devccxi wrote:
Hi,

My father is shortly to have a large (40 - 50 ft) Holm Oak cut down in
his garden. As a novice woodturner, I have had been lucky enough to
receive decent amounts of free wood from him as various trees have been
cut down on his property in South Devon, England, mostly Ash and
Sycamore.
I have tried to find out about the suitability of the Holm for turning,
but there is very little information. I know that there have been a few
posts on this newsgroup, but I am looking for practical advice on
storing and drying this species for future use.
Any advice or help would be most appreciated.
Regards,
Pete.
Here is what Mark Baker has to say about it in his "Woodturning
Projects" book
Oak, Holm (Quercus ilex)
Holm or Evergreen oak is a deep brown colour, often having black
streaks in it. This is a pleasant wood to work with. It has an open
grain structure, as do most oaks, but seasons and cuts well. The sap is
a cream or buff colour, while the heartwood is a darker brown with the
darker streaks. It is not usually commercially available, but is well
worth keeping a look out for.

So it seems you have somthing worth keeping. I normally cut logs longer
than the diameter by about 25%. If bigger than 8" in diameter I split
them in half for bowls/hollow forms. Coat all cut ends with parafin wax
or wax emulsion. Store VERTICAL on a slatted shelf until use. If you
want to turn green then submerge the log in water until you are ready
to turn it . Turn to rough size, coat all exterior surface with wax and
store in a cool dry place in a paper bag or wrapped in newspaper. After
about 3-6 months check moisture content and when dry turn to finish
size.

There are all sorts of magic recipes on the internet for doing quick
drying, but none that have been proven to work every time, so I would
advise you to stay away from them. If you get into a similar regimen to
what I have described this will allow you the luxury of having a near
constant supply of wood ready to turn. A lot depends on how often and
how much time you spend at the lathe.

I have also used the microwave to dry after rough turning. This works
but you have to be careful with the "nuke" time. 1 min on high, allow
to cool for 1/2 hour, repeat until dry, seems to work OK in my 30 year
old Nuke machine.
Hope this is all helpful
Peter
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http://www.oldtoolsshop.com/Galoots/pHyde/