cotton wood?

[Phil Labowski]

Hey all, I just a quick question. How does cotton wood do with turning? I have a line on a good number of really good size pieces, but I don't want to go through all the work of making a blank, turning it and then find out it's too soft and will take forever to sand, lol.

[Michael Stafford]

Cottonwood is soft and prone to tear out but can be beautiful when finished. It is easy to turn and sanding is not difficult. If you can find some burly cottonwood it is magnificent.

[Doug Herzberg]

I've turned a lot of cottonwood. The stuff I've had has had very lovely grain, but others consider it a plain wood. I think it depends a lot on where it grew and how it died. The pretty stuff I've had has shades of dark brown in the sapwood near the bark. It will be obvious on the end of a log. The plain stuff is white like maple. It spalts gray.

The wood itself is hard, but difficult to finish. It has a fuzzy texture that requires a lot of sanding. Also, you will run into some end grain tear out unless your tools are very sharp and your cuts very light. For these reasons, it was often used by the early settlers as a secondary wood in furniture making.

For me, it's been a rewarding experience and a big part of my journey toward better tool control, but it also had cost me a lot of time in sanding. Here are some examples:


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[Jerry Rhoads]

I have turned a couple of cotton wood vases. It was very white with nice grain. Took dye very well and looked terrific with lacquer spray finish.

[Phil Labowski]

Okay, so it sounds like box elder, sharp/dull right/wrong either way your spending some time sanding. On the upside I just got one of those sanding things you put in a drill, lol. Thanks gang!

[Harry Robinette]

Phil
Where did Box Elder come from ? I thought you were talking Cottonwood.

[robert baccus]

Both can be a bear to cut when dry so cut to final size and wet sand if necessary. Both cut very well when green.

[Jim Phipps]

The cottonwood I've worked with has been straight grained, medium brown heartwood with very light creamy sapwood. It has wonderful chatoyance. Rough cuts are a dream but finishing cuts on green wood have been difficult for me because the fibers want to lay down rather than cut, even with my best sharpening efforts. Once dry, it cuts and sands alright but is prone to tear out if you're not careful. It's not my favorite wood in the world to turn but I do like the way it looks. Definitely worth a try IMHO.