Wood Notes
Part 1b - Hardwoods
By
Jim MacLachlan
Started Jan03
At present, there are three main documents; Hardwoods Parts 1a, 1b &
Softwoods. This is the second. The first covers the References, Felling , Sawing & other
general notes as well as Alanthus through Grape. This part, Part 1b covers Gum through
Willow. The third is devoted to the conifers.
Table of Contents/ Index (Home)
Gum - Black/Sour, Sweet & Tupelo
Hackberry
Hickory & Pecan Holly Laurel
Locust - Black makes the best posts. Honey also native
Mahogany - lots of varieties & easy to obtain, includes Chinaberry
Maple - Hard, soft & Box Elder
Misc - Olive, Rose, Sumac, Teak, Unknown, Gingko
Mulberry - Red native, white & paper imported, all naturalized
Oak - Way more kinds than I ever knew
Osage Orange - 'Monkey Brain' or 'Mock Orange'
Paulownia
Pear Persimmon Poplar - Tulip, Magnolia, Cottonwood, Yellow & a bunch of hybrids
Sassafras –
SeaGrape Sycamore - Not the same as European Sycamore at all!
Walnut Willow -
Jim MacLachlan
Page 1
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
Jim MacLachlan
Page 2
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
Gum:
Both Black (Sour) & Sweet gum are indigenous to the area. Neither is any good for firewood because it
burns fast & has a twisty grain that makes it a bitch to split even with a hydraulic splitter. A species of Sour or
Black Gum is Tupelo (or vice versa). It is the same genus but Tupelo sold for carving decoys is very light & fine
grained. It comes from the south, typically Tupelo, Mississippi. All the carving wood comes from the trunk cut
below the water line. No one seems sure what they do with the tops of the trees, but it has more grain & isn't good
for carving. Black Gum here is very tough with a heavy, twisty grain. It rots pretty quickly & was used for wood
wheel hubs. I've never worked with it except as firewood when I had to. I don't know anything about Sweet Gum.
The Tupelo is also supposed to be an Eastern Shore tree. I believe it is also called Virginia & Marsh Gum, but read
the USFS notes for that. The Sweet & Sour Gums are not in the same genus, but are listed together here due to their
common names.
Oct06: Still haven't gotten any of either. Need to work on that.
(JL) {Sweet Gum.}
The sweet Gum-Tree, so call'd, because of the fragrant Gum it yields
in the Spring-time, upon Incision of the Bark, or Wood. It cures the Herpes
and Inflammations; being apply'd to the Morphew and Tettars.
'Tis an extraordinary Balsam, and of great Value to those who know how to use
it. No Wood has scarce a better Grain; whereof fine Tables, Drawers, and
other Furniture might be made. Some of it is curiously curl'd. It bears a
round Bur, with a sort of Prickle, which is the Seed.
{Black Gums.}
Of the Black Gum there grows, with us, two sorts; both fit for Cart-Naves.
The one bears a black, well-tasted Berry, which the Indians mix
with their Pulse and Soups, it giving 'em a pretty Flavour, and scarlet
Colour. The Bears crop these Trees for the Berries, which they mightily
covet, yet kill'd in that Season, they eat very unsavory;
which must be occasion'd by this Fruit, because, at other times, when they
feed on Mast, Bears-Flesh is a very well-tasted Food. The other Gum bears a
Berry in shape like the other, tho' bitter and ill-tasted. This Tree (the
Indians report) is never wounded by Lightning. It has no certain Grain; and
it is almost impossible to split or rive it.
{White Gum.}
The white Gum, bearing a sort of long bunch'd Flowers, is the most curled and
knotted Wood I ever saw, which would make curious Furniture, in case it was
handled by a good Workman.
Gum
Tupelo
Jim MacLachlan
Sweet Gum
Black tupelo
Ogeeche tupelo
Water tupelo
Liquidambar styraciflua
Nyssa sylvatica
N. ogeche
N. aquatica
Page 3
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
From US Forest Service: 2 entries:
The genus Liquidambar contains three to four species that grow in North and Central America [1] and Asia [2]. All
species look alike microscopically. The word liquidambar is from the Spanish common name in Mexico (indirectly
from Latin liquid and amber), in reference to the fragrant resin.
Liquidambar styraciflua-alligator-tree, alligatorwood, ambarwood, american mahogany, blisted, delta redgum,
figured gum, gum, gumtree, gumwood, hazel, hazel pine, hazelwood, incense-tree, liquidambar, mulberry, opossumtree, plain redgum, quartered redgum, redgum, sapgum, sapwood hazel pine, satin walnut, satinwood, splint sapgum,
splinted sapgum, starleaf gum, sycamore gum, whitegum.
Distribution - Sweetgum occurs naturally in the southeastern United States. Its range extends from New Jersey,
Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, south to Missouri, Arkansas,
Oklahoma and Texas, and east to the Atlantic coast.
The Tree Sweetgum trees grow to heights of 100 ft (30 m), with diameters of 3 ft (1 m).
The Wood General The sapwood of sweetgum is white to light pink, while the heartwood is reddish brown to
brown. The grain is interlocked, producing an attractive grain, but causing problems in seasoning. The wood is
moderately hard, stiff, and heavy.
---------Tupelo contains about 5 species native to the United States [3] and eastern Asia [2].
Nyssa aquatica-Bay-poplar, Bastard Cottonwood, Big Tupelo, Bowl Gum, Chickasawatchie Whitewood, Cottongum, Gray Gum, Gum Cottonwood, Hickory Poplar, Ladle Gum, Large Tupelo, Olivetree, Pawpaw Gum,
Rootwood Tupelo, Sap Gum, Sour Gum, Swamp Gum, Swamp Poplar, Swamp Tupelo, Trade Tupelo, Tupelo Gum,
Water Gum, Water Tupelo, White Gum, Wild Olivetree, Yellow?Gum
Nyssa ogeche-Gopher Plum, Limetree, Ogeechee Lime, Lone Tupelo, Ogeechee?Plum, Ogeechee Tupelo, Sour
Tupelo, Sour Tupelo Gum, White Tupelo, Wild Limetree
Nyssa sylvatica-Blackgum, Black Tupelo, Bowl Gum, Gum, Pepperidge, Plain Black Gum, Quartered Black Gum,
Sour Gum, Stinkwood, Swamp Blackgum, Swamp Tupelo, Tupelo Gum, Yellow Gum, Yellow Gumtree, Wild Peartree
Nyssa sylvatica var. biflora-Blackgum, Swamp Blackgum, Bouw Gum, Lowland Black Gum, Lowland Gum, Sour
Gum, Southern Gum, Swamp Black Gum, Swamp Tupelo, Tupelo Gum, Water Gum,
Distribution The eastern to southeastern United States.
