Ever tried carving a ring out of Arbutus wood?

by Mark
(Vancouver)

Hi Ron, great site here, huge wealth of useful info!

I'm thinking of carving a ring for my girlfriend, and was hoping to do it from arbutus wood. You mention that arbutus tends to crack as it's drying out... does this mean I should maybe choose a different wood (something perhaps more solid, like walnut or yew (?)). I'd prefer arbutus as it's local, and such a cool tree.

I was looking at your pendants, and they look really solid, as if you could be carving rings with the same wood. Have you tried it, or do you have any advice?

cheers,
mark.