There is no commercial supply of the wood because it will shatter into splinters when drying, so it has to dry very, very slowly one of those rare wood you got to keep damp while drying; boxwood is kept in a pit dug in the ground and covered with straw to age it. I would think Manzanita should be aged like boxwood.
Another aspect of the wood is its very gnarly "dude". it grows twisted and bent which provides for interesting and attractive figure and grain. you cant drive nails or screws into it but you can glue it. and it will take a high polish.
Manzanita sounds a lot like a wood called "Mountain Mahogany", "hardtack" and "sweetbrush". It is said the berries from Manzanita is used to make jelly.
Manzanita I think would make nice caprails and trim work on
a ship model, I don't think you can bend it but on flat planking like the Chris
Craft decks it might work out. So if the chain saw is running grab some and
send me a sample for my collection.
{Dave Stevens}
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