The Tree Tupelo trees reach heights of 100 feet, with a diameter of over 3 feet.
The Wood General The sapwood of Tupelo is a light gray brown, while the heartwood is darker. It has interlocked
grain, with a natural tendency to warp when dries, especially when flat sawn. It shows a characteristic figure when
quartersawn. It has no characteristic odor or taste. It is moderately strong, but difficult to glue.
From The Plant Information Center (http://owl.ils.unc.edu):
Sweet Gum - Liquidambar+styraciflua
Sweet gum has interesting star shaped leaves that are sometimes described as "maple-like" because they are lobed,
but unlike maple, these leaves are alternate on the stem. The leaves turn an astonishing array of colors in the fall,
from pale yellow to crimson to a purple so dark that it is almost black. Sometimes the twigs have corky wings-straight, flat outgrowths from the twig surface. The spiny "sweet gum balls", the fruits of this tree, are conspicuous
on its branches and, eventually, on the ground below the tree. Sweetgum yields a seimitransparent, yellowish-brown,
sap, which probably gave us the name "gum" and the scientific genus name "Liquidambar". Although many people
are familiar with sweetgum along roads, farm edges, and yards, on bottomland forests it can be a huge tree--five feet
through and 140 feet tall.
Jim MacLachlan
Page 4
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
Tupelo or Black Gum leaves
Home
Jim MacLachlan
Page 5
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
Jim MacLachlan
Page 6
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
Hackberry: ????
(RU) Hackberry (Celtis occidentalis) Hackberry, as well as its cousin sugarberry, seems to have an identity
problem. When its grain is interlocked & tough, it is sold at sawmills as elm. When the grain is straight, they sell it
as ash. It is an outstandingly average wood in weight, hardness & decay resistance. This tree is found though out
the country, so if you can't locate the wood you want, you might try hackberry. He also notes that the bark is gray &
covered with warts. The leaves are thin & papery.
HACKBERRY, Celtis occidentalis (Family: Ulmaceae). Unlike the related elms, hackberries bear drupes and have
a warty bark. Although there are several southern species of hackberries, this the only one common north of
Kentucky
Hackberry
Sugarberry
Celtis occidentalia
C. laevigata
From the US Forest Service:
The genus Celtis is composed of about 75 species native to: the United States [7], Mexico and Central America [9]
and the northern temperate and tropical zones and south Africa. The name celtis is the classical Latin name for a
species of lotus.
Celtis laevigata- Almez Americano, American Celtis, Bagolaro Americano, Bois, Inconnu, Connu, Lowland
Hackberry, Micocoulier a Sucre, Palo Blanco, Sockernasslatrad, Southern Hackberry, Sugarberry, Sugar
Hackberry, Suikernetelboom, Texas Sugarberry,
Celtis lindheimeri-Lindheimer Hackberry, Palo Blanco
Celtis occidentalis-Almez Occidental, American Hackberry, Bagolaro Occidentale,Bar-alm, Bastard Elm,
Beaverwood, Bigleaf Hackberry, Common Hackberry, False Elm, Hackberry, Hacktree, Hoop Ash, Huck,
Micocoulier Occidental, Nettletree, Northern Hackberry, Oneberry, Sugarberry, Western Hackberry, Westerse
Netelboom, Zwepenboom
Celtis reticulata-Netleaf Hackberry, Palo Blanco, Sugarberry, Thick Leaved Hackberry, Western Hackberry
Celtis tenuifolia-Dwarf Hackberry, Georgia Hackberry, Upland Hackberry
Distribution The United States.
The Tree Hackberry trees can reach heights of 130 feet, with a diameter of 4 feet.
The Wood General The sapwood of hackberry is pale yellow to grayish or greenish yellow, while the heartwood
is a yellowish gray brown to light brown. The wood is straight grained, moderately hard, strong in bending, but
weak in compression. It also has high shock resistance, but lacks stiffness, with excellent gluing properties.
Jim MacLachlan
Page 7
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
Working Properties: Hackberry wood planes and turns well. It is intermediate in its ability to hold nails and
screws; it resists splitting from screws better than from nails.
Durability: Rated as slightly or nonresistant to heartwood decay.
Preservation: No information available at this time.
Uses: Furniture, millwork, sporting and athletic goods, boxes and crates, veneer and plywood.
Toxicity: No information available at this time.
Home
Jim MacLachlan
Page 8
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
Hickory & Pecan:
The king of handles, is a good tough wood, moderately rot resistant. I made a shaving
horse out of it once - an 8" clear log that I split with Dogwood gluts into all the pieces following
directions from the Woodwright's Workshop, Roy Underhill's book & show on PBS. I've since
tossed it when we moved & regretted it, but after 4 or 5 years sitting out, the legs were starting to
rot & weaken.
1Jun03: A tall tree came down across the lane up at the farm (beginning of the property
line from the small stand of woods (mostly Oak) just below the lane). Rip & I cut it up. I took a
couple of limbs & the 1st 4’ of the trunk home to work. I guess the tree was about 80’ tall & 12”
around. Rip says this is about as big as he sees them get in this area & Mom complains that it
makes too many ashes in the stove, but both he & recall that it is supposed to be the best
firewood – probably both from reading Eric Sloane.
