Gopherwood for CAW members

dave in fairfax wrote: snip

I spent a fair amount of last night looking through books and websites to try to pin down the gopherwood. The leaf is most like that of the Catalpa or Redbud. I suspect that what it is is a Redbud rather than anything else. Again, if you get the chance grab some this morning before the county does. Bring a chainsaw, these are large peices.

Dave in Fairfax

dave in fairfax wrote: snip OK, I went back out a collected leaves and all. Took them over to Jeury at Colonial Hardwoods after talking to my BIL, a cabinetmaker. Jeury and Felix looked them over, we looked over wood samples and came up with, drum roll please, Paulownia. Not Basswood, Redbud, Catalpa or any other thing. Apparently it was imported to this country as well ands has a large heart-shaped leaf just like Redbud and Catalpa and Basswood. I was thinking domestic Eastern woods and didn't look for Zebras. What's funny is I told Rik while we were loading it up the first time, that it looked a lot like Paulownia, but that the stuff came from Australia. Theres a huge pile of it there as well as a lot of Osage Orange. Take Lee Hwy to Graham and turn right, go to Quincy and turn right, turn left on Roosevelt and pass all the piles of pine and maple that people are tossing into the street, it'll be opn the left near the top of the hill. County isn't picking it up until Friday and even then they may not so grab it while you can. Free Paulownia and Osage Orange, also cherry and cedar.

Dave in Fairfax

Whew Dave, I'm much relieved to learn that the wood is Paulownia and not Gopherwood. For a while there, I thought you, being near Washington D.C. had heard something and was building an Ark. Genesis 6:14 Arch

Fortiter,

Exactly my thoughts. It has been pretty rainy here in Kentucky this Spring.........I was thinking about looking around for a few thousand board feet of gopherwood myself.

Barry

"Arch" wrote: Whew Dave, I'm much relieved to learn that the wood is Paulownia and not Gopherwood. For a while there, I thought you, being near Washington D.C. had heard something and was building an Ark. Genesis 6:14 Arch

I'm delighted to have scored the Paulownia, but I'd still like to run into some gopherwood. As for hearing anything near DC, only when I let my medication slide. Of course it would be the perfect place to get a heads up from on high.

"Barry N. Turner" wrote:

The Gopherwood would be intersting, but I'm curious about the Kentucky Yellow wood that also gets called Gopherwood, along with about 3 flavors of wood in Florida/Georgia.

I did end up with some nice wood though %-).

Dave in Fairfax

Thanks, although it really wasn't intended as a gloat. I'd run into it in the past, and made the obligatory large salad bowl for a neice to go with a pair of curly maple and a pair of black wlanut individual salad bowls for her wedding present. It was nice to work and finished well, Behlens Salad Bowl Finish. Iwas just amazed to find it locally. Since then I've found out that it's getting fairly common here in VA. A nice thing indeed.

Dave in Fairfax

I'm not familiar with any wood in Kentucky known as Paulownia. I'll keep my eyes open.

Barry

I think you may have misunderstood me. Paulownia isn't local to Kentucky and isn't called Gopherwood. The guy getting rid of the tree screwed up. Paulownia is an imported exotic. One of the trees called gopherwood is Kentucky Yellow Wood. I hope that makes it all clear as mud. %-) Paulownia is a fast-growing, light brown wood that looks like a cross between walnut and pine. Wide growth rings , moderately soft when wet, dry and polished it looks like light walnut. It turns easily and the chips/shavings burn nicely in the grill.

Dave in Fairfax