Bokken question (coconut?)

[Grenadier]

My turn to ask a bokken question!

I have a very good familiarity with bokken, especially when it comes to wood types, construction, etc., so we can skip that part. I already have several bokken in my collection made from a variety of excellent woods (jatoba, purpleheart, hickory, bubinga, ipe, cumaru).

I came across a vendor who sells a bokken made from coconut wood:

http://www.imperialweapons.com/swords/Gen2/Ip-303.html

Supposed to be very resilient, and tough, but I wanted to see if anyone here had any experience with this kid of wood?

The vendor's integrity isn't in doubt; I've bought quite a few things from them in the past; I'm just trying to see if anyone knows something about this specific wood and its suitability for bokken use.

 

[Swordlady]

I don't know about coconut; most of the bokken I've used are white oak. Different vendors use other types of wood, but I'm not familiar with the quality.

 

[xMarishltenx]

if you want hard, resillient bokkens, ironwoods are good. Got one of them, just the LIGHT one and it beats any old oak by a longshot.

 

[Grenadier]

if you want hard, resillient bokkens, ironwoods are good. Got one of them, just the LIGHT one and it beats any old oak by a longshot.

You're right about that. I have a couple of bokken made from Macassar ebony (Kamagong), and they're indeed quite dense. The zebra-like color patterns on these babies are beautiful indeed, and I have no doubt they can smash through most oak ones. I used to have three, but gave one to my old sensei for a present, much to his delight.

However, the ironwoods, especially Kamagong, are getting harder and harder to find these days, and I don't exactly trust most of the vendors on ebay who claim to sell such bokken.

Coconut wood, on the other hand, seems quite plentiful, but I'm still hoping that someone has some info on this wood, before I jump into this fray.

 

[Carol]

Now that I'm training in the FMAs, I've been reading about the Philipines, and have read a bit about coconut wood.

Keep in mind, the bokken website calls this a "coconut tree". Most of us grew up calling them "palm trees"

The density of wood from a coconut palm varies...the outer layers of the trunk are high density (hard) while the center of the palm is lower density (soft). This is what gives palm trees their flexibility...required in nature to survive tropical storms.

Coconut wood is referred to as a "hardwood alternative", at least in what I've been reading. The outer layers of the coconut palm are strong enough to be used in building construction and flooring. The center portion is not, and is typically used for decorative purposes.

Senile palms (that can no longer produce coconuts fit for consumption) are typically the trees that are harvested for their wood. My understanding is that harvesting coconut wood from senile palms is one of the more environmentally-favorable practices of lumbering, as new palms in their place tend to grow quickly and easily.

The website that is advertising the coconut wood bokken is not that impressive. It's referring to coconut wood as a hardwood (where it's not) and describing the bokken as "made from the center" (the weakest part) "of an aged coconut tree" (a senile palm). It's browser title refers to it as an "Ironwood hard bokken", which seems outright deceptive.

Sounds to me like someone got a great deal on some undesirable center portions of the coconut palm and made bokkens out of them. That's not necessarily a bad thing...but I highly doubt that is a product worth $69.00

 

[Grenadier]

Thanks Carol!

I'm just going to stick with the tried and true woods (Jatoba, Purpleheart, Hickory, Ipe).

 

[Carol]

Thanks Carol!

I'm just going to stick with the tried and true woods (Jatoba, Purpleheart, Hickory, Ipe).

Sounds like a good idea. The coconut wood sure is pretty though