The tree was aromatic & very easy to cut with the saw. The limbs were smooth-barked &
jagged in their growth, turning 45 at each joint. They bent easily but didn’t snap. The lower
bark wasn’t shaggy in the least, wasn’t even particularly rough. The sapwood was yellowish
with a reddish heartwood that wasn’t really well defined – kind of wavey. The leaves were 4
pairs with a 9th usually coming out the top (pinnately compound) & were pretty fragrant. Neither
of us were sure of the type of Hickory it was. Nothing in this document seems to identify it well.
My Audubon Tree Guide suggests that it is a Pignut Hickory, aka “Pale Hickory” (Carya pallida)
because of the size & where it was. I didn’t notice any shiny scales under the leaves but
otherwise it fits.
I turned some bowls out of it & they’re great. See my 2003 journal.
I got a couple of 12" x 8' logs from Bill Minor summer 2004. They're still sitting in the
back yard as of this writing, Xmas04. I was thinking of making some benches out of them,
haven't gotten around to it yet. The logs are pretty rotted on the wood pile summer 06, even
though well off the ground.
(RU) Hickory (Carya sp.) Nothing beats hickory in its combination of
exceptional strength, hardness, toughness & resiliency. The premier wood for
axe handles & other applications that call for superior shock resistance, it
is also used in making wheel spokes & the undercarriages for wagons. Hickory
must be very carefully seasoned; it shrinks a great deal & is subject to
checking & warping. Usually straight grained, it splits well when green.
Its value as firewood has been long appreciated. Hickory has low resistance
to decay.
(ES) Indians used to make an oily liquor pressed from the pounded nuts called
'paushiccorri' & our name derived from that. Many of the Sumptner(Main)
beams of barns were made from it. Young Hickory limbs with the bark on were
used for barrel hoops. Colonists would harvest them & the wood in the spring
& put them to soak in water. They'd pull them as needed. Splints were used
for chair bottoms, baskets & such. The Shakers used it a lot.
Hickory - can be recognized by the three large top leaves on its
compound branch. The Shagbark variety has brittle bark, a straight, narrow
trunk & vertical fissures. The fruits of the pignut & mockernut (not shown)
resemble each other, & the bark of each is somewhat similar to the pattern of
walnut bark. Hickory wood is an excellent fuel that burns brightly, & during
Colonial days it was used in most hearths for both warmth & illumination. In
tensile strength, hickory is on par with wrought iron. In autumn, the tree's
dress turns to many beautiful shades of yellow.
Jim MacLachlan
Page 9
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
(EOW1) Hickory (Carya spp. Family: Juglandaceae)
Although more than 20 species of hickory grow in the large forests of
eastern Canaa & the easter US, there are only four commercial species:
C.glabra (Mill.) Sweet produces pignut hickory; C.tomentosa, mockernut
hickory; C.laciniosa, shellbark hickory & C.ovata, shagbark hickory. These
four true hickories occur from Ontario to Minnesota, Florida & Mexico in the
deciduous forests. The trees vary according to species & grow from 60-120'.
They have a straight cylindrical bole with a diameter of 2-3'. C.illinoensis
is known as sweet pecan & pecan hickory; C.aquatica is sold as bitter pecan
or water hickory.
The very pale gray wide sapwood, sold as 'white hickory', is generally
preferred to the heartwood, which is red to reddish-brown - 'red hickory'.
It is usually straight grained but occasionally wavy or irregular with a
rather coarse texture.
The weight ranges from about 45-56 lb/ft³ but averages about 51 when
seasoned. Hickory needs very careful drying but is stable in service. It is
very dense & has high toughness, bending, stiffness & crushing strengths with
exceptional shock resistance. It has excellent steam bending properties.
The wood is difficult to machine & has a moderate blunting effect on tools.
It is also difficult to glue, but stains & polishes very well. It is nondurable. The sapwood is liable to attack by the powder post beetle, & the
heartwood is moderately resistant to preservation treatment.
Hickory is ideal for the handles of striking tools such as hammer, pick
& axe handles; also for wheel spokes, chairs & ladder rungs. It is a
valuable sculpture & carving wood; it is extensively used for sports
equipment such as golf clubs, lacrosse sticks, baseball bats, the backs of
long bows, laminae in tennis racquets & skis. It appears in the tops of
heavy sea-fishing rods, drumsticks, picking sticks in the textile industry &
vehicle building. It is rotary cut for plywood faces & sliced for decorative
veneers.
(JL) {Hiccory the best Fire-wood.}
The Hiccory is of the Walnut-kind, and bears a Nut as they do, of which there
are found three sorts. The first is that which we call the common white
Hiccory. It is not a durable Wood; for if cut down, and exposed to the
Weather, it will be quite rotten, and spoil'd in three Years; as will
likewise the Beech of this Country. Hiccory Nuts have very hard Shells, but
excellent sweet Kernels, with which, in a plentiful Year, the old Hogs, that
can crack them, fatten themselves, and make excellent Pork. These Nuts are
Jim MacLachlan
Page 10
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
gotten, in great Quantities, by the Savages, and laid up for Stores, of which
they make several Dishes and Banquets. One of these I cannot forbear
mentioning; it is this: They take these Nuts, and break them very small
betwixt two Stones, till the Shells and Kernels are indifferent small; And
this Powder you are presented withal in their Cabins, in little wooden
Dishes; the Kernel dissolves in your Mouth, and the Shell is spit out. This
tastes as well as any Almond. Another Dish is the Soup which they make of
these Nuts, beaten, and put into Venison-Broth, which dissolves the Nut, and
thickens, whilst the Shell precipitates, and remains at the bottom. This
Broth tastes very rich.
{Red Hiccory.} There is another sort, which we call red Hiccory, the Heart
thereof being very red, firm and durable; of which Walking-Sticks, Mortars,
Pestils, and several other fine Turnery-wares are made. The third is call'd
the Flying-bark'd Hiccory, from its brittle and scaly Bark. It bears a Nut
with a bitter Kernel and a soft Shell, like a French Walnut. Of this Wood,
Coggs for Mills are made, &c. The Leaves smell very fragrant.
