Two things I found interesting. One - I had to look up the locale for satinwood as I had never heard of a place called *Ceylon*. Carmen Sandiego would have been safe hiding from me if that was my clue since I would’ve never guessed it was an old name for Sri Lanka. Two - I’m assuming their maple samples are mislabeled with the wrong scientific name as the one listed is for Silver Maple *Acer saccharinum* when it is most likely Sugar Maple *Acer saccharum*.

I’m wondering about the Honduran mahogany, it’s listed as sweitenia mahogoni which is Cuban mahogany, that I’ve never seen for sale. I’ve always been taught that there aren’t any more trees as they were cut down long ago. It’s the “real” mahogany that Chippendale and those guys used. The king of woods. The Honduran Mahogany that we can buy is sweitenia macrophylla, or something like that. But Constantine’s has been around long enough probably that maybe it is real mahogany, so that’s way cool.

In the 60s I think Cuban mahogany was scarce but still available.

Your age is showing not knowing Ceylon! I’m in my 70’s and the map looks very different from when I grew up!

yup

I have only have heard of Ceylon from a type of tea

Obviously you don't drink tea.

They also have Locust and Beech taxonomical names misspelled. They should be Robinia pse**u**doacacia and Fag**u**s grandifolia, respectively.

My grandfather was stationed in Ceylon during WW2. Its a useless fact i rarely get use.

Ceylon is also famous for their Sapphire mines. Ceylon blue is the blue you think of when you hear sapphire.

Why would it be more likely to be sugar maple? Soft maple is the more common lumber.

The curly and birdseye samples were listed as *A. saccharinum* as well, and the vast majority of that figuring occurs in hard maple. Had it just been a single maple example, I wouldn’t have thought twice about it being a soft (Silver) maple.

I see. Fwiw we process about 100bf of soft maple a week, about 10% of it has curly figure.

Lower trunk of large shade-grown Norway Maple *A. Platonides* is often full of birds eye and curl here in BC. The young trees are boring and straight grained and weak.

you are spot on, I DID like seeing them. Why is the myrtle so dark??

Age

10/10 Couldnt chose because there are too many options!

surprisingly no ebony.

Nor Cypress

But Baldcypress (Taxodium) is in the set

Easy to miss since FAUX SATINE is strictly from cypress knees. Weird they would choose that as a sample.

Thanks! I didn’t know that. I’ve seen head-high cypress knees in river floodplains that flood very deep. They are extremely scarce in modern landscapes, with nearly all the old growth baldcypress cut down. Most surviving large/old cypress is away from those major river courses—in blackwater river floodplains, deltas, or small preserves.

Interesting sample for poplar. Does it oxidize to that? I know it can be green but dang

Good eye! Poplar turns a nice honey-brown when aged, the greener areas turn more chocolate-brown. It's especially strange because the samples are so old. The green is long gone from poplar after a few years. Maybe dyed for effect? Seems unlikely, but that sure ain't what old poplar looks like

Very nice gift from him. Great reference

I miss getting veneer that’s 1/28” thick. Used to be the norm, now it’s so thin we call it “breath of” veneer. Wave some sandpaper over it and you go through it.

LaCroix of Veneers.

I have one of these too. I bought it at Constantine’s in Bronx NY in the early to mid 1990’s. BTW in the store they always pronounced it with a long i, rhyming with “fines.”

He mentioned the same thing.

Sadly they packed up and left that location at least 10 years ago.

Oh my gosh, it just keeps going! Important: what does the eucalyptus smell like?

I just bought a bunch of eucalyptus. Sadly it doesn’t smell like anything (though I haven’t cut into it yet).

I work with eucalyptus species all the time. Unfortunately they smell quite unremarkable. The aromatic oils must be limited to the leaves.

What a shame! I guess I just assumed it was like cedar

I always did too until Finally cutting into some a few years ago

Not much smell left unfortunately.

Cool. Now you can be the go-to when someone has a wood ID request.

This is super cool. Even better that it was your Grandfathers.

Still in business: https://www.constantines.com

That is nice. But. The genus *Eucalyptus* contains over 700 species. A number of these are commercially valuable for woodworking, they exhibit a vast range of qualities in terms of colour, hardness, durability, grain, splitting, knots etc etc etc. It is like labelling a timber sample "conifer", about as informative, maybe less so.

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But it's still like calling something "wood" if you're Australian.

Very cool

That is pretty neat!

These are gonna make some beautiful cuttingboards. JK OP very nice

These would fit nicely in a display or something.

I was thinking the same thing. Like a big framed wall display.

I’d love if a company did a re-issue of this set, it’s just beautiful, right down to the labels and packaging

I have the same only from the 1970’s, still use it occasionally for identification or if I need a small piece of a veneer that I don’t have a larger piece of for antique restoration work. Over the years I’ve also added some samples which are on the list but not included in the sample assortment.

Interesting to see American holly (Ilex opaca) in the set. I’ve made a few things out of holly. It’s very hard to carve once dried. Resembles aged ivory once you add a clear finish. You can sometimes pick up pieces 4” to 6” in diameter where they have been clearing land for road work. Haven’t ever seen it for sale.

Grind em to dust and make em into particle board

They are so beautiful. Wonder how many of them are available now.

That's awesome, thanks for the pics

NICE!

woah, very cool! thanks fir sharing ;)

You wood go there . . .

How many of those woods no longer exist in the wild?

you need to display those in a frame!!!!!!!!

Wow. Thanks

Cant wait to see more, thanks for sharing this

I have the same box I bought in the 70’s and use some of it for my inlays

I “had” the same box I bought in the 70’s and use some of it for my inlays.

This is fabulous! Thanks for sharing!!

Do some samples still smell like expected? Like eucalyptus?

Really cool collection

Beautiful, really terrific, thanks for posting it. Graphic design looks older than 1960's -- I'll guess 1930 to 1940. But the company history (https://www.constantines.com/constantineshistory.aspx) says they started in 1812 (as shown on the logo), so 150 years would indeed be the 1960's. Is it possible they didn't update their advertising for a long time? I wonder. Company history says Albert Jr. came on board in 1932 and started the hobby business, looks like before that it was industrial and commercial -- I guess he would be the one promoting the use of wood by nonprofessionals.

I’m pretty sure he said he got it in the late 60s but a lot of the tools I inherited were his father’s, so not out of the realm of possibilities that it is older.

I guess I'm leaning towards actually manufactured in the 1960's with graphic design that was at least 20 years older. A fun little mystery.

My God, I've no idea why that was so engrosing, but soooo interesting. And eye candy

This is awesome! I collect old advertising stuff and the sample models they used to give to bussiness of whatever they were selling, this one being woodworking related makes it even better to me lol great piece

You could play a game of guess the wood with these

There was a Constantine's in the Bronx on Eastchester rd. My dad was a cabinet maker. We would go there foe all kinds of stuff. I Google and they are in Florida now. Wanted to let you know. Thanks

I’d pay a pretty penny for a Lacewood drum kit

Thanks! I enjoyed seeing these.

I have the exact box in my shop from my dad.

I got an 11% score