Official Luthiers Forum!

Anyone have any leads on where to find Koa on Maui....other than the usual suspects one finds through Google? I'm trying to track down something to transform into eye-popping curly bindings. That's why I'm heading there later this month. The negative 20 degrees celsius outside my window right now has nothing to do with it.

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Doug

Don't let fear or common sense stop you from trying to build something

If u do happen to find some, and I am serious,contact me as Im hunting some too.

Mike

I have had numerous Maui trips over the last five years as a friend has a very nice villa there he has allowed me to use. The only supplier I found was Maui laminate, a local shop catering to the cabinet trade.
Their supply seems to be hit and miss.
If I am not mistaken, the bulk of the commercially available koa seems to be on the big island.
I too would be interested in finding a supplier on Maui as I likely will visit again.

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My memory is so good, sometimes I remember things that never happened.

I was in Hawaii recently. I spent some time on both Oahu and Kauai. I found nothing on Oahu and then found a flooring company who had a stash on Kauai (some of this is for sale in the classifieds right now). My point being, call every place that claims to have koa- even the unlikely ones. Maybe you will get lucky.

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ELEVATE || Next Level Lutherie
http://elevatelutherie.com
&
http://ensorguitars.com

My girlfriends family is from Maui, 4 generations worth. Her cousin has worked in a local lumber yard there for years. I asked him last summer if there was any to be found. His answer was that the sawyers are keeping the good instrument wood locked up and are not looking to unload any at this time. Local woodworkers would be the best place to start looking. Good Luck

I will be on Oahu. Last year, I found a source of orphans and mis-cuts but who knows what will be available this year. Building ukuleles allows more flexibility in wood supply.

Bob

You might contact some of the Uke builders on the islands. They might be able to point you to their suppliers. I was on Maui 5 years ago and did a casual search which came up empty. I'm sure if one were to dig a little more than I did you could find some suppliers.
Maybe even lumber yards in the area might have something. Koa to Hawaiians is like Maple to us so it might be on the shelves at a local lumber yard. (If you can even find one of those).

The reason Koa is on the Big Island is because that's where it grows from an industry perspective. The guys that get them on the other islands bring them in by the container load, then go from there. If you're looking for a piece here and there, you may get lucky. I've looked on Maui, not hard, but I looked. I even looked in Kona (on the Big Island). Both have nothing staring you in the face compared to online sources.

I got lucky, but I had to cherry pick the equivalent of a 1/4 pallet of offcuts. I got this from a guy I know, who introduced me to a guy he knew, etc etc. Taylor Guitars takes all the good stuff, in bulk.

Your challenge will be getting a piece long enough and curly enough for your needs. Oddly, I think Koa bindings should be as figured as possibie. This is the stuff that guys will keep, or sell at ebony prices, IMO.

Well I did find about 4 board feet of some pretty good stuff. Should be good to make dozens and dozens of medium to high grade curly Koa bindings. I will likely be willing to sell some of this but first I need to get it home and mill it up to see what we have to work with.


https://flic.kr/p/r2KDS7

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Doug

Don't let fear or common sense stop you from trying to build something

That is a nice score. Where did you find it?

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Joe Beaver
Maker of Sawdust

Quality Woods of Maui. I scooped up what little they had, including the other three places I looked at.

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Doug

Don't let fear or common sense stop you from trying to build something

We will be there this summer. I think I'll check it out. Thanks for the info

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Joe Beaver
Maker of Sawdust

Found some really curly Koa. Milled it into bindings. If interested see the listing in the Classifieds. And if you are not yet a contributing member then today is the day!

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Doug

Don't let fear or common sense stop you from trying to build something

Haven't been there since 2009 so I am assuming this place is still in business. I had some decent experience with them in getting some Koa pieces small enough to carry back to the mainland. Last time there I went to k-Mart near the airport and bought a bag for carrying baseball bats. Just the right size for side billets.

HLM Hardware Lumber Maui
823 Alua St.
Wailuku, Maui
Ph (808) 244-0499