One of the first things I cut down when I bought the house was a mimosa (that was 46 years ago, and I'm still getting mimosa seedlings sprouting). The second thing was a holly that had a 16" to 18" trunk at the bottom. It was too close to the door and would scratch you every time you went in or out of the front door. Chain sawed it into some chunks and some boards - was gonna make a simple dresser box for my daughter, a walking stick from the top - and the rest, who knows - that was before I even thought about a lathe. Anyways, stored it in on the porch of our shed/playhouse. Did not know, but the poplar I used for the porch flooring had an infestation of PPB - probably gotten from an antique. Long story short, the PPB riddled the holly as well as a carpenter bee's kids. By the time I figured out that I had a problem, it was all too far damaged for the dresser box, but I did decide to turn some of the chunks (after microwaving to cook them bastards). By that time, I had my first lathe. Cleaned out all the dross and called bowls made out of Holy Holly. Sold every piece I made!
