Holly

The wood of the Holly tree is one of my favorites. Here are a few facts and thoughts on it.

In my native Devon, England Holly is rarely a free standing tree. Here in this hedgerow one has been allowed to grow up next to an Oak. Hollies and Oaks have a great affinity. Both like acid soils. Both have hard and dense timber. Hollies often grow in the shade of Oaks.

Holly bears the Latin name of Ilex Aquifolium. Holm or Holne are the names of holly in older times that are also applied to an evergreen Oak, (whose young leaves are remarkably like young Holly leaves). I have assumed for years that this is why the oak is called Ilex among tree spotters and surgeons, or Holm Oak among gardeners.

Interestingly enough, there is a village in Dartmoor, England close by my workshop named after this tree. Though Holne is now most famous for its excellent pub and the 800-year-old Yew tree in the churchyard, than for any Holly connections. I noticed the name in some Cumbria sign postings as well.

Handling Holly Successfully

Discoloration of Holly is a problem. Few samples remain the beautiful white they show when first cut. There are a number of factors that affect this. The further north the tree is grown the whiter the wood will remain. The sooner the tree is cut and dried, the whiter it will remain. My attempts at water seasoning, while helping to stabilize the wood as expected, have not preserved its whiteness. Boiling the wood as I have done for making glass blower moulds discolors it instantly. I discovered the best way to preserve its whiteness by accident. Holly is extremely sensitive to iron stain. Slight traces of tool steel on my hands were enough to leave black thumbprints on the bowl. The old trick with iron stains is to rub a lemon on it. Low and behold a nice white area on the bowl formed as the lemon worked with the tannic acid to leave the holly whiter than before, nearly as white as it was when it was just felled. Now I buy small packs of harmless food grade citric acid from the local chemist shop and use a teaspoon in half a cup of water to wash over fresh cut surfaces whether they be sawn boards or turned curves.

This bowl is unusual being 17 inches in diameter. Hollies do not commonly yield such large sections. Turned wet its soft curves and rippled texture repeat the sensuous lines of the bark. Turned to 2.5mm thick, just under 1/8th inch, this piece glowed a warm orange with a nightlight inside.

Holly is ideal for wet turned bowls. Its lively warping makes the most elegant ovals out of the lathe's dominating circle. The smooth surface of holly is most pleasant to the touch, reminiscent of unglazed porcelain. Using a sharp gouge ground to about sixty degrees included, the finish can be good enough to need no sanding. A tip for the less skilled: Holly scrapes well. Scrapers leave less broken end grain on Holly than on most temperate hardwoods.

Taken in May this photo shows new growth, old berries and last years evergreen leaves. Unlike deciduous broadleaves Holly leaves are not really translucent, rather do they reflect the light, being shiny. Another key to Hollies inner nature.

It is possible to take Holly from trees felled that day and turn it immediately, only providing you stay clear of the heartwood. Holly's willingness to split means that a good three quarters of an inch clearance should be left from the heart to the edge of any work piece. In use, such wet turned bowls are easy to care for. Washing bowls regularly does little to roughen it, and foods such as soup or milky cereal do not soak in, as they often do into softer woods. Oil the bowls well before first use and only sparingly thereafter. Walnut or Sesame oil are best.

Turning with Holly

Turning holly is always a pleasant experience for me. The sap has a strangely refreshing scent. I also used Holly for the thumb key tuning pegs on many of the first thirty Sounding Bowls I made. (I now use steel tuning pins with Holly heads. Holly accepts the stains I use well. In the last couple of hundred years many craftsmen have used Holly as mock Ebony because it's close grain and good staining qualities made a good imitation.

Holly is rarely given to the students of my three-day courses because of its willingness to split implies a certain risk with every piece you make. Once I made a complete instrument from holly, but then at least six days of work went bang as I tuned the seventh string.

This picture taken inside the canopy shows the smoothness of the bark and sensuous lines of the holly. Pink in the bark is not so very common but emphasizes the human looking aspects of the tree. Folklore connects the tree with bitterness and with protection. Those on the outside find it bitter. Those willing to go through the pain of penetrating its mystery find protection within. Some might divine a connection between that and the legend that Holly sprang up in the footsteps of Joseph of Arimathea during his walk from the coast to visit Glastonbury about A.D. 17. Holly to me is part of the group of native thorn trees that all produce such lovely woods. Hawthorn wood shares many of these characteristics, having a warm skin tone in place of the white. Blackthorn is a rich plum red with cream colored sapwood. Holly is unique among them for having the thorns on its leaves. Tobias Kaye Visit his website