Hickory
Pecan
Mockernut
Pignut
Shagbark
Shellbark
Bitternut Hickory
Nutmeg hickory
Water hickory
Pecan
Carya tomentosa
C. glabra
C. ovata
C. laciniosa
Carya cordiformis
C. myristicaeformis
C. aquatica
C. illinoensis
From the US Forest Service:
Hickory (Carya spp.) is composed of at least 16 species native to Asia [4], Central America [4] and North America
[1]). The word carya is from the Greek name for nut. This group can be split into the true hickories and the pecans
based on microanatomy. (B. papyrifera). Other birches of some commercial importance are river birch (B. nigra),
gray birch (B. populifolia), and western paper birch (B. papyrifera var. commutata).
True Hickory Group (earlywood without parenchyma bands):
Carya glabra–bitternut, black hickory, broom hickory, brown hickory, coast pignut hickory, false shagbark, hard
shell, little pignut, little shagbark, nutmeg hickory, oval pignut hickory, pignut, pignut hickory, red hickory, redheart
hickory, small fruited hickory, small pignut, smoothbark hickory, swamp hickory, sweet hickory, sweet pignut,
sweet pignut hickory, switch-bud hickory, true hickory, white hickory.
Carya lacinosa–big shagbark, big shagbark hickory, big shellbark, big shellbark hickory, bigleaf shagbark hickory,
bottom shellbark, king nut, ridge hickory, shellbark hickory, thickbark hickory, thick shellbark, thick shellbark
hickory, true hickory, western shellbark.
Carya ovata–bird’s eye hickory, Carolina hickory, curly hickory, littlenut shagbark hickory, little pignut, little
shagbark, mockernut hickory, red hickory, redheart hickory, scalybark hickory, shagbark, shagbark hickory,
shagbark walnut, shellbark, shellbark hickory, shellbark tree, skid hickory, small pignut, small pignut hickory,
southern hickory, southern shagbark hickory, southern shellbark, sweet walnut,true hickory, upland hickory, white
hickory, whiteheart hickory, white walnut.
Carya tomentosa –big-bud, big hickory, black hickory, bullnut, common hickory, hardbark hickory, hickory-nut,
hognut, mockernut, mockernut hickory, red hickory, true hickory, white hickory, whiteheart hickory
Jim MacLachlan
Page 11
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
Pecan Hickory Group (earlywood with parenchyma bands):
Carya aquatica–bitter pecan, bitter water hickory, faux hickory, lowground hickory, lowland hickory, noot hickory,
not hickory, pecan, pecan hickory, pignut hickory, swamp hickory, water bitternut, water hickory, wild pecan.
Carya cordiformis–bitter hickory, bitternut, bitternut hickory, bitter pecan tree, bitter pignut, butternut, butternut
hickory, highland hickory, pig hickory, pignut,pignut hickory, pig walnut, redheart hickory,swamp hickory, white
hickory, yellow bud hickory.
Carya floridana–Florida hickory, scrub hickory.
Carya illinoensis–faux hickory, pecan, pecan hickory, pecan nut, pecan tree, sweet pecan.
Carya myristicaeformis –bitter water hickory, bitter waternut, blasted pecan, nutmeg hickory, scalybark hickory,
shagbark, shagbark hickory, shellbark hickory, swamp hickory, upland hickory.
Carya pallida –pale hickory, paleleaf hickory, pallid hickory, pignut hickory, sand hickory.
Carya texana –black hickory, buckley hickory, pignut hickory, Texas hickory.
Distribution Eastern to Midwestern United States.
The Tree Hickory trees can reach a height of 140 ft (43 m), with a diameter of 4 ft (1.2 m).
The Wood - The sapwood of hickory is white, tinged with brown, while the heartwood is pale to reddish brown.
The wood is known for its strength and shock resistance. It is difficult to dry or season. It rates above average in
most working properties, except in shaping and nail-holding ability. The wood of pecans is rated slightly below that
of true hickories.
Hickory
Botanical Name:
Other Names:
Natural
Characteristics:
Color:
Workability:
Finishing Qualities:
Durability:
Uses:
Comments:
Price:
Jim MacLachlan
Carya spp.
Red, White Hickory.
Coarse texture, grain is relatively straight.
Heartwood: brownish color
Sapwood: light brown
Use very sharp blades. Bends well.
Cabinetry, tool handles, sports equipment.
Shavings are often used for smoking meat.
Inexpensive
Page 12
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
Botanical Name:
Other Names:
Natural
Characteristics
Color:
Workability:
Finishing Qualities:
Durability:
Uses:
Comments:
Price:
Carya spp.
Hickory/ Pecan, sweet pecan, bitter pecan.
Generally straight grain, sometimes Pecan will have a curvy mottled figure.
White sapwood, reddish brown heartwood.
Cabinets, furniture, drumsticks, turning, veneer.
A member of the Hickory genus.
Moderate
Home
Jim MacLachlan
Page 13
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
Holly:
It is indigenous to the area, slow growing & a very white wood. Might be protected. There are male &
female trees, only one getting the berries. I've rarely seen it get over about 4 or 5" in diameter. I think the wood is
soft, but I've never worked it.
Mar03, was driving into Jacksonville along Sweet Air Road. Between Manor & the firehouse, the north
side has a bunch of Holly trees in the yards. Some of these are 40' tall & likely 8 - 10" in diameter. Usually they
don't get this big here as a cold winter can kill them. I guess these are protected enough. The houses look fairly old,
generally brick.
11Jun06 - Sara Cox called me & told me I could have the logs left from them cutting down 2 large ones on
Corbett Road above the barn at Grandma Pearce's, Irish Ave & Corbett Rd in Monkton, MD. It's American Holly
from the bark. I went down & filled up my pickup bed. (see found wood 2006 Holly for pics.) from her & her
mother & aunt, Susie & Sally. Some of the logs were 18" in diameter but were all cut to short lengths by the time I
got there. I kept 6 or so for myself & still had more than twice that amount left. Here is a picture of the pickup
with all the wood in it. (Southern neighbor, Don Wetters at the right)
Holly is a gorgeous white wood that is very stable. I turned several bowls out of it & had very little
checking. I've even done a couple of snowmen, one 7" (or so) tall with the hat turned right on it & had only a couple
of minor checks.
