Zen: Antique Olive

[Pitoon]

This pen is a commission for a colleague. One of the best wooden Zen's i've made to date. It was a real pain trying to finish this one as the cold keep the CA from drying completely. I ended of redoing the finish several times. But with patients i finally got it how i wanted it.

This olive burl is from a tree that is estimated to be 250+ years old. Pretty impressive to work with something as old as that. It's a shame that once i use up my stock, i'll probably never get a chance to work with olive wood as old as this again.

Thanks for looking!

Pitoon

 

[Band Saw Box]

Really nice looking pen Pitoon. Great fit and finish.

 

[Jim Smith]

Beautiful pen! I love the wood and you did a great job with the finish.

Jim Smith

 

[Indiana_Parrothead]

Great looking pen as usual Pitoon, you are the Zen master.

Mike

 

[tgsean]

Beautiful

Fantastic pen. The olive wood is awesome, and the combination is great. I really like it.

 

[Dan Masshardt]

Finished a pen yesterday in 16 degrees. No prob with accelerator.

 

[Jim15]

That's a beauty.

 

[Ambidex]

It's a toss up..the fit and finish is beautiful, the blank is crazy beautiful and the photography is great! Very nice pitoon:biggrin:

 

[Brooks803]

Fit and Finished are superb! I say the hard work paid off.

 

[ossaguy]

Wow,that's a gorgeous Zen!





Steve

 

[robutacion]

Only very mature Olive trees (100 years +) are able to produce burl wood like that, believe me I know. It is also true that not Olive trees (species) are the same, Italy has some of the best Olive tree species in the world and Australia was blessed but the fact that Italians were some of the first European people to migrate to Australia as "Settlers".

They brought in, the very same Olive tree species they had, they needed the Olives and the Olive oil as part of their diet and as a result, Olive trees were planted in any suitable place for them to survive and strive, South Australia was one of the preferred places to settle due to the identical weather they had back home (the 4 seasons).

Nearly a couple of hundred years later, some of those old trees still exist but no longer as fruit/oil producers, they became wild, bushy and difficult to control so, people are ripping them out and burnt them. I have been able to salvage a few of these trees from the fire or firewood, these last 8 years but, and far too late, 95% of these old trees have been destroyed these last 30 or 40 years.

I'm very fortunate that, I have identical wood to what you are showing us, many of people here have enjoyed working with it, throughout the years and I'm far from running out so, I don't thing that, you being in Italy, would run out of those old trees, the South of Italy has thousands of them still doing very well, in our days.

Olive trees life expectancy, can be a very long one, 250 year old trees is certainly a very respectable age, considering that humans are in constant need of space and Olive trees are certainly not the sort of trees they like to leave behind but, if someone as never seen a 1,500 years old Olive tree living happily among humans, this is how it looks like,



PS: Do I need to tell you that, I like what you done...???:wink::biggrin:

Cheers
George

 

[OZturner]

Pitoon, You have blown me away with the Zen
The Right Pen for a Great Blank.
Your fit and Finish, on that large scale photograph, shows just how Perfect it is.
Congratulations Pitoon.
Brian.

 

[Pitoon]

Finished a pen yesterday in 16 degrees. No prob with accelerator.

This pen was finished in my garage. I refuse to heat up my garage for just 1 pen, but yeah with accelerator it can be done.

However i'm not a huge fan of using accelerator to cure CA. I especially don't like the white glaze that you get sometimes when it tries to dry thick amounts of CA.

For this pen (the last applications of CA) to create this finish is as follows..... two coats of thin CA, two coats of thick CA.....sanded everything back flush, then about 5-6 coats of thin CA (dries a lot faster). sanded with 400 grit paper, then Wet/Dry 400, 600, 800, 1000, 1200, 1500, 2000, then buffed with brown tripoli and final buff with a blue bar, then a good rub down with Novus 1.


