willow

[Bigrhackler]

hi all has any one turned any willow ,my neibour has a large tree he is cutting down,,,any thoughts thanks Ron

 

[Mike Schwing]

In my opinion it is not worth the hassle of cutting it up into bowl blanks. It is very difficult to turn, extremely tear out prone and soft. I have seen a couple of nice looking bowls turned from willow, but I have yet to produce one. I will pass on it every chance I get.

 

[dkulze]

It's really very attractive but is a PITA to turn. I turn it but only when I can get burls or crotch wood. I can guarantee, though, that working with willow will give you lots of practice in improving your gouge and sanding techniques (or convince you to give up turning).

Also, be prepared to get very wet. It will spray a steady stream of water till it's almost done. If you can mill it and let it dry for a few years, it turns much easier.

Dietrich

 

[Steve Worcester]

I turned some willow several years back. Closed up the shop and went to lunch. I came back and the shop smelled so bad, I thought I had locked a 1000 cats in the shop.

 

[dkulze]

Sure that wasn't Oak, Steve? My willow had no real odor but, man, that oak can put out a stink! Smells like a combo of cat pee, vomit, and swamp. Scary thing is, I've actually come to kinda like it. Ewwww.

Dietrich

 

[ronhollenbeck]

Willow Bowl

I saw a "free wood" sign and picked up a couple of logs. Turned out to be weeping willow. The wood is very soft and light and a bit fuzzy. The logs I had were already quite dry but surprisingly no cracks. I didn't notice any smell at all when turning. Finished it with corn oil and was surprised at the dark grain.

 

[MichaelMouse]

It'll make a man out of you, and a privy out of your shop, as others have indicated. It's loaded with water, some of it pretty stagnant and fragrant, and it's also interlocked, soft and fuzzy-grained. Don't worry too much about the fuzz as you rough, it'll diminish when the wood's dry. It will teach you how to present an edge, and how sharp it should be, so experiment with your free wood. You can cut it and produce continuous shavings, it's just not as easy as with maple or cherry.

It looks great when dried and re-turned, though it will suck a lot of finish before the shimmer emerges. The thirty or so bowls I got out of my downed willow practically jumped off the shelves. It also has thick, cork-like bark that makes for wonderful interupted edge stuff, but you'll want to stiffen the soft layer with some shellac or CA to protect it as you turn and from customers when they handle.

It's almost bulletproof in drying, so no coatings or special care required. DO NOT DRY IT IN THE MICROWAVE, as it will quickly make the room uninhabitable, and the microwave used a permanent part of your shop as well as an endless joke for the spouse at parties.

 

[George Guadiane]

Burls

Every bad thing that has been said so far is true!!
HOWEVER, the burl wood can be very pretty and is actually worth the aggravation (IMO) I'm working on a weeping willow hollow form now.

 

[Bill Boehme]

Wow, the good threads never die.

It'll make a man out of you, and a privy out of your shop ...

It's almost bulletproof in drying, so no coatings or special care required. DO NOT DRY IT IN THE MICROWAVE, as it will quickly make the room uninhabitable, and the microwave used a permanent part of your shop as well as an endless joke for the spouse at parties.

It sounds like you know "someone" who shared his sad experience to save others from a similar fate.