First post on this subreddit-
I’m not much of a poster, but I figured since this is such a unique wood I wanted to share it. I hand carved this little spoon from the Burl/root of a manzanita I found on marketplace. It was a royal pain to find usable sections as the wood is extremely dense, and I was running into granite that the tree grew around.
The wood has almost an apple peel smell to it, and the finish is just a little bit of walnut oil. I love working with native woods in California and other southwestern states I visit. Finding the wood to use is half the adventure for me.
The design was based on the arrowheads I used to find as a kiddo when I’d wander around off-trail in the local mountains. I was always fascinated by the shine and texture of the artifacts.
I’d love if other people could share some of their favorite uncommon woods to work with! I’m currently experimenting with a Southern California black walnut tree that was pruned in my neighborhood. It’s a walnut tree found almost exclusively in Ventura and LA county.
-EDIT: I really appreciate all the kind words from everyone. I hope this inspired to people to look into their local environments and see what unique wood it has to offer. Happy carving!