Tree of Heaven, good for anything?

[Gerald Rutledge]

Hi all,

I do not need help identifying this tenacious tree that seems bent on taking over my property. It is definitely ToH, with the peanut butter stink and all. I am just looking for some info before I waste any more time on the stuff than I already have.

I did some searching here, and elsewhere, and Robo says he turned some several years ago but didn't say much about it other than the pores, but I have not found a lot of info "out there" on the wood in terms of woodturning.

I tried to dry a dozen 6" logs several months ago but it molded over rather quickly and I tossed it all. I had sealed the ends with white glue, but the bark itself got moldy. My basement is not terribly damp; the maple right next to it did not get moldy. I'll figure out how to dry it later, if it has any real value.

I have some hope it will be useful to me as practice wood, if for nothing else, since I am a beginning to start being a beginner. Hard, stable wood might not be as good as soft wood fir training, and I can literally go out the door and harvest whenever I like without feeling like I am wasting other stock that is more difficult to procure. Softer woods are more challenging, so I hear, but that's a plus for training, IMO, unless it is simply too soft. I suppose it will not give me as much practice time at the grinder as red oak or hard maple would, but I can live with that.

Am I on the wrong track? I need to get the Tree of Heaven population knocked down regardless. Just wondering if it should even go to the lathe at all, and I am hoping it might even be slightly better than trash, perhaps even minimally useful. Maybe the pores could be put to some clever artistic use? Maybe it is even simply pleasant to work with.

Thanks in advance for sharing your opinions and experience.

 

[Michael Anderson]

I’ve seen random turnings come up here and there, but have not turned ToH myself. @Kevin Jesequel made a pretty slick hollowform from Tree of Heaven a little while back. He might be able to give you some good insight re. his experience.



That said, I personally don’t think that soft wood is good for practice when starting out (aside from usually being super cheap or free). It can be more frustrating than other woods, and can reinforce the “60g gouge” crutch/habit, as you’ll inherently want to make the surface look clean. Once you gain some more experience with sharpening and technique softwood can be valuable, but I think something harder would be better for leaning. THAT said, if ToH is readily available and you’re looking to get rid of it anyway, go make some shavings .

 

[Michael Anderson]

Chris Sisson has also been turning some Tree of Heaven lately, and from what he’s written it doesn’t sound too enjoyable of an experience. Here’s an Instagram post:

 

[Kevin Jesequel]

My experience with Ailanthus Altissima (Tree of Heaven) has been a bit different than Chris’s. I find it to be a wonderful turning wood. I have not experienced any sap coming out of the wood. It is not soft, and turns a lot like ash (according to the wood database, it is slightly less dense, but harder than white ash). I feel that I can get a better finish off the tool than with ash. It can be sanded green without clogging up the paper. Like ash, it is ring porus and responds very well to wire brushing, sandblasting, and torching. I like the gray spalting (that turns silver with finish) that develops in the otherwise indistinguishable sap wood. I’ve been told that this was Dale Nish’s favorite wood to turn.

 

[Leo Van Der Loo]

I did get Ailanthus logs and turned it, I liked turning it, not so much the smell, (but that totally disappeared when dry)

It is a fast growing tree and the year-rings do stand out nicely as you can see, I had no problems drying it in my normal manner (using the brown paper bag to control the speed) if mold does appear (you have to check all woods for this) I wipe the turning dry with a towel/rag and exchange the bag for a dry one, as soon as moisture gets below 20% fungus or mold is unable to grow.

I always twice turned it as it has a tendency for year rings to dry uneven.

Here are some pictures of the pieces I turned, and if turned thin enough it lets the light trough.

 

[robo hippy]

Well, I didn't like the smell, and it has a lot of open pores, so, I don't consider it good for daily use bowls. They will take over if you are growing them. Very fast growing, and pretty much invasive.

robo hippy

 

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Well, I didn't like the smell, and it has a lot of open pores, so, I don't consider it good for daily use bowls. They will take over if you are growing them. Very fast growing, and pretty much invasive.

robo hippy

The smell does disappear as I noted, and not every bowl does need to be able to hold soup, the pores can be sealed as with other woods like is done, yes they will spread like others, good reason to make firewood or turn it, looks better than a bunch of other woods as well

 

[Kevin Weir]

Like Leo, I came upon several large chucks of Tree of Heaven and it was a delight to turn. I’d call it a medium density hardwood that can be sanded to a silky smooth finish. My supplier is taking down a large tree in a few weeks and I will be sure to obtain some more. I rather enjoyed the peanut-like smell, but I love peanut butter!

 

[Russ Braun]

My experience with Ailanthus Altissima (Tree of Heaven) has been a bit different than Chris’s. I find it to be a wonderful turning wood. I have not experienced any sap coming out of the wood. It is not soft, and turns a lot like ash (according to the wood database, it is slightly less dense, but harder than white ash). I feel that I can get a better finish off the tool than with ash. It can be sanded green without clogging up the paper. Like ash, it is ring porus and responds very well to wire brushing, sandblasting, and torching. I like the gray spalting (that turns silver with finish) that develops in the otherwise indistinguishable sap wood. I’ve been told that this was Dale Nish’s favorite wood to turn.View attachment 53839

How could turning forms like this be anything other than wonderful!!