Pitoon

 

[Pitoon]

Only very mature Olive trees (100 years +) are able to produce burl wood like that, believe me I know. It is also true that not Olive trees (species) are the same, Italy has some of the best Olive tree species in the world and Australia was blessed but the fact that Italians were some of the first European people to migrate to Australia as "Settlers".

They brought in, the very same Olive tree species they had, they needed the Olives and the Olive oil as part of their diet and as a result, Olive trees were planted in any suitable place for them to survive and strive, South Australia was one of the preferred places to settle due to the identical weather they had back home (the 4 seasons).

Nearly a couple of hundred years later, some of those old trees still exist but no longer as fruit/oil producers, they became wild, bushy and difficult to control so, people are ripping them out and burnt them. I have been able to salvage a few of these trees from the fire or firewood, these last 8 years but, and far too late, 95% of these old trees have been destroyed these last 30 or 40 years.

I'm very fortunate that, I have identical wood to what you are showing us, many of people here have enjoyed working with it, throughout the years and I'm far from running out so, I don't thing that, you being in Italy, would run out of those old trees, the South of Italy has thousands of them still doing very well, in our days.

Olive trees life expectancy, can be a very long one, 250 year old trees is certainly a very respectable age, considering that humans are in constant need of space and Olive trees are certainly not the sort of trees they like to leave behind but, if someone as never seen a 1,500 years old Olive tree living happily among humans, this is how it looks like,

View attachment 108350

PS: Do I need to tell you that, I like what you done...???:wink::biggrin:

Cheers
George

Great history! The Italians did a big move to Australia as well as South Africa back in the day and took their culture to their new homes.

No doubt a 250yr old specimen is just a youngster compared to the older trees that are still up, and impressively still producing fruit. Olive trees here are very much respected and are never cut down. Evenwhen a trunk dies it's left in place with hopes that the root system is still alive to send up new shoots. Only when they are sure that the tree is 100% dead as in the case with the tree that I acquired this blank from is when it's pulled.

I still have a cross cut of this tree in my garage that I refuse to cut solely in respect for its age. Not to mention it looks very, very cool. I'll post a picture of it when I get home tonight so everyone can get an idea of the size of the trunk.

These days a lot of the older olive trees are being imported in from Spain for ornamental purposes. However every now and then while driving around the area I'll see new fields of olive trees planted. So it's good to see that the heritage is not gone.

I also visited your site. Would you consider in shipping over to me if I put in an order? I can always put some exotics into good use.

Pitoon

 

[robutacion]

Only very mature Olive trees (100 years +) are able to produce burl wood like that, believe me I know. It is also true that not Olive trees (species) are the same, Italy has some of the best Olive tree species in the world and Australia was blessed but the fact that Italians were some of the first European people to migrate to Australia as "Settlers".

They brought in, the very same Olive tree species they had, they needed the Olives and the Olive oil as part of their diet and as a result, Olive trees were planted in any suitable place for them to survive and strive, South Australia was one of the preferred places to settle due to the identical weather they had back home (the 4 seasons).

Nearly a couple of hundred years later, some of those old trees still exist but no longer as fruit/oil producers, they became wild, bushy and difficult to control so, people are ripping them out and burnt them. I have been able to salvage a few of these trees from the fire or firewood, these last 8 years but, and far too late, 95% of these old trees have been destroyed these last 30 or 40 years.

I'm very fortunate that, I have identical wood to what you are showing us, many of people here have enjoyed working with it, throughout the years and I'm far from running out so, I don't thing that, you being in Italy, would run out of those old trees, the South of Italy has thousands of them still doing very well, in our days.

Olive trees life expectancy, can be a very long one, 250 year old trees is certainly a very respectable age, considering that humans are in constant need of space and Olive trees are certainly not the sort of trees they like to leave behind but, if someone as never seen a 1,500 years old Olive tree living happily among humans, this is how it looks like,

View attachment 108350

PS: Do I need to tell you that, I like what you done...???:wink::biggrin:

Cheers
George

Great history! The Italians did a big move to Australia as well as South Africa back in the day and took their culture to their new homes.

