I'll vouch for Olivewoodturning as well, James Newburn is the guys name, known him for several years. Ray is dead right, its Italian Olive that he sells, the mill he buys it from has a very big customer. Israel. More specifically, Bethlehem or someone therein. Its shipped straight into Bethlehem and then out again with valueless certificates of authenticity. I am sure that there will be some shipped that is true to its description but the regulations about cutting Olive Wood in Israel are extremely tight that it is more than likely that it is rebranded Italian that you end up with.
Kevin - if you are after wood with Christian connections then I have a small limited stock of Judas Wood (Cercis silaquestrum), so called as it was reputedly the species from which Judas Iscariot hung himself from after he betrayed Christ. Native of Israel and the meditteranean basin it is grown in the UK as an ornamental tree (shrub) and has beautiful large purple flowers. It is also called the love tree. If you want two or three Sierra size pieces I'll gladly stick them in the post to you. In my opinion its better than the pictures that you can see on hobbithouseinc.com
