Holm/Holly Oak Quercus Ilex

[Billhook]

Large 30" diameter Holm Oak just came down in the garden. Must be very old.

 

Anybody milled one, is the timber sought after and what can the wood be used for today?

 

I have a Lucas 8.5" with slabber.

 

Difficult to photograph I am afraid as it crashed into some big Laurels.

[se7enthdevil]

try and get q,sawn boards if you can as the rays look great.

 

worth milling though...

 

count the rings would you. be interested to know how long it takes to get to 30".

[Pete Hart]

Beautiful timber but rock hard to mill in my experience.

[Billhook]

Beautiful timber but rock hard to mill in my experience.

 

When using the circular saw on the Lucas, I have never had any trouble with any hard timber, but there is always the first time!

 

Just before I first bought the Lucas back in 1996, I asked the salesman to mill the hardest most horrible bit of elm that I could find. He told me afterwards that he just turned away and smiled, as he knew it would mill it easily.

 

"Thank God you did not give me a bit of stringy old pine" he said afterwards!

 

Actually I have never had any trouble with pine either, but he said that with certain varieties it would not clear the sawdust and jam.

 

Are odd bits and interesting looking pieces sought after by turners if it is so hard?

[se7enthdevil]

Are odd bits and interesting looking pieces sought after by turners if it is so hard?

 

 

yes odd bits are sought after because nobody keeps them. the current thinking seems to be that if it ain't oak, beech, ash, chestnut or sycamore then it should go on the log pile.

 

not so us turners will turn anything that is turnable. just look at the bit of catalpa i rescued from nepia that could have gone on the log pile.

http://arbtalk.co.uk/forum/woodcraft-forum/65439-bowl-turning-thread-20.html

[devon TWiG]

Holm oak is very dense , slow to dry and very keen to warp and split , I think if you were to plank it you will suffer very heavy loss. If it is cut in to small sections then it may be of interest to the craft market , although few use it so not many are looking for it , and even less will be willing to pay much either . As seventh devil says it can be spectacular quarter sawn to show the medullary rays , I have a small stock of A4 size pieces set aside for a project , when i get around to it !!

[muttley9050]

I've milled a few bits of Holm oak in the past and found it dried reasonably well. Used some if it for some horse name plaques for a stables. Lovely looking timber.

[Billhook]

Thank you for your replies. Just had another look at it with a tape measure and the trunk is 40" diameter at three foot but then it goes a bit oval and settles down to a long 24" round bend with plenty of knobbly/knotty bits.

I think planking would turn out to be a nightmare of twists and warps, but I might try it on some of the straighter bits, perhaps just to see if the Lucas struggles or not.

 

Will report with photo and ring count.

 

Those bowls look fantastic on the bowl thread se7enthdevil. Wish I had the skill!

[MattyF]

As beautiful as the rays are It's not a very stable timber or has the strength of normal oak which would be why it's not regarded as a sought after timber to mill... If ever I have offered it to a friend to mill for free he's turned me down.

 

Seth you have a real issue with timber being logged don't you , can I just add if you turners turned up and actually gave us something in return for it we would save more! Personally I save as much decent timber as possible but it gets bloody annoying having some one snoop around asking questions and taking your time for half hour thinking he's doing you a favour, Slack bladder on here was great to deal with and can come back any time but the last two people who asked me I ignored or said no as before they just came along criticising how I store my wood, taking my time then taking timber whilst still complaint about how much we waste whilst offering you nothing for it is just offensive... No

Wonder people just think sod it and log it.. Sorry just had to get that off my chest:)

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Arbtalk

[se7enthdevil]

there are turner that wish you to give the wood up for free but i'm not one of them and i think they are in the minority to be fair people like me slackbladder and other turners would be happy to pay fairly for what we buy.

 

please don't tar all turners with the same brush, were not all miserly old gits who think all wood should be free.

 

holm oak would not be used in the traditiomnal sense for beams, benches or floorboards but would be used as a decorative timber for furniture like coffee tables cabinetry or turning.

 

it would be treated the same as brown oak.