Holly

Holly timber is a very hard dense fine grained hardwood, and the whitest of all timber species. Its also felled in many gardens in the UK. The interest in recycling & reuse and the rising price of timber may motivate some to re-use felled wood, and this is especially true for holly, a timber with a unique appearance and very high price tag.

Issues

Holly has significant issues. It warps a lot during drying, making pieces of a fair size hard to come by.

Holly also is prone to fungus staining after felling, which is disfiguring. To avoid this it must be dried quickly.

Holly is not recommended for outdoor use due to its vulnerability to fungus.

The final issue is that most garden felled hollies are small. This much limits the possible applications, but in the case of holly even very small trunks have their uses.

Uses

Holly is used as a creamy white inlay veneer, where its colour is unmatched by any other wood.

Its also a good wood for turning, with its fine grain and toughness taking detail very well, and its eye catching colour.

It can also of course be used in other tasks where its qualities are less important. Its high strength makes even very small trunks usable in the round for some applications.

Lastly Twig Furniture can be made from the tough twigs, for those that wish to.

History

Historically holly was used for chariot axles, food skewers and wooden printing blocks, all applications benefitting greatly from its hardness. It was also used in Victorian looms; it sands to a very smooth surface, minimising the risk of thread catching.

Identification

Holly tree

Holly is easily identified by the spiky waxy leaves associated with christmas. Only female trees bear the red berries.

Drying

Holly discolours very quickly once felled. Grey, blue and green staining ruins its creamy white appearance if not processed correctly.

To retain good colour, holly should be dried as fast as possible. The way to get consistently pure creamy white timber is to debark the wood and get it into a vacuum kiln the same day its felled. For large trees this may be worth the DIYer's while, but for small ones drying at home is more realistic.

Home drying should use any means available to dry the timber as quickly as possible. Options include use of a dehumidifier, bringing the wood indoors, and use of a fan to speed drying.

Holly is not a stable wood, and fast drying only exacerbates the problem. Trees that are cut before drying inevitably produce a high percentage of warped wood. This can be improved by clamping the cut wood with weights during drying. Weights should sit on small sticks so as not to impede airflow. The sticks should be of a light coloured timber so as not to stain the holly.

Very small garden trees, eg 2-3" trunks, may be dried whole.

Debarking is usually done with a draw knife. A filling knife can be used instead if necessary.

See Also

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