The rest of the story

Re: The rest of the story

Ed Kelle

>Great haul Gary. I've never used holly, so did you mean that holly will begin to stain after it is cut? Or was that something that was already happening in the tree?

Re: The rest of the story

John Trant (Baltimore/DC area)

>Holly is the prettiest, whitest wood I know of. I often used it inlaid in darker woods for a stark contract in my furniture. For turning, it is closed grain with minimal grain resulting in a buttery smooth appearance. Unfortunately, if not handled promptly and correctly, it will "blue" soon after cutting which ruins the pristine white look of holly. If left with no finish, it will yellow with age well before its time.

John

Re: The rest of the story

Barbara Gill, Remlik VA

>This finish situation is a problem. I have found no finish except for the wax with the Beall system will preserve the white with Christmas ornaments. This is not good enough however for a bowl that might get used. The wood needs to be protected.

I have been experimenting with a water base poly from Velvit Products (they advertise here). I liked the way the finish soaked into the wood. There is very little color change. The finish could be improved I think by a little fine sanding or steel wooling (is that a word?) after it is good and dry.

Re: The rest of the story

Gary Evans, Tallassee, TN

>Thanks, Ed,

Holly is a wood that will stain at the drop of a hat. That is why I was pleasantly surprised to find very little stain except for the two biggest pieces. This is wood that was left at the city brush dump, so conditions had to be ideal to keep the wood from staining while not producing any significant checking.

My mission this weekend, whether I decide to accept it or not, is to get this stuff cut up and started drying. The trick is to keep it drying fast enough to stop the stain, but not fast enough to cause a lot of checks and cracks. The typical balancing act in forcing wood to dry.

Gary