shipwright wrote:I haven't had that much trouble with drilling it but otherwise agree. I love the stuff for its subtle colours and fine texture. I have about 100 fbm of it that came from a big tree by my shop. I dried it in my kiln and have made some nice tables and boxes from it. Here in B.C. we call it Arbutus but it's as far as I can tell the same tree.
Paul M
Sometimes the scientific name of trees is used as the common name. Arbutusmenziesii is the true botanical name of pacific madrone. But Paul already knew that!
Octogenarian's have an earned right to be a curmudgeon.
Chuck in Lancaster, CA
I did know the botanical name Chuck, but I still think there may be some intra-species variations. Here on Vancouver Island and on the mainland coast as well in Canada, Arbutus only grows in rough rocky terrain and only within a mile or so of salt water. I know I've seen it in Oregon growing in quite good fertile soil and quite far from the ocean. These variations could make for some fairly different characteristics with respect to colour, hardness, grain etc.
Never heard the name "Madrone" until I saw it in Oregon several years ago, but we have everything named Arbutus around here from Arbutus RV and Marine Sales to Arbutus Ridge Golf Course and more.
Paul M
Paul M ........ The early bird gets the worm but the second mouse gets the cheese
This is the Arbutus beside my shop. The 100 =/- fbm That I have came from the half of the tree that had to be removed to build my shop. You can see where the right hand side of the "Y" was cut off in the photo just below the shed roof line. That's what I call using "local" hardwoods.
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Paul M ........ The early bird gets the worm but the second mouse gets the cheese
