Thank you all, I greatly appreciate the comments.
Pat B, Holly that has moisture is very prone to heavy checking, and Holly harvested in the growing season will most probably check. The Holly I have was cut by the council and left on the ground in spring 3 or 4 years back and lucky timing I grabbed a heap, it all checked heavily even with sealer but I have nice pieces adequate for my carving applications. Once fully seasoned there should be no further checking problem, the stuff I got is rock hard and feels unbreakable by hand with a plasticky quality to it and It polishes to a marble like smoothness, those securing pegs on each end are holly and you'd be hard pressed to break one of those. I read on the wood data base there is a slight difference between the UK and U.S. species. If I ever cut some I will wait till early February, split it, keep the bark on and seal the ends, and probably seal the bark too. It's a very dense wood that needs to slow dry initially. Cleaned and off the ground to avoid too much grey spalting. Finished carvings etc need sealing well with oil wax and such like as I reckon it may absorb moisture and swell check or warp possibly (?).
One more central pic in a softer light, a little off centre with some of the dowelling thanks to a rattling old hand drill.
R.D.
