Holly

Re: Holly

john lucas

Dry it's incredible to turn. I have only turned very little green holly and nothing large enough for bowls. I remember it was very hard to keep it white. You have to turn it and dry it immediately or it gets that gray stain. Hopefully someone else can help you out with turning larger things. They had a bunch of holly trees that were planted too close to many of our University buildings. I talked to the maintenance guy and asked to be notified when they cut them down so I could get some. These were 8 to 16" in diameter. They removed them all one week and I never got a phone call. Bummer.

If you can keep it white and also.....

JamieDonaldson

.....from cracking it is a wonderful turning wood. It's about the whitest wood available for some projects that call for white in the color scheme. Rough it into useable blanks as soon after cutting as possible, and I sometimes can prevent the fungus staining by dipping or spraying with a 10% Clorox/water solution, and definitely seal all the end grain.

Re: If you can keep it white and also.....

Ed Davidson

My experience with green Holly is that a light end-grain coating of sealant, and 2 to 6 months of air-drying per inch of thickness will do the trick on large pieces. Smaller yoyo, pen or spintop sized blanks, will tend to spin-dry while turning on the lathe.

Holly is one of my favorite woods to turn...very tight grain, machines like soft metal, holds details and is good for carving or rose engine work, does not dull HSS tools as quickly as other tight grained woods.

... if you have room in the deep freeze

Ralph Lindberg

Freezing the Holly will keep it from turning grey.

It's actually (at least locally) a spalting fungus

So if you have room, freeze "dry" it.

But if you can work get it usable dryness, it's a great wood.

I know a commercial operation that figures if they can't get Holly in the klin within a couple days, they don't bother. Because (locally at least) it turns grey

Re: Holly

Don Stephan

Holly also turned very easily for me, but once turned bowls move a lot when drying.

Re: Holly

John K Jordan

Holly is one of the best turning woods for detail with very fine grain. Turns so smoothly, finishes nicely. Easy to carve.

According to Dr Gene Wengert (WoodWeb) always cut Holly in the winter when the sap is down and the temperature is down. Saw into boards/turning blanks and sticker to air dry. Be sure to cut the pith out - holly will warp and crack easily near the pith. The cool/cold temperatures will help keep it white. I would coat the endgrain with Anchorseal. Doing this I've been able to dry holly and keep it whilte. Cutting and processing the summer I have never been successful.

Even if it stains you may be able to bleach it white after turning. Some people dye it black as a substitute for ebony/blackwood.

It also is wonderful for carving.

JKJ

Re: Get it - you will be happy.

Or...

John K Jordan

...get it and bring some to Jake and me. And we'll be happy.

Here is a good link you should read, *LINK*

Keith Newton

Probably the best advice I could give you, is to call your best turning buddies and let them know what you have coming down the pike so you all can get a blank or 6 that you get turned in a day or two, or as quickly as possible. Otherwise, be thinking about something that would look good in gray, or painted.

The colder the weather the better, so now is good.


http://www.woodweb.com/knowledge_base/Holly_Staining_Fungus_or_Pigment.html