Working with juniper

Soooo… I have the pleasure of not only living on Oregon,But also have juniper access in Oregon.

I plan on getting ahold of some and seeing what I can do with it.

WOOD like to make a lamp or something .

I only have a general idea on how to approach the project, and am interested in any books or tutorials on stripping and working with this wood.

If anyone knows of a good book selection or wood simply like to chime in and dialogue that wood be great.

I wood like to know if the wood I choose must be aged, I also am curious to know if the randomness of the patterns is common on most all of the tree.

Thanks