No doubt a 250yr old specimen is just a youngster compared to the older trees that are still up, and impressively still producing fruit. Olive trees here are very much respected and are never cut down. Evenwhen a trunk dies it's left in place with hopes that the root system is still alive to send up new shoots. Only when they are sure that the tree is 100% dead as in the case with the tree that I acquired this blank from is when it's pulled.

I still have a cross cut of this tree in my garage that I refuse to cut solely in respect for its age. Not to mention it looks very, very cool. I'll post a picture of it when I get home tonight so everyone can get an idea of the size of the trunk.

These days a lot of the older olive trees are being imported in from Spain for ornamental purposes. However every now and then while driving around the area I'll see new fields of olive trees planted. So it's good to see that the heritage is not gone.

I also visited your site. Would you consider in shipping over to me if I put in an order? I can always put some exotics into good use.

Pitoon

I sure would like to see that piece you have home that that Olive tree, is that all you got from the tree...???

Where abouts in italy are you, I have the contact the biggest exporter of Olive wood to many countries, particularly Israel, its all a family business and they have literally millions of Olive trees on the ground, from hundreds of years old to seedlings planted probably everyday, their yard is full of big logs cut from those older trees, I wish I was closer...!

However, and can sound a little silly, you being in Italy but if you run out of the olive root type you used on that pen, I can get you some that has grown in the Land of the kangaroos.

Same goes for any items you see in my ebay store, at the moment I have only 1/3 of what I once had there, I removed about 100 listing recently to resolve some issues that I didn't like happening and also to upgrade the store considerably as the listings will be offered in packs of 4 blanks, of pretty much all the stuff I have to re-list.

In the mean time, have a look and what you decided to do, reply to me using my direct email address, a PM would be also OK but, this thread is all about the very special piece of Olive wood you used and the magnificent work you done with it...!

Just before I go, I would to show you guys, one 150 year old Olive tree that has a solid trunk at 1 meter across and about 2.5 meters tall, the root alone should be about 3 cubic meters, this is one of 5 old trees from the dozen or so, planted at a fence line near to what was a private road but become public access about 20 years ago the council had the widen the road as half of those old trees had to be removed, long before I was in the area.

I wanted that tree to slab and make some large table and some other furniture for home, this tree will produce the widest and longest slabs I even got from the Olive wood, I may encounter some faults inside that they would be welcome as features, the problem is that, the tree is in a property where 600 other Olive trees were planted about 20 years ago. I was asked to trim the whole Olive grove the first time about 3 years ago,a s other people I have been looking after their Olives trees have recommended me to do the job.

When I saw that three that has been trimmed previously to almost no canopy I offer $5.000 to cut the tree and remove the root and fill the hole, something that would cost me another $1,000 to get the root out clean the mess, and transported whole to my storage paddock about 35km away but he said not. I then offered to trim the Olive grove for 5 years, charging half to the work value only, and after 5 years doing that, the tree would be mine, he didn't seen to have any hesitation in accepting my offer, the problem is, I only done 2 seasons (years) 5 solid days divided between 2 weeks, that is all I could handle but now, I doubt that I will last another trim, I'm finding harder and harder to do that sort of work so, with 3 years to go, I don't see how I'm ever take the deal to the end, I have already 2 trims where I charged half of what it should be, and I'm getting worried that I'm going to lose the money I didn't charge and the tree and that is driving me nuts. I may have to think of something quick smart, before I lose it all and the chances to get the best Olive slabs, ever...! Will see, this is the tree in question,



Cheers
George

 

[Pitoon]

Only very mature Olive trees (100 years +) are able to produce burl wood like that, believe me I know. It is also true that not Olive trees (species) are the same, Italy has some of the best Olive tree species in the world and Australia was blessed but the fact that Italians were some of the first European people to migrate to Australia as "Settlers".

They brought in, the very same Olive tree species they had, they needed the Olives and the Olive oil as part of their diet and as a result, Olive trees were planted in any suitable place for them to survive and strive, South Australia was one of the preferred places to settle due to the identical weather they had back home (the 4 seasons).

