Cottenwood?

[Johnson]

I was asked to turn a bowl for a person that lost a large cottenwood in their back yard. All I know is that there is sentimental value attached to the tree. In my opinion, cottenwood is barely useable as firewood and I have never turned it. Is it worth the effort?
Dale

 

[Barbara Gill]

Cottonwood can have unbelievable figure and chatoyance. Get a piece near a crotch. It does want to tear out so keep your tools real sharp and don't be too agressive. I usually try to turn plates out of the highly figured stuff as the figure shows up better.

 

[Joe Greiner]

Is it worth the effort?
Dale

Doesn't matter. Turn it anyway, as a noble gesture, and do your best. Follow Barbara's advice too, though. Wood that apparently has no value, can have hidden treasures. Grab the stump/root ball too, if possible.

Joe

 

[dkulze]

Usability for firewood only has to do with how clean it burns and how many calories you get out of it. Nothing to do with how cool it is as a turning wood. Cottonwood can be really beautiful and, like the folks say, get as much as you can.

Dietrich

 

[MichaelMouse]

Love making something for people out of their "own" tree. Best has to be a number of summers back when a white-haired gentleman pulled up in the driveway and addressed me with the last name of the former (15+ yrs) owner of the home forty. I introduced myself, and asked who he might be, only to find he was the child of the owners of this farm who left in 1940. Gave him a bowl out of one of the big poplars that had gone over in a storm, only to find that he and his brothers had planted the trio. He wasn't sure which was "his," but with the other brothers deceased, he felt it had to be the one from which the bowl was turned.

Cottonwood is like the rest of the family of willows and poplars, soft, long-grained, and really fuzzy when wet. Cuts clean and shiny when dry if it's straight, and not too badly if burly or curly. Since it's soft, it'll sand quickly.

Get something high-solids in as a sealer or be prepared to dump oil finish into it until you'll swear someone's pumping from the other side. Which can be pretty if you cut it less than a quarter thick, because the light will shine through.

 

[Mjonesrdg]

cottonwood

Several years ago, I was given some cottonwood, and being new to the craft, thought it to be punky. I got a couple of bowls from it, one which recently came back to me for refinishing. It surprised me (after all these years) at how pretty it was! Today I realise that cottonwood can be turned well, and produces some beautiful pieces, and I wished that I had asked for more. Have you ever turned box elder? It is quite similar to work with.

 

[Gretch Flo]

cottonwood

In March a cottonwood tree from Hinsdale, NH was removed from the high school. The principal and vice principal were retiring in June, and a friend sent me some chunks needing momentos for them. It was rotton in places and I made 2 small bark edged bowls (4-5 " in diameter.) Put brass fillings in the rotton areas, and told her to tell them it was in place of their gold watches!!!!. There was some color and flame areas. Couldn't make them too thin due to the rottonness. They were enthralled.

 

[Jim Stoppleworth]

They were enthralled.

Don't you just love it!

Jim

 

[WODAD]

Cottonwood

Interesting to hear that everyone seems to have good things to say about it (cottonwood) my expirience was not so good and with so much other stuff out there I decided not to ever consider it again.

I was going to make a small natural edge bowl about 8 in in dia. but while rounding the piece out a large piece came off and hit me in the chest. I decided it was a fluke and now the bowl will be a little smaller. Fired up the lathe and began to cut again only to have the same thing happen from the other side. Piece was green had been down about 4 months there were not any visible cracks in the area where she came apart. Firewood always has been always will be!

Frank D.

 

[Curt Fuller]

In the area I live Cottonwood is probably about the most common native tree. I've found that it turns well after dry and that the wood in the crotch areas areas and near the base of the tree usually has the most character.

The attached pic of the shallow bowl came from near the base, the HF is from a crotch.

 

[Johnson]

cottenwood

Thanks for posting examples of your work. I didn't realize that cottenwood had that much figure. I went to look at the wood and they left out the part that the tree had been cut down several years ago. All the pieces were severely checked from one end to the other. The only useable piece was a chunk of branch with a crotch that I think I can get a ring box and a pen out of. What a waste.
Dale