50,000-Year-Old New Zealand Wood For Sale In Wisconsin

50 000-Year-Old New Zealand Wood For Sale In Wisconsin SPECIALTY/SERVICES Ancient Kauri wood is the oldest workable timber on earth says Robert Teisberg owner of Ancientwood Ltd in Wisconsin the company with exclusive rights to sell the wood in the U S and Canada The trees grew for more than 1 000 years before they fell over and were preserved in ancient bogs in New Zealand Those trees are now being unearthed and sold “Part of the attraction is Kauri’s natural history story – that it was around when no humans were on the North American continent ” Teisberg says “Another attraction is the beauty of the wood itself with a deep iridescent feature – a strong shimmer in the grain of the wood When you sand it and put a finish on it it’s almost like a three-dimensional hologram – like a tiger’s eye ” The third amazing aspect is the wood’s size In 2009 Teisberg had the world’s largest board shipped from New Zealand It was 40 ft long 5 ft wide and 4 1/2 in thick It was purchased by an individual who made it into a table for a ranch in Colorado Though there have been other large tabletops made from Kauri most of the wood is sold in smaller pieces for furniture countertops sculptures knife handles rings etc With its unique grains shimmer and resonance Kauri wood also makes great musical instruments The wood is milled in New Zealand and kiln dried in Wisconsin Teisberg sells 1 2 and 3-in thick slabs and will cut custom orders including thin veneer They also sell stump sections and wet wood for those who turn wood Teisberg says he works with customers to get the wood with the right grain – everything from random to flamed to curly/burly With the density of basswood or mahogany and color tones similar to cherry Kauri is surprisingly light and can be worked with normal woodworking tools “One thing people say is how an awareness comes out when they work on the wood That history has an affect on how you work You get humble and get respect for the wood ” Teisberg says Pieces run from between $25 to $300 per board ft Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Ancientwood LTD 160 Madeline Island La Pointe Wis 54850 ph 888 201-7544; www ancientwood com

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