By Brian Caldwell
STAFF WRITER
Woodshop News found three sources in the United States offering 4/4, and some 8/4 camphor, also known as camphorwood. Most of the wood was domestic lumber, though dealers occasionally carried imported camphor and camphor burl.
“There’s not much of a market for it,” said Clay Eisenbrand, owner of Eisenbrand Inc. Exotic Hardwoods in Torrance, Calif. “I only have one supplier who has it available and that is on a real limited basis. He calls me when he has it, but it is really few and far between when it is available. I haven’t seen anyone else sell it so I know it is pretty well limited. But the guys who use it really like it. It’s used for the lining of closets and things like that because of the aroma.”
Camphorr
Camphorr burrl
The wood’s smell is often its biggest
selling point. [Its] odor is described
as pleasant and spicy, and comes
from the camphor or anise oil.
Camphor (Cinnamomum camphora) is perhaps best known for its uses as a liniment and a moth repellent. The camphor tree grows in Asia, Australia, and in tropical and sub-tropical regions such as South America and California. It’s essentially a yard tree in the West and often shows up at mills which specialize in salvaged or recycled lumber. The tree grows to heights of 60' to 100' with trunk diameters of 2' to 4', though trees out of the native area are generally smaller.
“There is no more camphor coming out of Indonesia; that’s the main producer of it, at least for the burl,” said Myles Gilmer, owner of Gilmer Wood Co., in Port-
land, Ore. “Camphor burl apparently comes out of Tasmania or someplace out of Australia. I think it is a Cinnamomum species that was introduced into the country. As far as rarity, I never see it. I’ve done some Web site searches and we always come up as the only outfit that’s doing camphor burl in the United States.
“In the last four or five years, I’ve brought in probably six container loads of it. We brought in another two containers this year and I think that is pretty much it. That’s enough to last me another five years so I don’t really care. I have blocks big enough to cut pretty decent-size small table tops that might be as much 20" to 24" wide and 4' to 5' long. That’s about the largest dimensions you’ll see in that.”
Gilmer states the burl is very stable. He cuts base guitar tops out of it and solid body blanks. “We always thought when we first started out with it that it was a clunky, dull-sounding wood, but as it dries it
develops a nice acoustic tone to it,” he said.
The camphor tree is also cultivated for cinnamon spice and camphorated oil, and is used medicinally in massage compounds, lip salve and inhalants.
The wood’s smell is often its biggest selling point. Camphor’s odor is described as pleasant and spicy, and comes from the camphor or anise oil.
“What always throws me is there are rather distinctive odors to it,” Gilmer said. “Some of it smells like root beer, some of it smells like Vick’s “VapoRub”, like the real classic camphor oil you would expect it to smell like. And some of it is mostly like licorice.”
“Camphor definitely has a stronger smell to it than cedar,” added Eisenbrand. “If you cut camphor, your whole shop smells like it for weeks. It’s just highly aromatic.”
Prices for 4/4 camphor were quoted in the neighborhood of $13/bf.
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