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150yr mount rose manzanita

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HighDesertHippie

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I may be able to hack some off if anybody wants to play with it.

Please don't judge my feeble attempt at carving this stuff, it's basically concrete that came from a sun petrified bush at the top of a mountain so..... ;)

Manzanita has been used at times of war and by the first nations as a briar substitute for nice tobacco pipes, I really want to figure out how to cut in without catching it on fire or breaking a bit.

Maybe somebody with the right tools would want to play around with it...1577037428764115437921003461384.jpg15770375222387557473077360117700.jpg15770375610104833729135494696574.jpg
 
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docpierce

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Yes, I remember reading somewhere (PiesMagazine) that Manzanita root was used in the pipe trade during WWII. I believe they harvested a quantity of it from the Monterey, California area. It served the purpose well and is fire resistant and takes a finish but, the finished pipe required excessive fills to be marketable.
 

HighDesertHippie

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Yes, I remember reading somewhere (PiesMagazine) that Manzanita root was used in the pipe trade during WWII. I believe they harvested a quantity of it from the Monterey, California area. It served the purpose well and is fire resistant and takes a finish but, the finished pipe required excessive fills to be marketable.
There are definitely parts of the younger root that would require fills but that's why I want to get to the core. I took a flat sheet off the side closest to the bottom and there were no fissures or cracks much like with briar, it's just so hard to get it cut into anything resembling a sheet to really look at.
 

HighDesertHippie

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There are definitely parts of the younger root that would require fills but that's why I want to get to the core. I took a flat sheet off the side closest to the bottom and there were no fissures or cracks much like with briar, it's just so hard to get it cut into anything resembling a sheet to really look at.
Such as these ends, they are all split but deeper in the burl clearly isn't. I might have to control the humidity to cut this down here in the desert without it splitting apart on me. That's actually the exact thing that happened to the briar pipe I pictured yesterday, the lack of humidity murders wood products
 

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GreenDragon

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Most cracking (checking) occurs during drying from greenwood to dry cured wood. This happens if it is done too fast. Optimum is several years of very slow drying. Sounds like yours is already in a perfect dry condition. You want to avoid adding humidity until in it’s carved form.
 

HighDesertHippie

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Most cracking (checking) occurs during drying from greenwood to dry cured wood. This happens if it is done too fast. Optimum is several years of very slow drying. Sounds like yours is already in a perfect dry condition. You want to avoid adding humidity until in it’s carved form.
That's really good to know. I baked the other one at 350 and broke off anything with cracks but it has basically become red rock. I think I made a mistake with that one so I an just letting this one cure (staring at it because I have no idea...)

Knowing that I will wait till the dry season for my carving
 
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