In the woods - Boxwood

You might ask; what do we see in the picture? The discoloration is caused by a fungus infection, which gives the wood a very interesting look; understandably though it is an undesirable occurrence while the boxwood is still growing. Fortunately, after drying, it does not affect the attributes of the wood.

To make things even more difficult, it's not particularly easy to work with this wood, or even prepare it for work; it needs to be dried slowly over a long time and still shrinks significantly and during the process, major splits also may occur.

Why is it still a beloved material by many makers? Once dried, it is extremely stable, durable, and hard which makes it perfect for really fine, detailed works such as miniature making. Of course, it is also a gorgeous handle material for knives, messers, or even swords.

Interestingly enough, once the wood is dry, it is really hard to properly soak it with oils, but polishing and waxing do the job perfectly. Another unusual aspect of this wood is, that in many regards it has to be treated like bone while working with it.

Mechanically it's very sturdy, the colors get slightly darker over time giving the wood an even more bone-like look.

Maintenance of Boxwood is simple since it doesn't really require any oiling or waxing; you can pretty much get away with not-so-regular cleaning.