princess tree- good for anything?

[Paul Saffold]

I have a princess tree about 10" diameter at the base that I'm going to cut down. Is the wood good for anything-turning,
spoon carving, firewood?
I see it listed as an invasive species but also for sale at nurseries.

[Tom Fischer]

We don't have that tree around here, but we do have plenty of Ailantus ("Lance" trees)
These things are called invasive because they grow fast and multiply quickly.
That's a good thing if you are trying to get a lot of leaves up in the air in a hurry.
But fast growth usually means weak trees.
I have a half dozen lance trees (40' tall) in the front with the tops snapped off.

I would use some of that stuff for practice cuts, joints, prototypes, etc, but I have plenty of white ash for the same purpose.
If you are going to want to use it, best to split it, or somehow get the side grain exposed to air.
That will help to keep the end-grain checking to a minimum.

[Mel Fulks]

If that's the tree also called paulownia it has some cultural significance to the Japanese and is used for some type of chest for brides,etc. it was in short supply before the the Japanese knew it was plentiful here. There are some interesting stories about residents of this country growing it to get rich...too many for anyone to get rich. I've never heard anyone say they find paulownia beautiful. But it's soft....so they don't have to buy those expensive Japanese tools!

[Kerry Phillips]

check out this video of an Australian surf board shaper. In spite of how soft it is, it may have some possibilities for woodworking:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WBuOwc6S9U&feature=player_embedded

[Kevin Bourque]

If you google princess tree or paulownia (sp) you'll find some interesting stuff about its use in Japanese culture. If you have a large tree it could be worth some $$$, but the small ones are pretty much just firewood. They are an invasive that grows well in poor conditions so it's not very rare.

[Paul Saffold]

Mine is small. I may try spoon carving depending what it looks like when I get it down.

[Frank Drew]

Paul,

Mel and Kevin are absolutely right -- royal paulownia, or Kiri, as it's know in Japan, is highly regarded in that country (and in China, where I think it originated). If I remember correctly, paulownia, cherry, pine, and bamboo hold places of special honor in Japan.

Kiri is very lightweight but has an attractive, ring-porous looking grain; in Japan it's often used for clothing chests and string musical instruments because it's remarkably stable even in Japan's humid climate: you can fit a drawer very closely to protect fine garments without worrying about the drawer seizing up due to moisture-caused expansion.

[David Helm]

The Pawlonia is also a very pretty specimen tree. In the Spring (right now) it has beautiful lavender flowers. If it were me, I would not cut it down.

[Anthony Albano]

I use it all the time. It stands up to weather very well so out door carvings without alot of detail work well. I also make boxes, it is extremely stable, and I think it has very attractive grain pattern. It will have a 1/2" void going down the center which I plug or work around. Very little checking.

[Paul Saffold]

Thanks for the comments and info. I'll try to save some of the wood. Don't have much room to store green wood. Extremely fast growing. The tree was only 5 years old. We planted it at the end of a flower bed. It has not flowered. It has sent out shallow roots into the neighbor's yard (and ours). I'll take some to the the next turners meeting this Saturday to see if anyone is interested.
Paul

[Mel Fulks]

Paul, I've heard that they bloom better without fertilizer .Its possible the flower bed is too rich for the tree.

[David Helm]

Thanks for the comments and info. I'll try to save some of the wood. Don't have much room to store green wood. Extremely fast growing. The tree was only 5 years old. We planted it at the end of a flower bed. It has not flowered. It has sent out shallow roots into the neighbor's yard (and ours). I'll take some to the the next turners meeting this Saturday to see if anyone is interested.
Paul

Takes longer than five years before they bloom. Mine has been growing for 15 years, started blooming two years ago. Magnificent!

[Peter Kelly]

Paulownia is definitely an invasive tree. I wouldn't hesitate to get rid of it.