Holly Handle ??

[FGYT]

Any reason not to use Holly as a handle material ???

 

[Snufkin]

Any reason not to use Holly as a handle material ???

None at all. It's a dense, tough wood but you'll not get much in the way of figuring in it.

 

[bushtank]

no problem as long as you dry out slowly in the shed i make all my beating/walking sticks out of holly its the best hard wood and very durable

 

[Exbomz]

Seasoning is key with holly - it splits easily if you're not careful.

 

[Pipistrelle]

Seasoning is key with holly - it splits easily if you're not careful.

I have been told that holly needs soaking before it is seasoned to stop it splitting, I don't know how true it is as I haven't ever done it. The old guy that told me was soaking his in a stream first with one end to the flow then t'other. I can't remember for how long.... might be BS but he was really knowledgable about other stuff, and not really the sort to speak without knowing.

 

[fred gordon]

I have a lump of holly I cut last year and have been seasoning it in the shed ever since. How good might it be for making a spoon?

 

[nickg]

Soaking in a stream is a well known way to speed up the seasoning of wood. It used to be common to prepare a bough for tillering into a bow. The running water speeds up the extraction on sap from the wood and replaces it with water which evaporates more rapidly when the wood is air drying. Soaking rather than laying in running water will not be anything like so effective. If you cur the wood into smaller sections it will dry fine without too much stress.

Cheers
Nick

 

[falling rain]

I have a lump of holly I cut last year and have been seasoning it in the shed ever since. How good might it be for making a spoon?

Not very good, unless it's just for show and not for use. It's poisonous as far as I'm aware.................which is a shame because holly has a beautiful dense tight grain and would make a lovely spoon, similar to yew which is also poisonous. I made a priest from yew recently....see gallery if you're interested.
Holly makes a great bearing block for bow drilling and is my personal favourite. Very nice to carve too as again is yew.

 

[bent-stick]

As far as I can find out only the berries are toxic:

http://www.woodzone.com/woods/holly.htm

http://www.botanical-online.com/medicinalsaceboangles.htm

http://chppm-www.apgea.army.mil/ento/PLNTORNA.HTM#ILEX

It's not easy to work though. Rasps and abrasives are better than blades which tend to skate across it.

 

[Snufkin]

I'm pretty sure the wood is safe. I believe it was popular for cups and goblets in times past.

 

[bushtank]

I have used holly stakes with the green cut back then roasted the tips in the fire to cook meat on. I have not had any problems with being poisoned

 

[falling rain]

Thanks guys, I always thought the wood was toxic too. I stand corrected. Righty then, Holly spoon to add to the ever increasing list of projects

 

[FGYT]

always used to use Holly for sausage on a stick as we had no hazel etc in the area peeles and fired the tip though


any way heres my finds for my project. got a couple of freash cut bits nice white wood and found an old tree that had been felled a few years ago which had a lot of rot but managed to find a solid bit which if theres enough might be a good handle


The green un peeled bits

peeled (smell took me back ) the leg bone shapped bit would actually make a good chopper/machette handle as is . the log still has some rot to remove

the old weathered bit ( i think is been down 3yrs or more ) is quite dark and has some tight figuring her its planed and a bit of walnut oil on to bring it up

the old bit isnt what i want for the holly knife thats going to be the new white bits

But i might use the older stuff for my other knife

ATB

Duncan

 

[Englishrose222]

Hi Guys

Can i ask first of all, what is the handle for, i can't see whether you intend to use it as slabs on a knife, a shaft for an axe, a handle for a spoon - i don't know you haven't said. Holly is not necessarily featureless, patternless and colourless and can even look like good olivewood. It comes in all varieties, but parts of holly are poisonous and it is well known for cracking, warping, twisting - even long after it has been seasoned. Turners use holly when it is wet and part cut it to let is dry quicker or turn it down to a bowl very thin or even a lampshade and accept the warping and the twisting and the cracks that it does produce as part of the feature of the timber. It is very hard and very dense, but it does crack. But hey..........i like it to work with.....it's nice.

