A few more pictures of the famous Cocobolo Clarinet

Cocobolo Clarinet played by Anothony McGill alongside Itzhak Perlman and Yo-Yo Ma during President Obama's Inaguration.

More pieces by Warren Aut

Goblets, Bowls and more by Warren Aut. We love seeing Warren's creations every time he emails us some pictures.

These first two are from his Myaproium series that was featured in "More Wood Turning" magazine.

They remind us of small natural edged vessels that other customers have been turning out of Tasmanian Brown Mallee and Jarrah Burl.

These are some nice goblets. Not sure about the woods used but looks like Ebony, Cocobolo and another light colored species. Very nice.

Looks like some Marblewood to us.

Here Warren used an assortment of wood to construct this bowl.

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Cocobolo Clarinet used during Obama's inauguration

photo: guardian.co.uk

Regardless of your political views, this is pretty awesome!

Yesterday during Obama's inauguration, clarinetist Anothony McGill performed alongside Itzhak Perlman and Yo-Yo Ma.

We thought the clarinet looked awfully familiar and after a few phone calls we were told it was indeed some of our Cocobolo on the clarinet bell and barrel.

Check out Anthony Mcgill Playing a similar Clarinet below, it may be the same one.

photo: New York Times

Pieces by Rod Sim

Our friend and customer Rod Sim dropped by to pick up some wood for his wood projects. He had a few of his pieces in his truck that he showed us. Really neat pieces.
Pens out of Osage Orange, Zebrawood, Black & White Ebony and Tulipwood with Ebony accents
This is a neat little collapsible basket/serving tray out of Zebrawood. According to Rod the basket is made from one continuous cut on a small bandsaw. Very neat.
*If you have projects like these, email us some pictures of them or bring them by the shop when you drop by. We always like seeing our wood in projects and the creativity and talent of our customers. Its also fun to show them off on this blog as well.


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Parota (Enterolobium cyclocarpum)

Brief write up on Parota written by Mitch Talcove (owner of Tropical Exotic Hardwoods)

Parota is one of the common names for Enterolobium cyclocarpum. It is also known as Raintree, Kelobra or Guanacaste.

The wood has a Koa-like look to it but is a much faster growing species so it has the density somewhere between redwood and mahogany.

I first saw this wood in Mexico in 1968 while hitching a ride to an isolated village called Yelapa aboard a 30 foot dug out canoe with a three cylinder Lister diesel motor hauling sacks of cement.

Parota is a relatively fast growing and plentiful tree and can get pretty big as you can see by these pictures.


A large tree can yield plenty of usable material such as live edge tabletop slabs, cross-cut round slabs, dimensional lumber and more. This makes it a great sustainable option to work with when selecting wood for furniture, tables, etc.


Here is a younger tree with a gorgeous crotch section that will yield numerous large slabs in the future once it is larger.











This wood has been used as a ceiling lid (see above and below), in cabinet doors, casing, furniture, tables, etc. It glues up easily but sanding is a problem as it is somewhat irritating. A mask takes care of the problem.

As mentioned before, Parota is a very popular choice for large live edge tabletops, bartops and other furniture because of it's beautiful golden brown "koa-like"color and grain, consistent availability in large dimensions and unmatched low cost.

One piece slabs are easily found in widths 30 to 50" and lengths up to 12'. Exceptional logs will yield slabs well over 72" in widths in lengths pushing 18-20'!



It's getting almost impossible to obtain true Hawaiian Koa in nearly any dimension (let alone one piece slabs) which makes Parota a great inexpensive alternative without compromising color and grain (see finished examples below)

Parota table by Tassajara Designs

Parota exterior door

 Parota carving by Richard Howell

 Parota desk by Jeff Nilson

 Parota doors by Ben Wheatley

 Parota cross-cut table by Jay Woody

 Parota table by Ben Wheatley

 Parota bartop by woodandsilver.com

Parota kitchen island by Ingrained Custom Woodwork

We always have a healthy supply of Parota slabs, lumber and thick billets that we import directly from our own sawmill in Mexico.

Please feel free to call us directly if Parota interest you and we can try to recommend whether or not it is a good option for your next project.760.268.1080

For more on Parota please visit:
www.tehwoods.com/parota