How is Willow for turnings

[Omer Klee]

I had a tree service drop off some Willow today. A couple of pieces are pushing 30 inches in diameter.
Does it make nice turnings? I'm thinking about putting the outboard attachment on the Vicmarc to use and attempt to turn some large platters.
Mounting and turning tips are welcomed.
Or is it best delegated to the fire pit?

 

[Don Wattenhofer]

I tried turning some black willow and I found it to be extremely soft and stringy so I will not be bothering with any more of it.

 

[Omer Klee]

I tried turning some black willow and I found it to be extremely soft and stringy so I will not be bothering with any more of it.

This is Weeping willow. I haven't cut into it yet. May hit it with the chainsaw tomorrow, if I get a chance.

 

[Donna Banfield]

Willow thrives in swampy wet areas, so expect it to be not just stringy, but throw lots of water when turning.

 

[Richard Coers]

One of the few woods that turn easier when dry. Straight trunk sections can be very bland, crotch and of course burls are much better!

 

[Dean Center]

The willow we get seems to vary in workability from tree to tree. Our local willow is quite pretty, but as noted above, it can be so stringy/fuzzy that it's a hassle to turn and impossible to get a nice finish on. I keep trying out the pretty, giant pieces when they turn up, hoping that the next one will cut cleanly, and occasionally it does.

 

[hockenbery]

Willow can be quite soft. It is a good test of your bevel riding, attention to grain orientation, and your tool sharpening.

It can be turned nicely. It can also be turned with lots of tear-out.

Try a small natural edge bowl. It will tell you whether you want to turn it or not.

The wood can be interesting but often not.

Have fun!

 

[Tim Connell]

I've turned a few pieces of weeping willow, small live edge bowls and a few hollow forms. As mentioned above, very unimpressive wood unless you have crotches or keep the bark on for visual interest.

 

[Randy Anderson]

I've recently turned quite a bit of black willow. Not sure how it compares to weeping willow. As others have said it holds a lot of water. Be prepared to get soaking wet. It's stringy for sure and does not tolerate scrapers well. Can dull your tools quickly and takes some careful work with a sharp gouge to get a good finish. Some was stable and dried well. Other pieces cracked a lot during drying. It varied from tree to tree. Some had great coloring in the heartwood. Great for vases. I found walnut oil would not cure properly on it so used danish oil which worked fine. I sold almost every piece I turned. Most of it to folks looking for 9th wedding anniversary gifts. It's hard to get a good feel to the surface even with diligent sanding. It's very light so the weight to size ratio is "off" for most people when they pick it up.

 

[Don Wattenhofer]

Willow thrives in swampy wet areas, so expect it to be not just stringy, but throw lots of water when turning.

The black willow that I turned came from a swampy area adjacent to my township road and was cut to clear the right of way, so having a large quantity I tried turning some. The swamp was definitely in the wood and the pieces that I didn't turn actually sprouted leaves on the firewood pile.

 

[robo hippy]

Never attempted it. I did see a video on You Tube with an old Asian guy using a variation of a spring pole lathe, but his lathe had pedals/levers on either side and he pedaled with both feet for the back and forth rotation. He did a 4 or 5 bowl set end grain, and cored them. Really interesting.

robo hippy

 

[Leo Van Der Loo]

I have turned Willow wood several times, I think it is a good wood to teach cutting properly, rather than scraping it and using sharp tools.

Soft wood, yes it is, and like a few more (Catalpa or Butternut etc.) it is still a good turning wood that dries without a problem.

As for interesting wood, I'd find hard Maple more boring than Willow, and the low weight can be a good thing if the project is a larger solid piece.

There are a lot of Willow species but the large native Willow is the Black Willow, White Willow or Weeping Willow is the large European one and can be an invasive species, I have no experience turning it, I assume it is a lot like Black Willow, but I'm not certain of that.



Here are a couple pic's of Willow turnings I made, both burl and straight grained wood, finish is my goto Polymerized Tung Oil if any.

 

[Jim Woods]

While I have not turned any willow, a sizeable shop near my childhood home turned tons of it it for artificial limbs. Now they use composites, but they still go by the name Ohio Willow Wood.

 

[Michael Anderson]

Randy, that vase is beautiful, as is your burl bowl Leo.

Regardless of the how it turns, you should give it a try Omar. I always get excited to work with a new species, even if it’s less than desirable. And, if you find the willow stringy or hard to finish properly, find a way to embrace those characteristics. Cheers!