Aloha all,
I'm itching to make another osage bow. 56" long and 1 3/8" wide, pin knots and wiggles ok but not crazy about big knots.
I have assorted woods (not staves) that might be useful for other hobbies. Hawaiian milo, which is similar to black walnut (light sapwood, dark heartwood) and is great for carving utensils, turning bowls, pens, etc. Up to about 5.5" diameter. Hawaiian ohia, which is a hard pinkish brown wood. Larger pieces have nice waves in the grain. I have some that could be used for handles/risers or overlays. I have some curly koa about 1/8" thick that would make nice handle overlays. I have access to guava, which could be used for bows or walking sticks, or Filipino fighting sticks. I've got some Kiawe (Prosopis pallida, a species of mesquite), which is basically rock in wood form. Not sure what it would be good for other than chips for a smoker.
Our local hardwood supplier also has a large selection of tropical woods if there is anything you are looking for that you can't get elsewhere. I've seen ipe, purple heart, padauk, teak, mahogany, wenge, zebrawood, sapele, bocote, and more.
I've got some pig and goat backstrap sinew, but I am not an expert at cleaning it. I usually wash with soap and scrape off as much meat as I can with a spoon, but some pieces didn't get super clean.
I have some water buffalo hide and black bull leather. The buffalo hide is about 4 sq ft and the bull hide is about 8 sq ft (I'd have to measure to confirm). Both about 1/4" thick.
For anyone into firemaking, I've got paperbark, which is a very oily bark consisting of many papery layers that takes a spark from a ferro rod very well. I can usually get a flame with one strike. I can provide quite a bit of this, as I have access to a few trees.
I can also send you 100% Kona or Ka`u coffee, an assortment of flavored or chocolate covered macademia nuts, or Hawaiian honey! Joys of paradise.
If you have any other requests for things accessible in Hawaii, let me know! I'm happy to get creative.
Thanks for considering!
