Would love to mill that small trunk but figured maybe the whole thing could make a fancy stand for some kind of cool table top
Manzanita… what would you do with it?
- Thread starter motolife313
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I love Manzanita, but you'll he hard pressed to get anything out of that.
Every now and again you'll get straight(er) trunks, but I usually have to train/prune them one or more times to get them to take on a tree-like growth pattern.
If you could find some 12-16" diameter trunks, you might have a chance at getting something.
They are incredibly tough, but also soft and brittle inside. I'm not even sure how they would mill up, if at all.
HIGH quality firewood, though.
Every now and again you'll get straight(er) trunks, but I usually have to train/prune them one or more times to get them to take on a tree-like growth pattern.
If you could find some 12-16" diameter trunks, you might have a chance at getting something.
They are incredibly tough, but also soft and brittle inside. I'm not even sure how they would mill up, if at all.
HIGH quality firewood, though.
They will dry, crack, and twist in a very short time.
probably the only firewood that I'm willing to carry for a distance, love it
Manzanita is one of the best there is. It burns seasoned or not and is beautiful. I would not try to sell it though as it is too much work. When I came to California about fifty years ago there were only a few bushes here and there. It was illegal to cut them or destroy them. If caught damaging one it was a five hundred dollar fine. In my neighborhood they are quite proliferate and are up to a foot in diameter. Since they are classified as high energy they must be at least twenty five feet away from the edge of any road. A couple of years ago a neighbor of mine had about sixty of them growing along the edge of our road. He did not clear them so the county sent a crew to remove them and bill the neighbor. The removal crew piled them to make a rather large pile when I noticed what they were doing. I told the supervisor that I would haul all of them away for free if he gave me a day or two. He said go get them. They heat so well and are clean. Another neighbor friend of mine was laid off from his job and was worried what he was going to do. He ended up making picture frames and small Pine furniture pieces. One day I suggested he look at some Manzanita and has been making enough of them to support his family well. Thanks
we had huge Manzanita at the old Coverdale ranch, some 18” trunks. I cut up a bunch of the big stuff and took it to a turner friend. Even with waxed ends it cracked and twisted to an extreme. It was useless to him 
However, it makes fantastic bbq firewood…long lasting and very hot coals.
However, it makes fantastic bbq firewood…long lasting and very hot coals.
Joseph Acquisto
ArboristSite Operative
Great for use in parrot and other creature cages and enclosures, gives them something "natural" to grip and stands up to any gnawing and clawing.
I’m going to try and burn some in my smoker. Thanks for the tips guys. If it don’t sell maybe the trunk with dry in a few years and I’ll mill it then and hopefully it’s done moving and shrinking by that time. 
A 17 pound brisket from Monday on my birthday.Burnt white oak with a little plum mixed in. Cut this piece of cherry down from a 4’ long slab so I had something to cut this hunk of meat on lol
A 17 pound brisket from Monday on my birthday.Burnt white oak with a little plum mixed in. Cut this piece of cherry down from a 4’ long slab so I had something to cut this hunk of meat on lol
Holy catfish this puppy checked up lol. Still pretty cool looking especially if all the voids could be filled with epoxy
Use it timberframed as scribe rule for furniture.
Don’t bother with epoxy. The checking will continue for quite some time. If this is for decoration just hit it with clear poly…respray as needed.
Let it dry. Then You can lay out joinery by scribe rule with unsquare members.
Old time timberframer showed me how.
Here is a knee brace. You need a divider/compass, chaulkline, and plumb bob.
Old time timberframer showed me how.
Here is a knee brace. You need a divider/compass, chaulkline, and plumb bob.
Base of this one is over 18" in diameter. Cloverdale, Ca
sliceoflife
ArboristSite Operative
Honestly, once it stabilizes; filling it with a contrasting epoxy and cutting it into turning blanks would probably be pretty neat.
Lostcowboy
ArboristSite Lurker
I have found that if you find it dead standing, it will not check as much and is very usable for furniture.
