Willow, what's it good for?

[TEO]

Hi, Has anybody out there felled and seasoned willow? How long does it take to dry out and when seasoned, is there anything to be done with it?
Since I'm not set up for turning is it any good for re sawing into boards?
I'm such an ignoramus that I don't even know what it looks like when sawn and planed. Don't think I've ever seen willow boards or furniture, is that cos it's useless?
And finally, is there a topic thingy dedicated to materials where I should be asking these questions?

Sorry if these are dumb questions,
Thanks. T

 

[jlawrence]

Never used it for anything else, but it's exceedingly good for cricket bats.

 

[TEO]

talking of which, who won in the end?

 

[Grinding One]

Stick Furniture...outdoor type

 

[TEO]

Really is that all? hardly worth the bother. thanks for taking the time to reply. Cheers, T

 

[tekno.mage]

It's mostly used green for outdoor items and baskets. I have a couple of bowl blanks in willow which I haven't got round to using yet. It's a very pale coloured wood and I've read it can be a bit woolly to machine and difficult to season without splitting.

However, there are a huge number of different varieties of willow and some may be more suitable than others. If you have a large piece, why not experiment with it?

tekno.mage

 

[John. B]

I make pens from willow, a very white wood with occasional flecks.
Fluffy to cut, but turns easily. Can finish like glass. I like it! :lol:

(Not into bat making :? )

John. B

 

[TEO]

Thanks Tekno.mage and John. B. I'll see what I can do with it.
Cheers,
T

 

[oddsocks]

Tekno.mag experience is the same as mine. I felled a willow a couple of years ago and then used my shiny new BS350 bandsaw to plank it (the wood was only about 1m long and just small enough to fit on the saw). It was very woolly and as it dried it split and twisted but eventually burned well! I did use a few bits for pens but nothing else.


Dave

 

[Tony Spear]

Hurdles!

 

[ferdinand]

Er ... coffins

I've mentioned elsewhere that I'm clearing out dad's tools and machinery.

As it happens we cremated him at his own request in a basket-work coffin made from Willow, which was quite beautiful.

They come in "oval" or "traditional coffin" shapes at a price not too different from normal coffins, and are far less toxic in terms of glues in the boards etc.

Photos below. On this occasion I'm asserting copyright for obvious reasons, so please don't reuse without permission.

Though, of course, you can't make this with your radial arm saw.

As to other uses, they seem to rely on the flexibility of the young wood, and water tolerance, flexibilty and resilience, or as firewood/charcoal. Examples are use in constructing reed beds, furniture as mentioned, and whistles. The most interesting one is probably tool handles.

I seem to recall that the tales of Robin Hood have him splitting a willow-wand with an arrow.

Ferdinand

 

[yetloh]

Bows, but not sure about the arrows.

Jim

 

[Derek Willis.]

Not a lot of good, it even burns too quickly.
derek.

 

[John. B]

Yew was the desired wood for longbows due to the heartwoods ability to store energy and the sapwoods springiness.
Earlier on, Wych elm or Ash were used.
Wooden arrows are made from Port Orford Ceder, but also, Douglas Fir, Norway pine, and Birch.
Birch is better for hunting arrows due to its hardness, ceder is softer but straighter so are better for target arrows.

John. B

 

[MikeG.]

Never used it for anything else, but it's exceedingly good for cricket bats.

Only one specific species......Salix Alba Caerulea.....which, I believe I am right in saying, is sterile and so has to be cultivated manually. This also means that all cricket bat willows are genetically identical, leaving them very vulnerable to disease.

Just thought I would share that with you.......anyone still awake?

Mike

 

[John. B]

HO-humzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

 

[davin]

Good for headaches, chew on a leaf..

 

[dicktimber]

Has good calorific values when burned, and is clean.
Scotland has a couple of power stations that use willow for fuel with more planned.
And some farmers are converting land to grow the stuff to supply the power stations. They plant them, cut them down and then they re grow so no need to replant.

As for woodworking...I don't have a clue!
Mikeee

 

[TEO]

Thanks for the ideas everyone, If I get anything good out of it I'll let you know.
Cheers,
T