I pulled a dry dead branch off the kowhai that grows alongside our driveway this morning; it didn't so much break off as exploded into fragments. I turned this little finial from one of its sticks. It's about 80mm long, so not very big.
The kowhai turned well enough in general, but it is very brittle, and it chipped out badly around the collar of the piece. Also, it has an odd colour seam running up it — I'd normally assume that it was a heart-sap differentiation, but it runs across the grain, so it beats me what causes it.
It's not an unattractive timber (apart from the bug holes) but its brittleness would severely limit its usefulness.
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