The hornbeam pieces I had were no larger than 6 inches in diameter or so, cut into 18 or 24 inch lengths and then halved or quartered. It is usually an understory tree, often with multiple trunks, and none of them very large. I intended to use them mostly for tool handles. (By the way, hophornbeam is
Ostrya, a different species, with I think similar qualities. Hornbeam,
Carpinus is the one with "muscle-y" looking bark. It is easy to confuse them). I air-dried mine. Most of the pieces twisted a bit and I had some checking but I also wasn't careful to sticker or weight them. I did paint the ends.
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It works wonderfully and planes especially nicely, leaving a silky surface with almost no visible pore structure. It isn't particularly dense. I haven't done anything with it requiring chisels so can't speak to that. I have turned a few handles and though I'm not an accomplished turner I had no trouble making the handles I needed. Lie-Nielsen makes their chisel handles out of hornbeam, I believe, which is where I got the idea. The only finishes I've used with it are boiled linseed or just plain wax. BLO will darken it.
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I live in Oregon now, and brought my hornbeam pieces with me. I've used or given away most of them. I'm down to just these three sticks and I'd love to have more, but it doesn't grow out here, and as you say, isn't readily commercially available as far as I know, either.