Matanda Wood Creations

"Poet Joyce Kilmer got it right," says Vic Barr, founder of Matanda Wood Creations. "A tree is a perfect expression of the elements of earth, air, water and, eventually, fire. My intent at Matanda is to honor the spirit of that creation in handcrafted objects that celebrate the beauty of wood."

Barr founded Matanda Wood Creations, a custom boutique woodshop, in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1999.

"A turning point for me was when I discovered exotic woods," Barr says. "The exotics have fabulous colors, grains, figuring, aromas, and they are just incredible to work with. Exotics are often more colorful than domestic species, with a finished wood palette that can be variations of red, purple, yellow, orange, brown, black or variegated. Their grain patterns are spectacular and their durability unsurpassed. Each species has distinctive attributes, such as oil content, scent, figuring and grain."

Barr estimates that he has worked with ninety-two species of wood over the course of his career. He is particularly partial to the Rosewoods (Dalbergia spp.), and has worked with eleven of the fifty plus varieties of Rosewood. Other favorites include: Central American Cocobolo (Dalbergia retusa), distinguished by its cinnamon scent, fine texture, lustrous finish and kaleidoscope of color; dark dense Ziricote (Cordia dodecandra) from Central America with its unique spider-webbing grain figure; and Tulipwood (Dalbergia decipalaris) from Brazil, a straight-grained, finely textured wood streaked with colorful yellows, reds, oranges and pinks.

"The longer you work with wood, the more you see," Barr says. He takes inspiration from the curves, grains, figuring, coloring, fragrance and even the sound of the wood. "Because wood is beautiful in its own right, I don't want to cover it, disguise it, or put it on a production line. It should express itself through me – just as I express myself through the wood."

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SPOTLIGHT ON: Cocobolo, Cocobola, Cocabola

Species: Cordia dodecandra

Origin: Central America

Common Applications: Fine furniture, musical instruments, turnings, carvings, and small specialty objects such as gun grips, knife handles and fine custom inlay work.

Characteristics/Appearance: Cocobolo heartwood is typically orange or reddish brown, often with a figuring of darker irregular traces. The creamy, pale yellow sapwood is seldom used. Grain is straight to interlocked, with a fine even texture. Good natural luster that can be polished to a lustrous, glassy finish.

Janka Hardness Scale: 2,960 lb_f (see chart on page 19)

Comments: Cocobolo's aesthetic and acoustic properties make it ideal for production of musical instruments, such as guitars, basses, drums, clarinets, oboes and bagpipes. It is growing in popularity for use in decorative and figured veneers, bowls, jewelry boxes and other specialty items. Cocobolo looks and feels oily, and its high natural oil content makes gluing difficult and can inhibit the curing of some varnishes. The wood, even when well-seasoned, has an unmistakable floral scent.

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SPOTLIGHT ON: Ziricote

Species: Cordia dodecandra

Origin: Central America and Mexico

Common Applications: Furniture, veneer, cabinetry, gunstocks, musical instruments (especially acoustic and electric guitars), turned objects and small specialty items.

Characteristics/Appearance: Color ranges from medium to dark brown and sometimes has a purple or green hue, with darker bands of black growth rings intermixed. Ziricote has an unusual grain pattern described as "spider-webbing" or "landscape" grain figure. The pale yellowish sapwood is sometimes incorporated into designs for aesthetic effect. Grain is straight to slightly interlocked, with medium to fine texture and a good natural luster.

Janka Hardness Scale: 1,970 lb_f (see chart on page 19)

Comments: A truly unique-looking wood, Ziricote exhibits an unusual spider-webbing grain figure that is attractive to wood crafters. Overall, Ziricote is fairly easy to work considering its high density. Ziricote turns and finishes well, and in most instances, it can also be glued with no problem.