 

[Englishrose222]

Hi Guys

I thought i would take a picture for you - these three pieces are all holly. You can see the pattern and the movement of the grain can look very similar to olivewood and has been mistaken for each other on occasion. The smallest piece at the bottom is 6" across and if you look closely you can see this holly is full of cracks. This is an unfortunate characteristic of holly.

Tracy

 

[FGYT]

Hi Guys

Can i ask first of all, what is the handle for, i can't see whether you intend to use it as slabs on a knife, a shaft for an axe, a handle for a spoon - i don't know you haven't said. Holly is not necessarily featureless, patternless and colourless and can even look like good olivewood. It comes in all varieties, but parts of holly are poisonous and it is well known for cracking, warping, twisting - even long after it has been seasoned. Turners use holly when it is wet and part cut it to let is dry quicker or turn it down to a bowl very thin or even a lampshade and accept the warping and the twisting and the cracks that it does produce as part of the feature of the timber. It is very hard and very dense, but it does crack. But hey..........i like it to work with.....it's nice.

the handle if for a knife im making for my new Daughter named Holly shes nearly 4weeks old
I want the handle in white as possible so the older wood is not right its a 3/4 scale of a woodlore so only small bits needed so i can dry out several bits and hopfully get enough un cracked etc

aparently holly was used in the past for the white chess peices with ebony for black

the larges blade is for me and i havent decided on handle yet im not really into fancy patterened wood but the old holly above is very dry/seasoned and no cracks into it so is a posibility

then i need to sort out the silver pins and find my silver plate store for inlay decoration god knows where my jewelers saw is

Thanks for your advice all apreciated

Duncan

 

[Englishrose222]

the handle if for a knife im making for my new Daughter named Holly shes nearly 4weeks old
I want the handle in white as possible so the older wood is not right its a 3/4 scale of a woodlore so only small bits needed so i can dry out several bits and hopfully get enough un cracked etc

aparently holly was used in the past for the white chess peices with ebony for black

the larges blade is for me and i havent decided on handle yet im not really into fancy patterened wood but the old holly above is very dry/seasoned and no cracks into it so is a posibility

then i need to sort out the silver pins and find my silver plate store for inlay decoration god knows where my jewelers saw is

Thanks for your advice all apreciated

Duncan

Hi Duncan

First of all congratulations on the birth of your new baby daughter - and what a pretty and beautiful name you chose for her too.

You have done an absolutely fabulous job of scaling down the Woodlore and made a good choice in which knife to choose for your design. Woodlore's are becoming very collectable you will be pleased to know - so be sure to look after yours. Holly does come in white, or fairly white, probably nearer porcelain colour. There are some suppliers who will bleach their holly and charge fantastic sums so becareful what you buy.

Yes holly was and can still be used for chess pieces, and draughts as well as box and the blackwood is as you say, ebony or even african blackwood or i have even seen them made in wenge.

Good luck with the holly that you have - you will never know what is inside until you cut it open, but becareful, especially this time of year, when you bring it from your shed or garage into your centrally heated house or you could watch it crack right in front of your eyes.

Tracy..

 

[w00dsmoke]

~Congrats mate!

Holly...

well I've used holly for years when stick making either for the stick or handle. It's a beautiful light wood that at times will come up like ivory.

I would oil the handle that you are making and that way you will replace the natural fluid in the wood with something else so there is less chance of it warping or cracking etc. I've certainly never had any do that to me when I've slowly air dryed it and oiled it.

good luck!

 

[FGYT]

Hi Duncan


Good luck with the holly that you have - you will never know what is inside until you cut it open, but becareful, especially this time of year, when you bring it from your shed or garage into your centrally heated house or you could watch it crack right in front of your eyes.

Tracy..

Sok if you see my location we have an unlimited supply of Holly plenty i can Legaly cut and the forestry commission are always chopping it down so i can ask them for bigger bits. ( the old bit i got above was left after a cutting they did a few years ago but was mostly rotten and split.

the younger white with a slight ivory tinge should be fine we used to use holly for Bows n arrows (then spend the summer holidays chasing tourists round the forest ) as well as walking sticks its easy to carve a patten in the bark for decoration

ATB

Duncan