Willow ,Willow and some more willow !

[Dusty]

Good Evening all , I have been away from the site for a while due to work commitments so hope all is ok . Anyway ,I have recently been able to lay my hands on about 15 tons of willow , not the cricket bat straight variety but the bog standard run of the mill . It varies in diameter up to a couple of foot . Over the summer I will have a bit of time to spare and was considering planking it . I would be getting a sawmill in anyway as I also have blagged a 80 foot by 6 foot Wellingtonia which is being felled as it poses a threat to houses as it has only been given 3 years to live , so the cost of a planking it would be negligible .

The bottom line is , is it worth it , I have spent some time researching the net and have come up with alot of contradicting info but I do understand it is no good for fine wood working but it is used for some projects .

Thanks for any advice in advance .

Cheers Dusty

 

[blackrodd]

Found this link, Giant Redwood, renamed Wellingtonia around 1853, in this country.
Scroll down the page and its best use for tourism, apparently. Prone to shatter when felled.
Too brittle for construction.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sequoiadendron_giganteum
Regards Rodders

 

[Harbo]

I used some Wellingtonia a few years ago - some to make a bird table which has proved to be very durable and some to make a hall shoe cabinet.

It's very light in weight when dried but strong. It alternates between very hard grain ( winter growth ) and softish (summer growth) so not the easiest to plane.
I finished up sanding some pieces to avoid tear out.
Certainly worth a go.

Rod

 

[Steve Maskery]

Wellingtonia is horrid stuff. Red. Inyerface. Brash. Ugly grain. We've been given some for the Community Workshop, it's dreadful.
It is very light in weight. I once built a peacock coop in the Mohave desert (yes really) and we used that. I could pick up a 12ft board a foot wide with one hand.

 

[Woodmonkey]

I turned a small piece of dead wellingtonia branch wood into some candle sticks, it was nice to turn and did indeed turn out a lovely deep red colour. Wouldn't think that the willow would be much use for anything though.

 

[marcros]

I wouldn't plank willow- it is too fast growing to be much use.

 

[Harbo]

I found a photo - made this 8 years ago.
It is red, the wood was very cheap and I didn't find it that dreadful to work.

It does reside in a cupboard at my daughters.

Rod

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

I live about half a mile from....you guessed it...Wellingtonia Avenue

Massive and very graceful avenue of Wellingtonia redwoods that absolutely tower over the road they line. Bunch of branch wood had fallen which accidentally fell in the boot of my car and onto the lathe. I found it's absolutely lovely to turn. No appreciable sap and fabulous grain and colour. The reds are what I really like about it. It wasn't uniformly red either, swirly, gnarly, really interesting. Maybe its because its branch wood and a bit different.

But for turning, personally I'm a fan.

 

[lincs1963]

I don't think willow is even any good as firewood.

 

[rafezetter]

Wellingtonia is horrid stuff. Red. Inyerface. Brash. Ugly grain. We've been given some for the Community Workshop, it's dreadful.
It is very light in weight. I once built a peacock coop in the Mohave desert (yes really) and we used that. I could pick up a 12ft board a foot wide with one hand.

It's not THAT bad Steve! - from the pictures google threw up, red like cedarwood - grain pattern like pine....

 

[AndyT]

According to Edlin, writing in "Woodland Crafts in Britain" although the majority of willow was coppiced and used for basketwork. or made into charcoal (which is a bit late to suggest!) there are some uses for sawn boards.

He says it's excellent for situations where it needs to resist shocks, such as in the floors of carts where stone is carried, or in packing cases where its light weight is an advantage. He also says it does not readily catch fire, so is good for brake blocks bearing on iron tyres or drums for winding up wire cables.

He also says it is not durable in contact with the ground but lasts well if constantly wet, so was used for paddle wheels.

I think it might take a while to use up whole trees!

 

[JanetsBears]

I don't think willow is even any good as firewood.

It's fine as firewood, I've burnt loads of it since our willow tree fell over in high winds!

I've just searched for evidence online and found this interesting read for anyone with a wood burner and a fifth of an acre doing nothing: http://www.thewillowbank.com/willow.firewood.facts.htm

Just off to measure the garden...

Chris

 

[Phil Pascoe]

According to The New Silva short rotation coppice systems of the newest white willow clones can yield up to 18 tonnes of dry biomass fuel per hectare per annum - so it must burn OK.

 

[JanetsBears]

It does burn okay as long as it's seasoned, but don't sit down to watch a decent film and expect your fire to still be going when the film has finished - it generates about the same amount of heat as pine and burns equally quickly.

 

[Sean Hellman]

I use willow mainly for spoons and other small work. Works a treat with a knife even when seasoned. I once got a 2 foot diameter of highly figured willow. I had to split it into quarters to remove it from site and i am still sawing thin planks off it on the bandsaw. Makes lovely lids for boxes etc. I like using it, but it can be soft and easily dented once made into furniture.

 

[Dusty]

Hi guys , thankyou for your imput with the conundrum . It looks like I will let the willow go to the great fire in the sky ! As for the wellingtonia I have been given a rough price of what it cost to plank up in thicknesses of 2 to 3" and it comes in at a reasonable price of £240 . Now to me , that is a bargain as the amount of wood will be phenominal . I have also worked out that I can cut the smaller limbs into short lengths for turning . Transport to the local sawmill ( which will be a cheaper option ) is going to set me back £100 delivered and collected . The cost of felling is not down to me as it is going to be felled due to safety issues .

All in all it is going to set me back approx £450.00 , which I cant grumble for the amount of wood , less the small amount I sell .
Just to show you all , here it is below ....... the view from my house !


I have searched the net , and to be fair there is a mix of opinions of working with it , but there is also some great examples of what can be done with it , I suppose the best way to express it , is that you just need to be careful of how you machine it .

Once again , many thanks for all your help and watch out over the next 12 months ..........

Cheers Dusty