Thoughts on Holm Oak?

[18 stoner]

Never dealt with any before so just wondering what you all think to trying to mill Holm, is it worth it or is it just good for firewood?

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

I would imagine not unlike tulip wood only denser, I like it and would love to see some milled, lets see the pics if you do any

[tommer9]

Thought i had some pics of it milled. I have done a bit of it. Its very heavy and hard as you would expect, with a very light colour to it, the character consisting not of the normal medullary ray pattern associated with oak, but more like little flecks. Some of it had dark staining from disease too, which was very attractive. There was little to no movement during drying. Well worth it IMO.

edit- found them. This was a tree in exeter for a customer of Gibbon's.

The golden colour fades a little, and the flecks appear browner with a creamier background in time.

 

Edited May 28, 2011 by tommer9

[18 stoner]

Sounds interesting Tom.

 

My main concerns had been about it possibly not drying well and lack of charactor, but it sounds not as bad as I thought.

 

The tree is perfectly healthy so I doubt there will be much colouration. Although its a good size tree its co-dominant, the stems are approx 30-36" so would be ideal for my mill.

 

Would be interested in anyone elses further thoughts too, even possibly suggestions of plank thickness etc?

[18 stoner]

Hama, pics will be done by the dozen if it goes that way.

 

Will be an experiment for me with this stuff

[tommer9]

I would do thicknesses mostly suitable for the likes of table tops and desktops etc. I was always under the impression that it didnt last outdoors, but I met a chap the other day who reckons he has found it to have fairly good rot resistance. It finishes well when dry, but the grain is sort of wiggly, so you would need extremely sharp tools to work it.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

Im loving those grain shots, lovely, I can imagine that making fine coffee tables waxed up to pick up the pattern.

 

very nice

[18 stoner]

Sounds like we will be trying a couple of logs then. I dare say I'll end up doing 2" boards as they seem to best to dry and sell for me.

 

Just read an earlier post of mine, and seen it looks like we are murdering a perfectly healthy tree. We are, but would like to add it is as part of a subcidence insurance claim so does make it feel slightly better. It truely is a fine tree, a shame.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

Sounds like we will be trying a couple of logs then. I dare say I'll end up doing 2" boards as they seem to best to dry and sell for me.

 

Just read an earlier post of mine, and seen it looks like we are murdering a perfectly healthy tree. We are, but would like to add it is as part of a subcidence insurance claim so does make it feel slightly better. It truely is a fine tree, a shame.

 

thats a shame, I left my last job mainly because we was doing too many of those subsidence fells, it was getting to me.

 

Holm oaks are very drought resistant and would think some irrigation would have managed the issue?

 

but it will make a fine bit of timber too which is always a better than wasting a tree:thumbup1:

[18 stoner]

I know what you mean Hama, we dont do many insurance jobs but this is the second one in six months, where an almost total irradication of trees is being carried out. The last one was more distructive (number of mature trees), but this one seems more significant somehow.

 

The trees are around an old farmhouse and even the farmer said he would rather see the house knocked down than lose the trees. The insurance Co wouldnt pay for that though. The guy was in tears when I was on site.

 

The job is to do in two weeks, so will possibly start another thread on it then.