What do you do with that dogwood tree “scrub” in the front yard that has to come down for one reason or another? Even a mature dogwood is generally too small to yield any usable lumber. However, dogwood is a very hard wood that turns cleanly on the lathe and comes out silky-smooth. My answer is to save the trunk and large branches to turn wooden mallets (heads and handles) along with bench chisel handles. Why not make a set of premium turning or carving tools all with dogwood handles? Guaranteed they would look beautiful and work great.