I had way too much Holly to use myself, so I called Joe Stein, a turner who lives by (met a Jarrettsville
Firehall craft sale a couple of years ago) & offered some to him & the club that meets down at Woodcraft on the 2d
Wed of every month. Said he wanted it, hasn't shown up. Asked the club turn one piece to give to the girls. (never
did show. Gave the last free to Wayne Anderson.)
Called & emailed the York Woodturners. Jerry was the guy that turned me on to the IWCS & I've been to
one of their meetings. He didn't show, but Don Naylor, a fellow AAW & IWCS member who helped us out at the
Jan06 wood show, did. He & his wife are nice. Gave him a bunch for the club & asked the same as of Joe.
Called Art Lee of the IWCS. He showed up Thursday, 15Jun06, & we had a nice visit. Sent him home
with a few pieces. Tonight, 16Jun06, Dr. Court Robinson called me - see Paulownia care package. He'll be by next
Jim MacLachlan
Page 14
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
Tuesday to pick some up. He came & brought me a big chunk of Paulownia. We had a nice time & he agreed the
stain was too fast for a mold or fungus, had to be oxidation.
I also called another woodworker out of the AAW who is in Monkton. He was OK, but not terribly
personable. Didn't bring or offer me any wood.
I've turned 3 pieces so far. Excellent wood. Tight, very little difference between sap & heartwood
although the latter is a little creamier in color. I've heard Holly cut in the summer gets a blue fungus (same as what
I'm seeing in the Bull Pine?) & I am seeing a little color in the last 2 of 3 dried bowls. It isn't terribly even , but a
light sanding doesn't take it out, either. Court says he doesn't think a mold or fungus could move that fast so is
thinking it is a chemical reaction. <shrug> don't know & doubt the microscope will show it, but will take a look
see. So far, only one minor crack on the bottom of one deep bowl where the pith is. That was probably due to an
extra minute in the microwave. Went lighter on the others & while a thin walled one warped pretty good, it had the
excuse of a lot of knots. All look good.
Finishing test with clear Shellac, water based poly & quick dry, oil based poly shows, unsurprisingly, that
the water based poly leaves the whitest wood, shellac next & then the oil poly. I painted the first, natural edge bowl
with the water based poly & was about to do the second when Court called & then we had to go to Virginia
Williams graduation party. That second one has the crack which I closed with super glue. That left a deep, darker
stain so maybe I'll change my mind & finish it with the oil based poly which will hide that better.
So far, I'm very impressed with the wood. It's excellent to work, but pretty hard. I have to sharpen the
gouge (1/2" bowl gouge) after roughing & before the finish cuts, but that's it. It is pretty sappy right now, but no
liquid spinning out. Just enough to require some cleaning of the gouges with a rough brush.
The blue-gray stain seems to be oxidation of some kind. I'm seeing it mostly along the grain, at knots &
wherever I sand hard - cause heat. I have one bowl with a circular patch in the center, which was high & I sanded
down. I tried to get rid of the stain with acetone - no-go. Tried household bleach & made it much worse. All that
suggests oxidation to me.
The biggest problem with it is a blue-gray stain that gets on it. (I heard this was fungus, but it isn't.) Also,
tool marks show clearly (side of the gouge rubbing too much on the snowmen) & the wood is so hard that they are
about impossible to sand out. The stain is an oxidation process, I believe. I see it mostly where I hit it hard with
sandpaper. This shows too well, especially when it is partially on a knot or in the bottom of a bowl. Using Clorox
bleach on it makes it worse & causes more. Oxalic acid does take it out some & quickly removed the stuff caused
by the bleach.
(RU) Ilex Opaca
Southeastern forest tree. Important for ritual uses
(Holly derives from Holy). Tolerant of shade. Common component of the
understory of mature souther forests. Tough, but light & weak. Close
grained, ivory white. Used for furniture inlay, engravings, scientific
instrument scales &, when died black, to imitate Ebony piano keys. It works
well on a lathe. Can reach 100' high & 4' in diameter.
(ES) American Holly - is the best known of about fifteen varieties of
holly. It reaches about twenty to fifty feet in height, with nearly
horizontal limbs & an ash-gray bark, somewhat like beech. It wood is compact
with satiny textrue, and is used for wood engraving, inlay work, screws &
tool handles.
Jim MacLachlan
Page 15
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
(JL) {Holly.}
Of Holly we have two sorts; one having a large Leaf, the other
a smaller. They grow very thick in our low Woods. Many of them are very
strait, and two Foot Diameter. They make good Trenchers, and other TurneryWare.
Holly
American
Ilex opaca
From the US Forest Service:
The genus Ilex contains over 350 species native to: North America [26], Europe [1], tropical Africa [1], Australia
[1], with the rest in China and Brazil. The word ilex is the classical Latin name of Quercus ilex L., holly oak, of
Europe, which has holly like leaves.
Ilex ambigua-Carolina Holly, Large-leaf Holly, Mountain Holly, Mountain Privet, Mountain Winterberry, Myrtle
Holly, Sand Holly
Ilex amelanchier-Sarvis Holly, Serviceberry Holly
Ilex aquifolium-European Holly (introduced in colonies)
Ilex cassine-Alabama Dahoon, Cassena-bush, Cassena Holly, Christmasberry, Dahoon, Dahoon Holly, Florida
Holly, Hendersonwood, Yaupon
Ilex coriacea-Bay Gallbush, Large Gallberry, Sweet Gallberry
Ilex decidua-Bearberry, Curtis Possumhaw, Deciduous Holly, Meadow Holly, Possumhaw, Privet, Swamp Holly,
Winterberry
Ilex krugiana-Krug Holly, Southern Holly, Tawnyberry Holly
Ilex laevigata-Smooth Winterberry
Ilex longipes-Chapman Holly, Georgia Holly?
