Replies

1. 
   b1gcountry | Jan 24, 2003 05:47pm | #1

   Holly is one of the woods that will stay relatively white throughout its life, so it is a good compliment to ebony in inlays, fans, etc. Garrett Hack uses it a lot in banding, inlay and stringing. Search on his name to see how he uses it. It is not that expensive when you realize how little you use of it, but more expensive than regular hardwoods. Probably comparable to good curly maple.

   Tom

2. 
   jonsherryl | Jan 24, 2003 08:29pm | #2

   Jeff, I'll second Tom's opinion. Holly is pretty much just an accent wood, used mostly as a contrast, because of its stark white color. It's a fine textured wood, about as dense as hard maple and it has good shaping characteristics, but it's extremely unstable. Top quality holly (with uniform texture and no bluestain) isn't cheap...or all that easy to find. Expect to pay something in excess of $10 per BF...And don't expect to find any large pieces of it. Holly trees are usually rather small and tend to branch out low, so it's not a good timber producer.

3. 
   Dale | Jan 24, 2003 09:17pm | #3

   Jeff I have work a little holly in my lifetime, < 100 bd.ft. and I love it.  I have always compared it to an odd tree wood as it is a veryyyy slo...w grower but the wood seemed  relatively soft to me , sg of .5 but  maybe .6 it is??? About 10 years ago I price some in the 15-20 dollar price range. I have since found a source between 6-7 bucks in the air dried category.  I have built a fireplace mantel out of holly and love it  If you get a change to play with it GO FOR IT!!!!.....Dale

4. 
   ncdeerhunter | Jan 24, 2003 10:20pm | #4

   I have a small quanity of holly that was sawn by a bandsaw mill about four years ago. There is around 50 - 70 bdft of it and it is time to use it for something. Some wood is good for somethings and not so good for others, I didn't know what holly was used for. There is so much experience on this site that I had to ask. I think most people here have forgotten more than I will ever know. Thanks.