Nearly a couple of hundred years later, some of those old trees still exist but no longer as fruit/oil producers, they became wild, bushy and difficult to control so, people are ripping them out and burnt them. I have been able to salvage a few of these trees from the fire or firewood, these last 8 years but, and far too late, 95% of these old trees have been destroyed these last 30 or 40 years.

I'm very fortunate that, I have identical wood to what you are showing us, many of people here have enjoyed working with it, throughout the years and I'm far from running out so, I don't thing that, you being in Italy, would run out of those old trees, the South of Italy has thousands of them still doing very well, in our days.

Olive trees life expectancy, can be a very long one, 250 year old trees is certainly a very respectable age, considering that humans are in constant need of space and Olive trees are certainly not the sort of trees they like to leave behind but, if someone as never seen a 1,500 years old Olive tree living happily among humans, this is how it looks like,

View attachment 108350

PS: Do I need to tell you that, I like what you done...???:wink::biggrin:

Cheers
George

Great history! The Italians did a big move to Australia as well as South Africa back in the day and took their culture to their new homes.

No doubt a 250yr old specimen is just a youngster compared to the older trees that are still up, and impressively still producing fruit. Olive trees here are very much respected and are never cut down. Evenwhen a trunk dies it's left in place with hopes that the root system is still alive to send up new shoots. Only when they are sure that the tree is 100% dead as in the case with the tree that I acquired this blank from is when it's pulled.

I still have a cross cut of this tree in my garage that I refuse to cut solely in respect for its age. Not to mention it looks very, very cool. I'll post a picture of it when I get home tonight so everyone can get an idea of the size of the trunk.

These days a lot of the older olive trees are being imported in from Spain for ornamental purposes. However every now and then while driving around the area I'll see new fields of olive trees planted. So it's good to see that the heritage is not gone.

I also visited your site. Would you consider in shipping over to me if I put in an order? I can always put some exotics into good use.

Pitoon

I sure would like to see that piece you have home that that Olive tree, is that all you got from the tree...???

Where abouts in italy are you, I have the contact the biggest exporter of Olive wood to many countries, particularly Israel, its all a family business and they have literally millions of Olive trees on the ground, from hundreds of years old to seedlings planted probably everyday, their yard is full of big logs cut from those older trees, I wish I was closer...!

However, and can sound a little silly, you being in Italy but if you run out of the olive root type you used on that pen, I can get you some that has grown in the Land of the kangaroos.

Same goes for any items you see in my ebay store, at the moment I have only 1/3 of what I once had there, I removed about 100 listing recently to resolve some issues that I didn't like happening and also to upgrade the store considerably as the listings will be offered in packs of 4 blanks, of pretty much all the stuff I have to re-list.

In the mean time, have a look and what you decided to do, reply to me using my direct email address, a PM would be also OK but, this thread is all about the very special piece of Olive wood you used and the magnificent work you done with it...!

Cheers
George

I'm located in Northern Italy about 1hr West of Venezia(Venice). This tree came from a private home about 1hr Northwest from where I live up in the mountains. The tree succumbed to disease and eventually died. I also have a small piece of root left on my desk that I planned to use as some sort of stand for an olive pen I had in mind…..but that's later down the road.

I also saved all the bark and trimmings to make some waste wood blanks. But those pieces will have to be stabilized before I can use it.

I'll post some pics tonight when I get home, you'll probably see them tomorrow morning your time.

Pitoon

 

[Pitoon]

Thanks everyone for the kind remarks! I wish i could turn more pens and post more pics, but with so many projects it gets tough trying to squeeze something extra into the picture.

I attached a "cleaned up" picture of the Zen. Much better that the previous ones i posted.

I have some Majestic kits i've been thinking about turning, maybe i'll make another olive burl pen?

Pitoon

 

[Donovan]

That looks real nice. I made one and I was disappointed in the gold plating. It came of in the first two week of using the pen.

