I have been making furniture with Russian Olive wood for several years and have found it to be very hard, beautiful, and nice to work with. The biggest problem is finding trees that are large enough to have cut into dimensional lumber. It is important to cure it in a dry place for at least a year. When green it tends to warp a bit. I find that it has a beautiful grain and looks similar to oak. I have used it to make tables, chairs, picture frames, vanities, mirror frames, etc. A really neat look is to leave the bright yellow wood just under the bark intact on the outside of tables. The bright yellow wood really makes the rich chocolate color of the heart-wood pop. Kent.
