Willow

I liked it. Stringy, full of water and a bit smelly, but pretty when finished. Really nice are the branches as ornaments, where the naturally low weight is an asset.

Bulletproof in drying, too.

Hi Henry

Willow you say? well there are something like 400 species of willow and of them there are approx. 100 species native in north America, most of them shrubs but still some 20 or so that can become tree size, and then we have hybrids etc., so your willow might not be my willow . Having said that, I have turned willow that looks almost like black cherry, little lighter in color, and weight, and softer, and it feels like silk, takes quite long to dry in my experience but no checking or splitting. You will need sharp tools and keep a sharp eye on your tool angles, no scraping, just cutting, and when you go to sand, start with a finer grit, if not, you really will score the grain and have a job trying to clean that up.

Have fun and take care Leo Van Der Loo

Henry wrote:

Waste of time and effort, IMHE. Lightweight and easy to turn, but the surface finish is terrible.

Thank you everyone. I turned 1 large bowl this weekend (15" X 6") and have enough wood to do 2 more about the same size. I will finish these two but don't think i will be going back for any more wood.

Henry

I had good luck turning green willow but I had trouble turning blanks that had dried for just over two years. Mostly dust and sanding was a real chore as I get wood for free the rest of the willow went in the stove.