Holm Oak

[alex_w]

Just did a small sample log off of some holm oak that has been in the yard a couple of years, looking promising but very hard.

[Big J]

Very nice!

 

Not something I've ever had the opportunity to mill. I was offered one when I first started out, but declined to take it.

 

I imagine it's like cutting concrete.

[se7enthdevil]

might be interested in some of that alex. what sizes do you have?

[alex_w]

none yet! I did a chunk about 18 months ago which sold and looked nice, but yes was very hard. There is a butt about 14" diameter and a few other bits which I am going to mill. Just tried a little chunk today, seems to have gone quite dark

[devon TWiG]

When quarter sawn the medullary rays are spectacular , but they can flake a little when planing , as you have said it is very dense , also it is slow to dry and warps/ splits a lot . I have made a lid for a jewellery box about 12" x 9" and it looked really nice . I would be surprised if a decent sized plank would stay true , but small sections ( especially QS ) should find a market for craftmakers , or drawer fronts on furniture but would doubt if any one would make a table top from it , but would love to see it if they did !

[Pete Hart]

Looks great, hard as nails, distorts when drying....In a nutshell!

[Ukulian]

I can confirm that it distorts. (Alaskan) milled a log towards the end of November last, and looked at it for the first time earlier today (Quite coincidentally). It was well stickered and weighted but every board has moved at least a bit, and the outer slabs have cupped quite badly

Some nice grain though!

[spiral]

Have to agree when UK grown warps badly, The front panel of this chest I made 20 years is Exmoor farm grown Holm oak. Second piece of furniture I ever corbeled together.

 

The plank started 3 inch thick, C.30 inch wide ,pit sawn, at 5 1/2 ft long. Very slow grown. Some butt & lots of catspaw. Had been stored in a barn then a loft for decades.

 

It ended up 35mm thick & 3 ft long and when one end was flat to a surface it was still so banana shaped the other end was 6 inches up in the air!

 

Had to pull it straight with about 10 sash & t barclamps & fix it with them in place, with the chest structure..

 

Also Here's an off cut with a bit of brown streak in it, although from the same flat sawn plank rays still very visible.

 

It was of the hardest bit of English timber Ive worked with, But all good in the end.

[alex_w]

Oh, so the moral of the story is, to find someone to buy it green

[spiral]

Perhaps...

 

Lots of big ones around the coast in Devon, most go for firewood, but if I had the opportunity Id say go for quartersawn with no knots & straight grain.

 

It makes great wedges , chopping boards, marking gauges, planes etc. in smaller dimension's. So I guess a craft wood really in the UK.

 

Probably great turned like many other unstable timbers as well.

 

Up until last summer, most of our firewood for about 8 years was evergreen oak.... burns really hot after only 6 months seasoning.. must be brilliant after a year or so.

 

My axe chopping block for last 6 years is 18 inch diameter holm oak lower branch with, knots & burr about 2ft high, over 200 years old.... took two of us to lift it... Reckon it will last for many more years...

 

I really love the stuff but it is a pig as well.