Donovan

 

[Ted iin Michigan]

Excellent work on a truly beautiful piece of wood. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Dan Masshardt]

Cool pen.

But to be honest, I'm more taken by that tree. Cool.

 

[Pitoon]

Ok as promised......here's a pic of what i refuse to cut, lol! I added a sharpie for size reference. This was just a small piece that i was able to get along with some actual root pieces that i already cut up. Towards the left of the picture is the part that would be in the ground. In fact if you look at the lower left hand corner you will see a really thick root that was uncut.

I really enjoy the beauty of wood, but i would very much rather see a tree alive than cut down. This tree was heavy impacted by termites. Which would explain how/why it got sick and died.

Thanks for looking!

Pitoon

 

[elkhorn]

Great job and a beautiful pen!

 

[robutacion]

Ok as promised......here's a pic of what i refuse to cut, lol! I added a sharpie for size reference. This was just a small piece that i was able to get along with some actual root pieces that i already cut up. Towards the left of the picture is the part that would be in the ground. In fact if you look at the lower left hand corner you will see a really thick root that was uncut.

I really enjoy the beauty of wood, but i would very much rather see a tree alive than cut down. This tree was heavy impacted by termites. Which would explain how/why it got sick and died.

Thanks for looking!

Pitoon

Now, that's something...!:wink:

A little surprised with the colour on very bottom of the root, there is a grey there that don't belong (sort of thing), and while most people say that, "you can't kill an Olive tree...!" I can that, yes they can be extremely difficult to kill however, there is one mix (liquids) that will kill an Olive tree in 3 months max. guaranteed. Off-course, I'm not going to divulge/say/share what that mix is for more than legal reasons so, don't ask...!

I have probably seen every possible place where a Olive tree can grow, including places where they grows extremely slow (pour soils) and places where they strive, producing more wood (sapwood) than they should, compromising considerably the fruit quality/acidity.

This mean that, there are situations where a Olive tree is all of a certain surrounded with elements that are adverse to its development and in many times, survival. I recall you saying that, this tree was about 250 years old and that it died. Well, they just don't die at such age but natural means, there had to be some negative human intervention at some point.

One way to possibly kill an Olive tree is to enclose all the soil around it with cement/pavings, etc., leaving only a small opening at the tree butt, this attached pic show well what I mean.



I have put together a picture where I used the sliced root provided on this thread to put things in perspective to what I believe, the tree would look.



I have some difficulty in believe that, this tree could be that old, based on the pic of the slice shown, which was pretty much sliced to produce the approx. 2" thickness at the roots centre, the black marker seem to indicated the position of the tree separation from the root, I use those exact same markers and they are 5"1/2 long, which matches pretty much the diameter of the root "neck", root/butt joint.

While I never seen a tree of such age developing such a narrow and uniform "neck", that is something that I would expect from a tree about 20 to 40 years old, depending on the location where it was growing HOWEVER, and that is the most intriguing aspect, the grain and heartwood size shown, it takes a very long time to develop, at least 80 years so, it doesn't make much sense to me, and something isn't right...!:frown:

And this is where Pitton, you could probably help me out a bit and give some more info about this tree that you seem to know its origin.

As I indicate on the pic above, what killed that Olive tree in my view, was "rot" on the very bottom/base of the root system, which we normally call the "feeder roots". What cause that rot, you may be able to find out by talking to the people that had that tree and find out, if there was a damaged septic tank or a liquids disposable hole, close to this tree.

Too much "richness" as nutrients, can either trigger trees to grow 3 times as fast or, burn their roots and kill them. It seems to me that, this tree has had some human development happening these last 10 to 20 years of the tree's life, something very strong has reached the tree feeders and burnt them, stopping nutrients to pass through and unable the tree to feed at all.

This process can be a quite slow one, particularly with Olive trees, its their natural oils preserved within the tree that allows the wood from drying from the inside out, maintaining the wood fibers/cells alive for some time, before the leafs brown out and fall.

