Paulownia source Ireland/wood board builder

I was talking with a mate from Ireland who was saying it was difficult to get paulownia or a wood board in Ireland. Anyone got any leads?

Thanks

Bob

Can’t help with a Euro connection but this outfit I buy from on the US east coast sells plantation grown paulownia. 

Shipping to Ireland probably costly. 

https://worldpaulownia.com/product/paulownia-wood-packs/

 

Thanks. I’ll let him know. 

I remember there was a group in Spain using pawlonia.    

 

Here is one guy: http://mypaipoboards.org/interviews/SalvadorArtaza/Salva.shtml  and around Valencia- https://medswells.appspot.com/

 

Sorry to hear it, but I know the struggle of trying to get specific woods to a small island. I tried finding paulownia locally for a few years on Oahu. At the time the best solution I found was to have a local lumberyard work with another lumberyard on mainland USA to ship it from mainland to Hawaii. I would’ve still paid by the board foot and have to pay the freight shipping as well. It was not the best deal for an already expensive wood. Oddly enough, when I first asked the lumberyard about paulownia, about 5-6 years ago, no one had heard of it. Now the same lumberyard stocks it because of its rise in popularity. It is still expensive though, $14 USD per board foot the last time I checked.

Long story short see if a local yard can get it shipped for you.

Check the link I posted. Better prices and reasonable shipping stateside; at least from GA to CA.

Better use local wood.

From the vast forests of the emerald isle.

I have a contact in Italy, it’s closer than US…

North Europe have good pine and others Woods. A bit higher density than pawlonia burlt stronger, use a slightly thinner wood and or lighter fiber. An economical way to make strong light skins. Wood need full resin saturation to have a real good water résistance. With right product it increase drastically impact strengh too.

 

Huck was getting some impressive weights with his hollow wood boards due to his build technique.  And if I recall, he was using redwood for his rails, which is not a fragile density.   

I’ve never attempted a hollow wood board but if I had the skills to do it I’d take a swing at his method.    

 

https://www.swaylocks.com/archive/64064/2012-huck-70-x-21-x-2-34-zatarra


Thanks all,

My friend intends to make a paipo and planned a solid, rather than chambered construction.

I’ve been to Ireland  a few times and it is very green, but I don’t recall big forrests or soaring trees. No doubt there are some,. A quick search for Ireland + timber took me to this article from October 28 in the Irish Times: "Ours is a stone culture so whereas the Canadians, Germans and Scandinavians know their wood we are only beginning to learn about the various properties of different types of timber. " 

Bob