Recommendations of stockists of 80 different woods

[Shed hermit]

Hello I am hoping that the collective knowledge of the forum may be able to help.
I am trying to source 80 differing species of timber for a birthday present I would like to make for a relations 80th birthday. My idea so far is for pieces about the size of pen turning blanks ( eg 150mm x 25mm x 25mm max) but I want to have the name of each piece for reference and labelling. I have spent many hours on the web and most suppliers seem to be US based so not many native uk timber included.
This was inspired by the tv programme last year featuring a sculpture that was constructed and open to visit in Bristol which was quite bonkers but amazing! I was blown away by the whole idea of timber collecting, compared to my dusty pile of savaged firewood under the bench and in the corners of my workshop!
Cheers for now and any advice
Ben

 

[SteveF]

I would try here
it is not going to be cheap

http://www.exotichardwoods.co.uk/

Steve

 

[nev]

Are there 80 different woods available in the UK? I would think that was a very tall ask. I would also imagine that once you get past a dozen or two samples the visual differences would become less and less. Happy to be proved wrong mind you.

Stiles and Bates have 36 exotic varieties and 18 homegrown varieties
so just 36 more to find
edit: #-o 26 more to find

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

Off the top of my head...they've missed:

Blackthorn
Hawthorn
Laburnum
Wellingtonia
Plum
Pear
Apple
Damson
Crab Apple
Leylandii
Laurel
Douglas Fir
Scots Pine
Cedar
Bubinga (though that's probably on the exotics list in fairness)
Southern Yellow Pine
Red Oak
Brown Oak (though strictly the same species as the original oak)
Elder
Holly

That's 20...and they're just what I have in my blanks pile so I reckon it can be done. Some ferreting needed mind

 

[RobinBHM]

Timberline reckon they have 60 species in pen blank section

http://shop.exotichardwoods.co.uk/pen-blanks.html

Mostly tropical hardwoods.

 

[Woodmonkey]

Yandles are close to you, that would be a good place to start

 

[marcros]

there is a chap on penturning four who has a huge list of blanks- username lignaterrae or something like that. He is on eBay too, I will see if I can find the username.

 

[marcros]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/lignaterrae?_ ... 7675.l2559 drop him a line- I have never used him, but he has some weird and wonderful offerings, many of which I have never heard of before.

 

[Woodmonkey]

Btw you will have to use some exotics, there are only around 32 species of tree native to the uk.

 

[Clwydianrange]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/lignaterrae?_trksid=p2047675.l2559 drop him a line- I have never used him, but he has some weird and wonderful offerings, many of which I have never heard of before.

I've used him in the past, good bloke

 

[Noel]

Came across some Greenheart recently, tool bluntingly hard but nice timber.

 

[Shed hermit]

Thank you very much.
I had stumbled on exotic hardwoods but haven't priced them up yet. Will definitely give Yandles a shout as pop down there regularly as they have a pretty good craft shop for little'un and do a good piece of cake!
Does anyone remember the timber poster 20+ years ago by Craft Supplies, I think? Do they still exist, can't seem to find them on the web?

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Btw you will have to use some exotics, there are only around 32 species of tree native to the uk.

In the tree register handbook you can get to seventy common names in the "A"s, "B"s and "C"s alone. These are growing here, not necessarily native, of course. As far as natives there are thirty nine species of service tree.

My favourite is the Sorbus Admonitor ... the No Parking Whitebeam. :lol:

 

[marcros]

I wouldn't even bother with exotic hardwoods- selling pen blank sized pieces isn't what they do, so it will work out very expensive, if they can even help you at all.

 

[yorkshirepudding]

Craft Supplies now part of Turner's Retreat.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Have a collection of veneers instead? You'll see more colour and grain in a e.g. 4" x 2" piece of veneer than you will in a 25mm x 25mm section. You might even find people happy to post you odd pieces.

 

[Woodmonkey]

Btw you will have to use some exotics, there are only around 32 species of tree native to the uk.

In the tree register handbook you can get to seventy common names in the "A"s, "B"s and "C"s alone. These are growing here, not necessarily native, of course. As far as natives there are thirty nine species of service tree.

My favourite is the Sorbus Admonitor ... the No Parking Whitebeam. :lol:

I did say native, obviously there are hundreds of species actually growing here.
Not sure if having 39 different species of service tree would make for a very interesting wood collection!