Deals for 4/14--Pix and Bonecutters

Bladite said:
another one for me. i'm giddy!

4-14-08%20015.jpg


really great shot... artistically inspired.

i have to know, what kind of shrub? is that? is that a tree? what what what? very pretty.

bladite
Click to expand...


Looks like manzanita to me. Grows in the mountainous western U.S. Has little berries that look and taste like tiny apples. I like them fresh or dried. The wood is beautiful (on the outside, that is), hard, and tough. Actually might make a decent khukuri handle, now that I think of it--the grain is very curved, though, so it might be tough to work. Makes great firewood, too.

Here's the Wikipedia link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manzanita

Actually, now that I read that article, I see that it might not be the best for a khukuri handle--note that they say there are problems with curing the wood. Nice idea, though.
 
Arrrrggh! Accursed Mondays when I work all day. :thumbdn:

Those look awesome. More please! :thumbup:
 
Bladite said:
another one for me. i'm giddy!

4-14-08%20015.jpg


really great shot... artistically inspired.

i have to know, what kind of shrub? is that? is that a tree? what what what? very pretty.

bladite
Click to expand...

That is a Manzanita my friend. :thumbup:

The Manzanitas are a subgenus of the genus Arctostaphylos. They are evergreen shrubs or small trees present in the chaparral biome of western North America, where they occur from southern British Columbia in Canada, Washington to California and New Mexico in the United States, and throughout much of northern and central Mexico. They are characterised by smooth, orange or red bark and stiff, twisting branches. There are about 60 species of manzanita, ranging from ground-hugging coastal and mountain species to small trees up to 6m tall. Manzanitas bloom in the winter to early spring and carry berries in spring and summer. The berries and flowers of most species are edible.

See also Bearberry for other species in the same genus.

The word manzanita is the Spanish diminutive of manzana (apple). A literal translation would be little apple. The name manzanita is also sometimes used to refer to species in the related genus Arbutus, which is known by that name in the Canadian area of the tree's range, but is more usually known as madroño, or madrone in the United States.
 
Manzanita grows in open areas amidst the conifer forests, especially in the warmer parts of the Sierra Nevada. It's quite tough and very difficult to get through once the plants have grown together. Even branches that have died remain tough for years. The leaves, flowers, berries and bark were all used by Native Americans for food and medicine.
 
I used a twisted Manzanita root to make these bamboo windchimes. Man talk about thread drift. It has gone from Bonecutters to arts and crafts. :D

IMG_4740.jpg
 
Manzanita is indeed a very beautiful and hard wood. Depending on where you live the root burls and such are illegal to remove and can pack a steep fine, SoCal I know for sure, or was in the '70's anyway. I wasn't aware of the law until after I had dug a couple of nice burls that I had planned on making lamps from some day, I still have them.;) :D :cool: I tried drilling one soon after I dug it up and actually burned up a high speed tool steel drill bit trying to drill a hole in it for the lamp tubing.:eek: :eek: :eek:
Generally the root burls are pretty close to the same color of red the bark is and absolutely beautiful! It would make a beautiful knife handle but being so hard I think it would be better if it were stabilized.
 
These recent pics are just awesome. Shows the blades in their true element and with artistic flair to boot! Thanks Yangdu!

:thumbup:
 
 
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