Thanks Russ, I'll make one! Gary
Prof. Gary A. Beluzo Systems Ecologist Holyoke Comm College 303 Homestead Ave Holyoke, MA. 01040 On Oct 31, 2009, at 2:21 PM, [email protected] wrote: > ENTS: > > Of all the smaller eastern trees I would give dogwood, Cornus > florida a vote for one of the hardest woods. Over the years I have > used all sorts of woods for walking sticks and I have found that > dogwood does not split or splinter like hickory and it doesn't shred > or warp like hophornbeam. Hornbeam, Carpinus caroliniana, seems to > be fairly soft, it is easy to cut with a knife it splits extremely > easily and it will rot while you are looking at it. > > Ostrya viginiana, hophornbeam splits extremely easily and warps very > badly. > > Walking sticks made out of dogwood never split on the point end and > with daily use will wear at a rate of less than half an inch a > year. Nothing else compares in terms of wear and no tree I have > tried for a walking stick has been more stable than dogwood is once > it has seasoned. > > Oak and ash walking sticks break much easier than dogwood and are > much heavier > > If you make a walking stick out of dogwood it is best to dig out the > entire tree and trim the roots with loppers. The best size tree is, > usually about 1" in diameter and has a straight stem for at least > four feet above the root collar. Carve the handle out of the root > ball. You can almost always get a very comfortable hook to it. In > my walks around the steep hills of WV a dogwood walking stick has > become my third leg....the one that never slips. > > When freshly, cut a dogwood tree can be carved into a walking stick > with just a jack knife but once it dries it is like trying to carve > bone. > > When completely dried the wood is very light, which would mean it is > weak if one of the measures of strength is density. > > The walking stick in the photo is over five years old. The patina > that develops from long term use makes it very comfortable to hold > and after several years of use it becomes a fairly reliable > tool.....that hook on the end is extremely helpful to pull the tip > of a 10' high limb down close enough to tie plastic ribbon when you > are marking a trail in dense brush. > > Other woods may be slightly harder in certain uses but nothing I've > encountered compares to the utility of a dogwood tree. > > > Russ > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Timothy Zelazo <[email protected]> > To: [email protected] > Sent: Sat, Oct 31, 2009 1:52 pm > Subject: [ENTS] Re: What's the hardest hardwood? > > Carpinus caroliniana is American hornbeam (bluebeech, water beech) > and Ostrya virginiana is Eastern hophornbeam and had the common name > "ironwood" often applied to this species. The Textbook of > Dendrology by Harlow and Harrar Fifth Edition published by McGraw- > Hill. This was the info they were pushing over thirty years ago > when I studied forestry. The two trees look very different in the > forest. > > On Sat, Oct 31, 2009 at 1:36 PM, Josh Kelly <[email protected] > > wrote: > > Don, > > On the contrary, I think I noted hop hornbeam (Ostrya virgiana) in my > earlier post. > > Josh > > On Oct 31, 1:11 pm, DON BERTOLETTE <[email protected]> wrote: > > Josh- > > > > I guess that 'ironwood' (aka eastern hophornmeam, American > hornbeam, Ostrya virginiana; member of the Betulaceae), member of > the doesn't rate in this exotic group? > > > > -Don > > > . Learn more.http://www.microsoft.com/windows/pc-scout/default.aspx? > CBID=wl&ocid=P... > > > > > > > > <100_3087.JPG> --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Eastern Native Tree Society http://www.nativetreesociety.org Send email to [email protected] Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/entstrees?hl=en To unsubscribe send email to [email protected] -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
