Manzanita root.

Hello George,

I've turned quite a bit of it. Generally, you can't turn anything very large because of the breaks and dirt filled areas. Rocks are a real negative thing with manzanita root. They dull your saw blade and your lathe tools.

The stuff is very hard when dry and finishes beautifully. Mostly, I like to use it for high light pieces or inlays.

Fred Holder

I have done a few things with it, and I know another turner who does about the same sort of thing I do..... here is one picture of a large piece which I simply sanded a flat spot on and screwed it on and turned a bowl shaped depression in it...This was perhaps the hardest 'work' I did on the lathe, as the weight wanted to bounce my lathe around...I ended up bracing it against the shop ceiling with a length of 4X4 timber..