I've had this piece drying slowly for three years now and it's only just getting to the point where the board doesn't want to check! It's only 1 1/4 thick as well.
Ekki is hard but I have started to really like it now because of it's 'workability'. It sands like a dream and doesn't clog paper like normal woods of similar density. It's about 0.90 s.g.
Unfortunately the place where I get it from doesn't sell to the public. I was lucky enough to meet one of the owner's while out climbing one day, we got talking and I told him about making bows that's when he said about what he did. They specialise in wood for big marine construction jobs. They have their own team of loggers who cut the wood specifically for them, it goes straight on a ship and then they cut it up on site. The first time I went up I was blown away....20 yard long, 4 foot round greenheart trees, purpleheart logs, ekki logs etc....the saws they have are unbelieveable! I heard one start up, it took about 10 minutes and sounded like a jet engine!