myrtle

[charlie knighton]

myrtle/California bay laurel

5 w x 4 h

thanks Reed, really nice wood

[Bill Hensley]

Nice piece Charlie, I like the contrast in the grain. Should hold a lot of M&Ms.

Is there a finish on it? Can't tell.

[charlie knighton]

thanks Bill for your comments


Is there a finish on it? Can't tell.

yes, two coats of velvit oil about 3 hours apart.......probably put a couple more......it really soaked it up.......the wood does not grow in Virginia, really do like it.......not sure why it does not grow here......northwest us and Israel

[Roger Chandler]

nice one Charlie! I believe some varieties of myrtle do grow in Virginia.......I know crape myrtles do. What variety is the one Reed sent to you?

[charlie knighton]

thanks for your comment Roger, not sure what what type of myrtle it is, types of myrtle not listed in my in my tree book, I believe crape myrtle is a bush????????

[Reed Gray]

Technically, it is a california bay laurel. For some reason, probably marketing, here in Oregon, we call it myrtle. Probably more difficult to sell to tourists if we call it the california bay tree. It grows from about San Francisco up into British Columbia. Leaves are similar to the bay that you use for cooking, and the Indians used to make tea from it. It keeps the leaves year round. Pretty hard, and rather abrasive, it has really good colors ranging through the yellow, green, gold, and some tans, with some occasional red and black. It will really shine/glow when polished. Nice scent to it when cutting, though some times the older trees can smell like a horse stall. It is not a myrtle or related to the myrtle trees.

robo hippy

[Roger Chandler]

Charlie, you might be correct on the "shrub" characterization but some do get rather large.......this is just one pic of some of the larger ones I have seen.........

http://www.penick.net/digging/images/2008_02_13%20Dallas%20Arboretum/Crepe%20myrtle%20allee%20w%20walkers.JPG


http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0207/5750/products/crape_myrtle_tuscarora_235_large.jpg?v=1372939399 http://leeanntorrans.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Natchez_White_Crape_Myrtle_Lee_Ann_Torrans-7.jpg

[charlie knighton]

california bay laurel is in my tree book, it said it was a evergreen....also a tree.......it did have a minty smell when I first started turning it.....thanks Reed for letting us know about it.......Roger we have a crape myrtle in back yard, its about 2 stories high, but the trunk is way to small, much less the limbs

still have half of the blank to turn, I like to savor and anticipate turning woods that I do not see very often......California bay laurel, new one on me

[Marc Himes]

Nice looking bowls, Charlie. I have enjoyed the discussion about the wood so thanks for posting your turnings.

[Stan Smith]

Very nice, Charlie. You got the wood name correct, too. Most people only know it as myrtle wood.

[Stan Smith]

Technically, it is a california bay laurel. For some reason, probably marketing, here in Oregon, we call it myrtle. Probably more difficult to sell to tourists if we call it the california bay tree. It grows from about San Francisco up into British Columbia. Leaves are similar to the bay that you use for cooking, and the Indians used to make tea from it. It keeps the leaves year round. Pretty hard, and rather abrasive, it has really good colors ranging through the yellow, green, gold, and some tans, with some occasional red and black. It will really shine/glow when polished. Nice scent to it when cutting, though some times the older trees can smell like a horse stall. It is not a myrtle or related to the myrtle trees.

robo hippy


Excellent summary of this wood. Thanks!

[charlie knighton]

thanks for yalls comments, Roger, Reed, Marc, and Stan

I had to edit the wood name to get it correct, I had never heard of California bay laurel before, but had bought one blank of myrtle off ebay many years ago....say 2007 or 2008, I still have the bowl and it most certainly really is California bay laurel