> there is an ironwood casuarina native in fiji, and it is very
> durable, used for houseposts set in the ground as is.
I have heard rumors of this too...I have assumed the casuarina in
Hawai'i was introduced post-contact but it (or some varieties) may have
come with the polynesians too.
> and it is
> _hard_ i tell you. i you dont work it right after felling (which
> is quote a job as well) you can forget it.
Sounds like the stuff in Hawai'i... Similar with 'ohia and guava -
cut, and work while green, or they get almost too hard to work (though
ironwood is harder), especially with hand tools, which is mostly what
I'll be doing.
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John Schinnerer, MA
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- Eco-Living -
Cultural & Ecological Designing
Food - Shelter - Community
john@eco-living.net http://eco-living.net
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