Ilex montana-Mountain Holly, Mountain Winterberry
Ilex myrtifolia-Dahoon, Myrtle Dahoon, Myrtle Holly
Ilex opaca*-American Holly, Christmas Holly, Evergreen Holly, Holly, Prickly Holly, White Holly, Yule Holly
Ilex opaca var. opaca -American Holly (typical)
?
Ilex opaca var. arenicola-Dune Holly, Hummock Holly, Scrub Holly
??
Ilex verticillata-Black Alder, Common Winterberry, Winterberry
Ilex vomitoria-Appalachian Tea, Bassena, Carolina Tea, Cassena, Cassena-bush,?Cassine, Cassioberry, Christmas
Berry, Deerberry, Emetic Holly, Evergreen Cassena, Evergreen Holly, True Cassena, Yaupon, Yopon
*commercial species
The following is for American Holly:
Distribution North America, from Massachusetts,
Connecticut and New York, southwest to Pennsylvania,
West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, Missouri and Oklahoma,
south to Texas and east to Florida.
The Tree Hollies have spiny evergreen leaves and red
berries on the female trees. It is found in lower areas of deep,
rich, moist soils in association with magnolia, oaks, sweet
gum, maples and hackberry. It reaches a height of 50 feet
with a 2 foot diameter. The bark is thick and relatively
smooth with rough wart like processes.
The Wood General The sapwood of Holly is white and the
heartwood is an ivory white with a bluish cast or streaks. It
has no characteristic odor or taste and is heavy, hard, close
grained and tough, with a low luster like ivory.
Holly
Botanical Name:
Other Names:
Characteristics:
Color:
Jim MacLachlan
llex spp.
White Holly
Irregular, tight, almost invisible grain.
Ivory
Page 16
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
Workability:
Finishing Qualities:
Durability:
Uses:
Inlay, decorative veneer, instrument making.
Comments:
Sometimes Holly veneer is died black and used as a substitute for
ebony.
Price:
Expensive
Home
Jim MacLachlan
Page 17
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
Laurel - around here it is mostly an undergrowth in the woods ranging from a couple of feet to
maybe 6' high. Never seems to get more than a few inches in diameter.
Jenn Lane, new owner of Rip & Mom's Farm (Sep04) says she's going to clear the
Laurels at the north end of the house. She said I could have them when she does.
I did get some in Apr06 or so. I was up at the upper end of the valley on the far side of
the creek clearing a path up to Bill Wright's for Marg. On the way back I saw one with a big
base that came out & made a 90 degree turn. I cut it as close to the ground as I could & made a
7" or 8" bowl about 5" or 6" deep out of the biggest part. I made a goblet out of the other part &
got another piece several feet long about 3" around. Gave a foot or so to Art Lee. Gorgeous
stuff, but I like the oil poly finish the best on it. Gives it a wonderful amber tone. I did the
goblet with the water poly & I don't like it as well.
From US Forest Service:
The genus Kalmia contains about 7 species native to North America. Mountain Laurel is the only species that attains
tree size, the other six are shrubs. The genus Kalmia was dedicated by Linnaeus to his student Peter Kalm (17161779), Swedish botanist who traveled and collected in Canada and eastern United States.
Kalmia latifolia-American Briar, American Laurel, Big Leaved Ivy, Burl Laurel, Calico Bush, Calico-flower,
Calico-tree, Ivy, Ivy Bush, Ivy Leaf Laurel, Ivywood, Kalmia, Lambkill, Laurel, Laurelwood, Mountain, Mountain
Ivy, Pale Laurel, Poison Ivy, Poison Laurel, Root Laurel, Sheep Laurel, Small Laurel, Spoonwood, Wicky
Distribution Southeast Maine west to New York, Ohio and southern Indiana south to western Tennessee, eastern
Mississippi and southeast Louisiana east to northern Florida and Georgia.
The Tree Mountain Laurel is a large shrub, occasionally reaching tree size (reaching 40 feet tall & 2 feet in
diameter) in the eastern US. The leaves, buds, flowers and fruits are poisonous to humans and cattle, but not to
indigenous wildlife such as deer. It has leathery, evergreen leaves and very showy flower clusters, making it a
favorite plant for ornamental purposes. It prefers acid soils from lowlands to 4,000 feet elevations. It grows in
association with oaks, tulip poplar, beech, sugar maple, white pine and sourwood.
The Wood General The wood of Mountain Laurel is heavy, hard, strong but rather brittle, with a close, straight
grain. It has a light yellow sapwood and a yellow brown heartwood, spotted with red
Jim MacLachlan
Page 18
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
Home
Jim MacLachlan
Page 19
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
Jim MacLachlan
Page 20
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
Locust:
This is a weed tree around here, mostly used for fence posts. It tends to grow in groves, although I think
Multifloral Rose is bad competition for it now. It has a very heavy bark & can get pretty good sized, 12 - 14"
diameter, but I think the heavy, straight grain doesn't make for good boards. Probably would make good
construction grade lumber except it gets hard as hell once it has seasoned.
In fencing, the posts are rot resistant & there are a lot of stories about farmers cutting trees up for fence
posts (probably to string barb wire or electric) & having the posts take root. I've never seen it. We used to get sawn,
tapered 4"x6" posts & put on red oak boards. Those fences were good for about 20 years with minimal
maintenance, unpainted, & could easily make 30 years with some care. Best not to put facia's or caps on them to
hide the joints, though. Just makes a rot spot, especially now that earwigs have moved in. (The only place I saw
earwigs as a kid was in Long Island, NY. Now they're all over MD.) The best nails for board fence of this type are
long gone since Sparrow's Point closed its nail factory. They made a slightly case hardened nail that was as long as
an 8d & as thick as a 10 or 16d. They didn't rust like a masonry nail & didn't bend up like most galvanized nails. I
might still have a pound or two around, but I think James used them up.
I've never worked Locust except as posts & now I got 2 small logs from Thomas' Sawmill. Made a small
goblet out of it a piece. As I thought, it was a lot like Osage Orange without the oil. Stringy & hard.
Talked to Doug Poole just before Xmas04 & he says he has lots of Locust & Walnut.
