German Hinges, New Woods and Wood Sample Fans!

I have received some more spring-hinge samples from OBE Germany!  

There are five design variations and all seem to be top-notch in quality.  It will be tough to make a final decision between OBE and Visottica for my next order, but that won't be for a while until I implement the various designs and weigh the pros and cons of each... It may end up being that both are ideal, depending on the style of frames.

Last week I made the trek over to Saanich via the ferry and visited Westwind Hardwood.  Westwind is a FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) and SmartWood certified supplier and I specifically went there to check out a wood called Tubi.  Their supply is sustainably harvested and exclusively grows in the Soloman Islands.  It's exceptionally dense, hard and quite machinable making it an excellent candidate for wooden glasses frames. While I was there I saw a beautiful chunk of Zebra wood as well which I had to grab.

To illustrate the qualities of the wonderful woods I have and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each without carrying a truckload of wood with me to a meeting, I decided to make swatch fans of the samples I could cut a chip off of.  There are a couple woods that I wasn't able to do this to due to limited supply. I can start with photos and if a client is interested, I can bring the full piece in to the next meeting.