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Tree of Heaven "Ailanthus altissima"

D

Dr_dewey

Joined
Apr 24, 2004
Messages
143
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0
Location
Toronto, Ontario Canada
Website
www.phoenixwood.ca
i picked up two short pieces about 16" diameter from our local wood recycling depot. One of the arborists there said it was a trash tree, Chinese Sumac, and was no good for burning. I asked him if it was any good for turning, he had no idea. Does any one have experience with this wood??
 
Yes, I have frequently turned it. Ailanthus is very stable; you can leave the pith holes in if you want. It does want to tear out so keep your tools sharp and don't try to take off too much wood at a time. It sands very well.
Ailanthus makes nice large salad bowls since it is a lightweight wood. It takes a finish nicely also. I use Velvit Oil.
 
what's that smell

Thanx for the info. It has wide growth rings and that was a concern as they usually give rise to a wavy finish. When it was roughed out i couldn't identify the odour for a while and then remembered the smell from delineating a cooling water plume at a sugar refinery in the harbour. It was mollasses or very close to that.
 
We used Paulownia for cabinets in one of our bathrooms. It really is a nice wood. I cut a tree down behind my shop, took a log up to my sawmill and cut it in half. I then took the green piece, turned it to finished thickness, sanded and put a finish on it. Then it went home where the humidity is low. The bowl maintained almost a perfectly round shape. According to Fine Woodworking, 4/4 boards will air dry in about a month.
 
Boy, What a Dope I Am!

I don't think I have ever mixed up Ailanthus and Paulownia before. Everything I said applied to Paulownia not Ailanthus.

I have used Ailanthus in flat woodworking but never round. When green, it stinks. Ailanthus is a trash tree. It is the first wood I have ever cut that did better flat sawn than quartersawn. There is a big difference between the early and late wood. It does finish nicely though and once dry it seems to be stable. I would suspect that it will have considerable warp when drying so you might want to go ahead and turn to finish from green. I don't even want to think about what boiling would smell like. 😱
 
Barbara Gill said:
I don't think I have ever mixed up Ailanthus and Paulownia before. Everything I said applied to Paulownia not Ailanthus.

I have used Ailanthus in flat woodworking but never round. When green, it stinks. Ailanthus is a trash tree. It is the first wood I have ever cut that did better flat sawn than quartersawn. There is a big difference between the early and late wood. It does finish nicely though and once dry it seems to be stable. I would suspect that it will have considerable warp when drying so you might want to go ahead and turn to finish from green. I don't even want to think about what boiling would smell like. 😱
Click to expand...

Senior Moment, Barb 😀 😀

Had me going for a few.

M
 
I've turned a little Ailanthus and I wouldn't bother doing so again. It tears out easily and even if you do get it cleaned up the final result is not terribly attractive. I tried turning one piece end grain and gave up on it - it was tearing out so badly I doubt any amount of time and care would have rescued it.

Graeme
 
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