John Aniano in Central NJ
Hi David,

Would you like to try turning some Goumi (Elaeagnus multiflora)? I harvested some a few years ago with lots of help from Brian Holcombe. Goumi is what the Japanese use for making chisel handles and it is nearly as hard as boxwood and is very similarly colored. I've made handles for carving tools from it. A similar specie is the "autumn olive" (Elaeagnus angustifolia) which grows wild in my region of NJ. An uninvited non-native fruiting bush. But the wood is very similar to both Goumi and boxwood.

I can send you some if you want to try it.

John