Snakewood from Surinam - Natural Hardwood Blocks

I got these as a trial order from a supplier of Snakewood from Surinam. I figured that I would just start out with these 12 blocks to see what you all think of this wood. It is not the very best Snakewood I have seen, but still pretty nice stuff. I cut a few blocks and checked the interior moisture content. Readings were between 16% & 18%, so they are not ready to use yet. I am guessing that you should wait until 2015.

Snakewood is not the easiest wood to work with. Like Desert Ironwood it is likely that you will have some hairline checks so you will need to keep a bottle of thin CA glue at hand when you are sanding your handle. If you see a hairline check apply a couple drops of glue and continue sanding. A bit of extra work but the dramatic results are more than worth the extra effort.

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Is snakwood really difficult for you to get your hands on? I have been waiting for some A+ snakewood for a long time, but never see it (here or anywhere else).

Johnny.B.Good said:

Is snakwood really difficult for you to get your hands on? I have been waiting for some A+ snakewood for a long time, but never see it (here or anywhere else).

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Don't know about Mark, but it's around. Just very expensive and hard to find top quality in my experience.

It's kind of like ironwood. Lots of mediocre stuff available.
But the really good pieces are few and far between, and expensive.
Cutting log portions is a PIA because you are cutting in between the cracks and hoping you get some good pieces.

My understanding is that snakewood is one of the very rarest and most expensive woods in the world that can still be legally traded. It grows only in a very small geographic area in the northern amazon. It's certainly in the top 10 most valuable woods, right up there with the ebonies and rosewoods. Since only a small percent of any log may be spotted, it's price depends largely on it's figuring.