Anyone turned willow

[Steve Trauthwein]

Hello All,

I have access to some free willow and don't know anything about it. Is it worth picking up?

Regards, Steve

[Denis Puland]

you are getting. This is a crotch piece of Laural Willow. It is very soft but can have pretty grain patterns.

Denis

[Cody Colston]

I've turned Black Willow which is a pretty wood but terrible for turning. It's even difficult to cut out green blanks on the band saw because the wood is stringy and packs into the blade gullets.

The stringiness leads to a lot of tearout and fuzziness so very sharp tools and a very light cut are necessary.

When dry, Willow turnings are so light as to be surprising...I'm talking almost weightless. A platter or shallow bowl would make a good frisbee.

As you can probably tell, I'm not a fan of Willow.

[Bernie Weishapl]

I agree with Cody. I have turned some willow and it is stringy. It can be some awful pretty wood. Extremely sharp tools and a 80 grit gouge as Bill G. says. I would take a cut and sharpen then take a cut. If I had other wood I would probably pass on willow.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Steve - if it isn't a big problem to get a couple of pieces of the wood - try it out. Every person has a different experience and every tree is different - so you just never know. Could be some beautiful stuff!

[Jeff Nicol]

Well I will let you know what I think soon, my Dad brought half a pickup load of weeping willow over the other day! Some has nice crotches and the grain looks nice. Can't be bad it was free!

Jeff

[Burt Alcantara]

I've turned nearly an entire tree of willow. It is a soft subtle wood. I'd say cut up your blanks and let some age. As mine ages it develops a more pronounce figure. You will get interesting figure around knots, which are not a problem.

It may get stringy on you but ignore it. Use good shearing cuts to clean up tear out and good sandpaper (Vinces!!!). As my technique improves, my ability to finish willow improves. Lately, I've been finishing willow with clear poly as I like the paleness. Willow also looks great with a frictioned BLO to your liking followed by a lightly diluted fictioned on coat of SealCoat. Buff or not.

My willow supply is about 3 year old. I've got a stump out in the yard that's weathered rain, snow, freezing and broiling weather. One of these days I'll take the chainsaw to it and make a giant turning.

Willow -- love it and it will love you back.
Burt

[Curt Fuller]

It's stringy miserable stuff to work with when it's green. And it smells like the barnyard. But given some time to dry out it gets better. Even then it usually requires a few passes with the 80 grit gouge. There's beautiful wood in the crotches and the base of the trunk and it usually has some nice curl and chatoyance when you apply a finish.

[Stephen Johnson]

This was a piece of black willow that is so prevalent in this part of the country
http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u240/Kingk0ng_2007/DSCN1977-1.jpg