offcuts. The good news is that stored indoors for a long time they will be ready to use and they look like very nice offcuts. The bad news is the £300 you are competing with offers like this: Hardwood Timber Pallet Wood Project 170 Oak Sapele Iroko Accoya Offcuts (182) | eBay
I think £100 would be a more reasonable price.

 

[MrsWatty]

IMO Those are basically offcuts. The good news is that stored indoors for a long time they will be ready to use and they look like very nice offcuts. The bad news is the £300 you are competing with offers like this: Hardwood Timber Pallet Wood Project 170 Oak Sapele Iroko Accoya Offcuts (182) | eBay
I think £100 would be a more reasonable price.

Thanks Rob. The world of ebay wood is most perplexing! I'd seen these sorts of things, and Dad's blocks are much larger. African Blackwood / Exotic Woods / 6x6x3”Exotic Hardwood/bowl Blank | eBay

 

[RobNichols]

Blackwood is expensive. What you have looks more like Mahogany which has less of a premium price. If you look at this the results for this search I think you'll see where I'm coming from: Craft Turning Blanks for sale | eBay

Looking again, £100 is too low. Perhaps there is a turner out there that will give you £300. The only way to find out is to do what you are doing - Put it up for £300 or best offer - and see what people will offer.

 

[akirk]

I also wouldn't use ebay as a guide - it bears little resemblance to reality
that same blackwood turning blank (6" x 6" x 3") is 2/3 of the price elsewhere... (e.g. African Blackwood - 6" x 6" x 3" - Exotic Hardwoods UK LTD)

 

[niall Y]

I think that if they were all cut into bowl turning blanks then you could easily get this amount for them, possibly more. Especially as you have some of the thicker sizes here. I always feel it is a bit of a stretch to call anything 50mm and under a bowl blank - more a deep platter than anything else. They all look to be Sapele and possibly some pieces of Iroko.
You'll get your best prices for the thicker stock, The only downside is that a lot of these offcuts are from the painted ends of the timber so there could be some checks that will be only apparent when you cut into them.

 

[MrsWatty]

I think that if they were all cut into bowl turning blanks then you could easily get this amount for them, possibly more. Especially as you have some of the thicker sizes here. I always feel it is a bit of a stretch to call anything 50mm and under a bowl blank - more a deep platter than anything else. They all look to be Sapele and possibly some pieces of Iroko.
You'll get your best prices for the thicker stock, The only downside is that a lot of these offcuts are from the painted ends of the timber so there could be some checks that will be only apparent when you cut into them.

Thanks Niall