Is Manzanita wood good for anything?

[PowerNewbie]

I just got my first chainsaw, MS 250, and have been cutting Manzanitas with it. It seems a shame to just burn it or chip it. A friend adds some to his BBQ charcoal, but that would only use up a small portion of what I have. Some of the trunks are in the 3-4 inch range. I was thinking it could be milled for picture frames or something small like that. (Maybe I could get a sawmill from a model train set  :D.) Any ideas?

[Ianab]

I honestly dont know anything about Manzanita, but a quick Google bought up tons of sites selling branches of it as bird / lizard / snake cage decorations :D
http://www.aaareptilesupply.com/merchant.mv?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=E2

I guess there is a market for almost anything  :

Is it any good for firewood?, or doesn't it get cold enough there?

It reminds me of our local Manuka tree, very dense tough wood? I've cut some small pieces up with a bandsaw and then scrollsawed out keyrings etc.
If you are creative enough with your marketing you can sell almost anything.. even a stick
http://wwatsonweb.co.nz/fox/manuka.htm

Cheers

Ian

[CHARLIE]

I don't know what Manzanita wood looks like but if the grain is unique or has nice color, woodturners would probably be interested in it.  If you give or sell it to woodturners, you would just leave it whole and cut into lenths.  Check to see if there is a woodturning club in your area.

[CHARLIE]

I found this advertisement on the web and remembered that the roots are very desirable because they are so knarly.


Manzanita Root
 Manzanita Root has a very irregular shape. Normally used for mounting birds or scenes on it. It is red in colour and may be carved to any shape if you do not like its present shape. You have our guarantee that no two pieces will be the same! It is hard to give it a price because the shapes are so varied, but we have established some kind of standard. 00- small (palm size piece) $3.50 01-medium ( slightly larger than a baseball) $8.50 02- Large ( about the size of a soccer ball) $12.50

[PowerNewbie]

Thanks for the input.

I saw the sticks advertised on the Web.

It burns too hot to used alone as a firewood, but can be added to more conventional woods like oak.

I guess I should have kept my father's scrollsaw, but I wasn't interested at the time.

Maybe I'll try selling little packs of Manzanita chips for adding smoke flavor to BBQs. Some people are selling Napa Valley grapevine chips at outrageous prices, something like $10 for a few ounces.