(RU) Black Locust (Robinia psudoacacia)The yellow, dense, coarsegrained wood of black locust is heavy, very hard & stiff. Its strength &
superb resistance to decay make it valuable for pole barns & sills. Its low
shrinkage during seasoning & its general dimensional stability suit it well
for such uses as pegs for timber-frame buildings & pins for glass insulators
on power lines. Locust splits well & makes excellent fence posts & rails.
It is good for machinery parts & any job that requires exceptional strength.
Not the easiest wood to work, but one that will last.
Honey Locust (Gleditsia Triacanthos)
Platy gray brown bark, thorns AKA 'Confederate Pins'. Widespread but
scarce. Leaves pinnately or bipinnately compound, up to 28 leaflets. Cattle
like the sweet seed pods. Seeds not digested & so spread. Wood is heavy,
hard, strong & hard to work. Attactive & interesting, but little used as
commercial quantities aren't available. Used locally for wagon hubs, fence
posts. Moderately resistant to decay, but not to the extent of Black Locust.
Spineless variety is cultivated, but rare naturally.
(JL) {Honey Tree a Locust.}
The Honey-Tree bears as great a Resemblance to the Locust,
as a Shallot does to an Onion. It is of that Species, but more prickly.
They bear a Cod, one side whereof contains the Seed, the other the Honey;
They will bear in five Years, from the Kernel. They were first brought (by
the Indian Traders) and propagated, by their Seed, at the Apamaticks in
Virginia. Last Year, I planted the Seed,
and had them sprung up before I came from thence, which was in August.
Of the Honey, very good Metheglin is made, there being Orchards
planted in Virginia for that intent.
Locust
Jim MacLachlan
Black
Honey
Robinia pseudoacacia
Gleditsia triacanthos
Page 21
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
From the US Forest Service:
Robinia is a genus of about 10 species native to eastern North America and Mexico. The genus Robinia is named for
Jean Robin (1550-1629) and his son Vespasian Robin (1579-1662), herbalists to kings of France and first to
cultivate locust in Europe.
Robinia kelseyi-Kelsey Locust
Robinia neomexicana-Locust, Mexican Locust, New Mexican Locust, New Mexican Robinia, New Mexico Locust,
Southwestern Locust, Thorny Locust, Western Locust
Robinia pseudoacacia*- Acacia, Bastard Locust, Black Laurel, Black Locust, Common Locust, Common
Robinia, False Acacia, False Black Locust, Green Locust, Honey Locust, Locust, Peaflower Locust, Post Locust,
Red Locust, Robinia, Shipmast Locust, White Locust, White Honey-flower, Yellow Locust
Robinia viscosa-Black Locust, Clammy-bark Locust, Clammy Locust, False Acacia, Honey Locust, Red Locust,
Red-flowering Locust, Rose Acacia, Rose-flowering Locust
* commercial species
Distribution Black Locust is native to the Appalachian Mountains from Pennsylvania to northern Georgia and
Alabama and to the Ozark Mountains of southern Missouri, Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma. Also in southern
Illinois and Indiana. It has been extensively naturalized in the United States and Canada.
The Tree Black Locust reaches heights of 100 feet, with a diameter of 3 feet.
The Wood General The sapwood of Black Locust is a creamy white, while the heartwood varies from a greenish
yellow to dark brown. It turns a reddish brown when exposed to the air. The wood is often confused with Osage
Orange (Maclura pomifera). It has a high density and decay resistance. It shows slight shrinkage and stays in place
well. It is very strong in bending and is one of the hardest woods in America. It’s shock resistance is almost that of
Hickory (Carya spp.).
Home
Jim MacLachlan
Page 22
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
Mahogany:
This comes in 2 varieties that I'm familiar with, although I've been told that I lump several species together.
Further research has shown me that there are a bunch & I'm not sure what scientifically constitutes a mahogany
since the 4 woods that I know that are called it all seem to be of a different genus. It isn't indigenous to this area, but
easily acquired. There is one naturalized species, Chinaberry is supposed to be a local wood, although I'm not
familiar with it. Don't think I've ever heard of it being sold at any of the local mills. Might be more southern.
I have some Honduran Mahogany (I guess) 3"x3" - 3' & 4' pieces, about 4 each from Marilyn McVey's
when she moved out of the Sayre place on Harford Creamery Road. I've been using them up in little bits. I made
some yo-yo's for Xmas 02, but they weren't very good.
In 03, I found some African Mahagony up at Chris B's. He had lots, but sold most of it. I got one board
about 14" wide, 6/4 thick & 6' long. Xmas04, I made a wall mount lamp for Marg out of some. I also glued up a
bunch & turned a hanging lamp for Jenn Lane. The lamp body was modeled off of one in the Ethan Allen catalog.
She liked it, but it was too big, so I scaled it down by putting sticky notes bracketing the picture, drawing off lines at
critical points & using a scale to figure out a new size. Wound up the 3/16 scale brought it right into the range she
wanted, a bit over a foot long. I just made the body in 2 pieces. Eric was supposed to finish it off. They seemed
really pleased with it.
Philippine Mahogany is also known as Luaun & is of the Shorea genus, I think. It is a light brown, soft wood that
is usually found as plywood. Very soft & lighter than the other, both in color & weight. Less strength, more porous.
As plywood, it is often called 1/4" but is actually a metric size & comes in at a hair under that. It's cheap & often
used in construction. It's very clear, sands easily & bends somewhat. Used a lot in doors & for underlayment.
While 1/4" is cheap, about $10/ 4x8 sheet last time I bought any (2000?) a 1/2" sheet was $32.
(EOW1) Light/Dark Red Meranti/Seraya/Lauan (Shorea spp. Family: Dipterocarpaceae)
A large number of species of the genus Shorea occur in south east Asia, which produce meranti, seraya or
lauan. Meranti is from Malaya, Sarawak & Indonesia; seraya from Sabah & lauan from the Philippines. These
timbers vary in color & density & are grouped as follows: light red meranti, light red seraya, & white lauan; dark red
meranti, dark red seraya & red lauan. These trees reach 200- 225' & 3 - 5' in diameter.
