Hawthorn

[zwwizard]

Has anyone used Hawthorn for carving? I will be cutting down a tree this fall. I will be saving most of the wood. Its about 8 to 10 inchs in dia.

[Dan]

if i remember correctly its a small thorny bush with small red fruits and white/pink blosems. if so the fruit can be eaten i know you can make a jam from them and early americans would eat the fruit in winter since there was little food at the time. i think the dried fruits are used in china as a digestive aid in traditional medication. mostly i know that it is planted for decoratave protection and lots of small birds, and animals use it for protection from preditors.

 

i know in Gaelic the howthorn was often said to mark the places of the fairie and it was bad luck to cut it except when it is in bloom. so cut it out at your own risk

 

in celtic lore it is said to be used for runic inscriptions its said to heal broken hearts

 

i know the wood of some species is resistant to rot and is quite hard so it makes great tool handles or fence posts just like osage-also know as hedge apple. it is related to the rose family and is similar to apple, cherry but much harder. i have turned osage on my lathe and it was very hard i had to sharpen my tools often while i was working with a small piece of wood because they dulled so quickly. when you cut it down you might want to make some bowl blanks as well i bet you could sell them 10 bucks each. i know i would buy one.

 

 

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crataegus

http://www.controverscial.com/Hawthorn.htm

http://www.woodlandtreasures.co.uk/pendants.htm thise site has a few hawthorn pendents.

[Yuri]

I have carved (and turned) hawthorn. The wood itself is a plain white one, rather like holly, the kind without any visible grain. Carves really well across the grain. The drawbacks are that as it ages, it develops a kind of pinkish tint, it's not everyone's cup of tea. The other thing is that it's a right pain to polish. It simply stays matt, no matter what grade sandpaper you go up to. (OK, maybe eventually you get there, but it's much more resistant to polishing than most woods.)

[yloh]

i like your tool box.