The one thing that I don't like about what the natural oils can do in the Olive roots, particularly if they have some rot is that, they absolutely "stink to hell", when disturbed/cut and for some time afterwards (many months..!).

The other side on all this is that, those "rotten" spots normally produce the best colours and grains you will ever see...!:wink::biggrin:

Now, is no news for those that know me that, I have a passion for woods/trees and Olive wood/trees, rates the highest position of the lot.

Everything I said/done here, is in the context of education and additional information about the subject of this thread. No one has asked me to do so, and I hope you guys see it for what it is, simply sharing my knowledge and experience on the subject is question, completely and totally free of charge.

Anyone that likes to learn new things or appreciate getting relevant information, will find what I said interesting and puzzling, I don't have all the answers but I certainly continue to ask questions.

For anyone that, has an interest in Olive trees or for those that don't really know much about them, I would suggest strongly to have a good look at the web link I will provide, next. You will see what nature and age can do with Olive trees, its sizes, shapes and locations are nothing less than mesmerizing, really works of art.

On this same page, you can keep downloading more , when you reach the bottom of the page, you will also see images of people/locals in distress as a result of their loss (olive trees), the information is provided from people on site and from the country(ies) where these things still happening today, ands as we speak. You may find all the evidence you need to validate my claims about the sustainability and availability of this resource to the world, you see for yourself...!

https://www.google.com.au/search?q=olive+trees+images&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=l5fpUs7zG4LtkAWRg4CICw&sqi=2&ved=0CCYQsAQ&biw=1536&bih=757#imgdii=_

Have fun,

Cheers
George

 

[Pitoon]

Ok as promised......here's a pic of what i refuse to cut, lol! I added a sharpie for size reference. This was just a small piece that i was able to get along with some actual root pieces that i already cut up. Towards the left of the picture is the part that would be in the ground. In fact if you look at the lower left hand corner you will see a really thick root that was uncut.

I really enjoy the beauty of wood, but i would very much rather see a tree alive than cut down. This tree was heavy impacted by termites. Which would explain how/why it got sick and died.

Thanks for looking!

Pitoon

Now, that's something...!:wink:

A little surprised with the colour on very bottom of the root, there is a grey there that don't belong (sort of thing), and while most people say that, "you can't kill an Olive tree...!" I can that, yes they can be extremely difficult to kill however, there is one mix (liquids) that will kill an Olive tree in 3 months max. guaranteed. Off-course, I'm not going to divulge/say/share what that mix is for more than legal reasons so, don't ask...!

I have probably seen every possible place where a Olive tree can grow, including places where they grows extremely slow (pour soils) and places where they strive, producing more wood (sapwood) than they should, compromising considerably the fruit quality/acidity.

This mean that, there are situations where a Olive tree is all of a certain surrounded with elements that are adverse to its development and in many times, survival. I recall you saying that, this tree was about 250 years old and that it died. Well, they just don't die at such age but natural means, there had to be some negative human intervention at some point.

One way to possibly kill an Olive tree is to enclose all the soil around it with cement/pavings, etc., leaving only a small opening at the tree butt, this attached pic show well what I mean.

View attachment 108395

I have put together a picture where I used the sliced root provided on this thread to put things in perspective to what I believe, the tree would look.

View attachment 108396

I have some difficulty in believe that, this tree could be that old, based on the pic of the slice shown, which was pretty much sliced to produce the approx. 2" thickness at the roots centre, the black marker seem to indicated the position of the tree separation from the root, I use those exact same markers and they are 5"1/2 long, which matches pretty much the diameter of the root "neck", root/butt joint.

While I never seen a tree of such age developing such a narrow and uniform "neck", that is something that I would expect from a tree about 20 to 40 years old, depending on the location where it was growing HOWEVER, and that is the most intriguing aspect, the grain and heartwood size shown, it takes a very long time to develop, at least 80 years so, it doesn't make much sense to me, and something isn't right...!:frown:

And this is where Pitton, you could probably help me out a bit and give some more info about this tree that you seem to know its origin.

