Sunday, September 30, 2007

Pau-brasil and the bow-makers, Part IV

If you do an internet search on "Pau-brasil", you come up with a list of different species of trees, all with that same common name. Try the scientific name, "Caesalpinia echinata". Most of the references will be the "true" Pau-brasil and you'll find a lot of update information on the history of the tree, history of bow-making, as well as what's going on today in reforestation and efforts to increase the supply and demand for the wood. In my correspondence with bow-maker, Charles Espey, I was surprised to learn that there are at several morphological variations of Caesalpinia echinata. Three are shown in the attached image of Pau-brasil leaves and I understand that the wood from all of them are used in the bow-making profession. Image: Charles Espey

1 comment:

GingerV said...

for some reason this photo does not open on my computer, can you reload it?

Around here the speed bumps are called - quebra molas - (ele) breaks springs - very ingeniouse. People speed right up to the edge, slam on their brakes, go over the top slowly and then speed up again exceeding with ease the speed zone. Useless. Now we have electronic ticket givers - don't ask me to spell it. these have been more effective because the speed trap extends about 20 feet either side of the Fisc...l..sao Electronica.

gingerv