As I indicate on the pic above, what killed that Olive tree in my view, was "rot" on the very bottom/base of the root system, which we normally call the "feeder roots". What cause that rot, you may be able to find out by talking to the people that had that tree and find out, if there was a damaged septic tank or a liquids disposable hole, close to this tree.

Too much "richness" as nutrients, can either trigger trees to grow 3 times as fast or, burn their roots and kill them. It seems to me that, this tree has had some human development happening these last 10 to 20 years of the tree's life, something very strong has reached the tree feeders and burnt them, stopping nutrients to pass through and unable the tree to feed at all.

This process can be a quite slow one, particularly with Olive trees, its their natural oils preserved within the tree that allows the wood from drying from the inside out, maintaining the wood fibers/cells alive for some time, before the leafs brown out and fall.

The one thing that I don't like about what the natural oils can do in the Olive roots, particularly if they have some rot is that, they absolutely "stink to hell", when disturbed/cut and for some time afterwards (many months..!).

The other side on all this is that, those "rotten" spots normally produce the best colours and grains you will ever see...!:wink::biggrin:

Now, is no news for those that know me that, I have a passion for woods/trees and Olive wood/trees, rates the highest position of the lot.

Everything I said/done here, is in the context of education and additional information about the subject of this thread. No one has asked me to do so, and I hope you guys see it for what it is, simply sharing my knowledge and experience on the subject is question, completely and totally free of charge.

Anyone that likes to learn new things or appreciate getting relevant information, will find what I said interesting and puzzling, I don't have all the answers but I certainly continue to ask questions.

For anyone that, has an interest in Olive trees or for those that don't really know much about them, I would suggest strongly to have a good look at the web link I will provide, next. You will see what nature and age can do with Olive trees, its sizes, shapes and locations are nothing less than mesmerizing, really works of art.

On this same page, you can keep downloading more , when you reach the bottom of the page, you will also see images of people/locals in distress as a result of their loss (olive trees), the information is provided from people on site and from the country(ies) where these things still happening today, ands as we speak. You may find all the evidence you need to validate my claims about the sustainability and availability of this resource to the world, you see for yourself...!

https://www.google.com.au/search?q=...&sqi=2&ved=0CCYQsAQ&biw=1536&bih=757#imgdii=_

Have fun,

Cheers
George

Very informative post, George!

As for the tree I wish I knew the exact location. I do know it came off from someone's lot upon the mountainside. I did never get the chance to see the actual tree uncut. What can say is that the tree had to be a multiple trunk tree. So even though this slab may look small.......the actual tree was very big.

The guy that gave me this piece was a payment to cut some other slabs down to smaller pieces for him to ship back to his father in the USA. Those slabs he gave me to cut dwarfed the piece I was given as payment for cutting them down for him. Unfortunately I never took pictures of those slabs. They were on average cut 4in thick and were about 3-3.5feet wide, and were very pretty.

The wood did not smell out of the ordinary from that typical sweet smell when you cut olive wood. My piece is heavily rotted towards the bottom…..which is why I assume it was given to me as payment to cut the "better" pieces. Nonetheless I'm happy with what I have. I am to assume that the piece I have was probably one of the first slabs/minislabs cut off the trunk when the mill started to cut.

I have no clue if the tree was poisoned or not. I just know what I can see and what I see is a ton of termite holes along with their frass.

Now that I know you know your olive wood, once my stash is used up I'll be getting in contact with you to restock!


Pitoon

 

[robutacion]

Yes, it is a possibility that you are correct about what you got, that doesn't change the fact that you have a very pretty slice to work with, maybe not for a while but, you will...!

You have a lot closer to you more Olive wood that you can poke a stick with, particularly if you are interested in to some work on the roots that normally are left behind, or ripped off the ground and pushed to a pile.

Ask around, you may be surprised with what you find/get...!

But, by any means, if you decided to source some from me, you know where to find me however, I should remind you of the horrendous shipping costs, particularly for wood as heavy as this...!

Cheers
George