Because of the number of species, these details are very general; in the first group the color is pale pink to
red & in the second it is medium to dar red-brown with white resin streaks. Both have interlocked grain & rather
coarse texture.
The light red timbers fo the first group have an average weight of 34 lb/ft³ & the dark red woods about 42
lb/ft³. Drying is usually fairly rapid without serious degrade. Both timbers are stable in use, but the first, light red
group is much weaker than the darker timbers. Both types have medium bending & crushing strengths, low stiffness
& shock resistance & a poor steam-bending rating. They work well with both hand & machine tools, hold screws
easily & produce a good finish when filled. The light red timbers are non-durable & the dark red group are
moderately durable & resistant to impregnation.
The light red timbers are used for interior joinery, light structural work, domestic flooring, cheap furniture
& interior framing. The dark red group is used for similar purposes, plus exterior joinery, cladding, shop fitting &
boat building. Logs of both groups are used for plywood & sliced for decorative veneers for cabinets & paneling.
Honduran Mahogany is the 'real' thing of the Swietenia genus. It is a reddish brown, similar in color to seasoned
Cherry. It is lighter & less brittle than Cherry, though. Rot resistant, it's used a lot on boats. I got some 3"x3" - 3 &
4' long (4 of each) pieces from Marilyn McVey's place when she moved. I think they were left from Bob Sayre,
though. Made a bunch of yo-yos out of one 3' piece. The wood is very malleable & clear of knots. It's soft & light.
Reminds me a lot of Redwood without the sap. While it is pretty, I wouldn't use it structurally without some very
good joinery. Takes well to glue, screws & joints, but I wouldn't trust it to hold a nail well without a ring shank. It
does make nice furniture, but legs should be thick with plenty of bracing. A lot of high class dining & living room
sets are made out of it since it comes in wide, clear boards & takes a fine, if dark, stain. Take a look at any old stuff
like this & you'll see a lot of it has been broken at the pressure points. It might get brittle with age, but I'm not sure.
I've fixed a fair amount of furniture of this type.
12Jan03, I bought a 2x12 -8' of this from Chris today for $36. Pretty clear & damage free. He says his is
African Mahogany, but it doesn't look nearly as dark as the picture in EOW1 shows that type to be.
(EOW1) American Mahogany (Swietenia spp Family: Meliaceae) (we call it 'Honduran')
Cuban or Spanish mahogany (S.mahoganii, Jacq.) was brought to Europe by the Spanish in the late 16th
century. Since the 18th century it has been the most cherished cabinet wood in the world & is now rare. (Note: It
Jim MacLachlan
Page 23
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
became very popular in England about that time for 2 reasons: 1) The huge tax on imported timber which reserved
wood for the Royal Navy was repealed & 2) there was a bad frost that killed off a lot of the Walnut trees in
England, which had previously been the 'best' cabinet wood. It's interesting that the wood was great in many ways,
but the color didn't suit, so it was usually stained very dark using potash which covered a multitude of sins, looked
more like walnut & went better with the décor.) Today, commercial supplies are of S.macrophylla, King, which
occurs from southern Mexico south along the Atlantic coast from Belize to Panama; in Colombia & Venezuela,
Peru, Bolivia & Brazil. The timber is named after its country of origin. Forest trees grow to 150', but plantation
trees average about 100' with a diameter of 4-6'.
The sapwood is yellowish-white & the heartwood varies from pale red to dark red-brown in heavier timber.
It is mostly straight grained, but pieces with interlocked or irregular grain produce a highly valued beautiful figure
on quatered surfaces. It has a moderately fine to medium & uniform texture.
The weight averages 34 lb/ft³ when seasoned. The wood can be air or kiln dried rapidly & well without
warping or checking, but tension wood & gelatinous fibers can result in high longitudinal shrinkage. The timber is
stable in use. It has low bending strength, very low stiffness & shock resistance, medium crushing strength & a
moderate steam-bending rating. This is one of the best woods to use with eitehr hand or machine tools & sharp
cutting edges will overcome woolliness. It holds nails & screws well, glues well & gives an excellent finish. Liable
to insect attack, this timber is dureable & extremely resistant to preservative treatment.
Mahogany goes into high-class cabinets & reproduction furniture, paneling, domestic flooring, interior &
exterior joinery, boat building, pianos & burial caskets. It is excellent for carving, engraver' blocks & engineers'
patterns, molds & dies. It is cut for plywood & sliced to produce a wide range of fiddleback, blister, roe, striped,
curl or mottled figures in veneer for cabinets & paneling.
African Mahogany ((EOW1): Covers all the trees of the Khaya species. The bulk of commercial timber is
produced by K.ivorensis, A.Chév., which occurs in the coastal rain forests of West Africa from the Ivory Coast to
the Cameroons & Gabon, Known as Benin, Degema, Lagos or Nigerian mahogany; K.anthotheca (wew.) C.DC.,
which is not found in the coastal belt of West Africa & grows in areas of lower rainfall. It occurs in Uganda &
Tanzania & is known as krala (Ivory Coast), mangona (Cameroon), munyama (Uganda), mbaua (Mozambique),
mbawa (Malawi) & mkangazi (Tanzania). K.nyasica, Stapf. Ex Bakerf., occurs in Uganda & Tanzania. African
mahogany reaches a height of 180-200' & 4-6' in diameter.
The tree has a typically reddish-brown heartwood. The grain can be straight but is usually interlocked,
producing a striped or roe figure on quartered surfaces.
The weight of K.ivrensis averages about 33 lb/ft³; K.anthotheca, 34 lb/ft³; K.nyasica, 37lb/ft³ when
seasoned. The wood dries fairly rapidly with little degrade & is stable in use. The timber is of medium density &
crushing strength, has a low bending strength, very low stiffness & resistance to shock loads, and a very poor steambending rating. Mahogany works easily with both hand & machine tools. Nailing is stisfactory, the wood glues
well, and can be stained & polished to an excellent finish. The heartwood is moderately durable & the sapwood,
liable to attack by powder post beetle, is resistant to impregnation.
This is a very important timber for furniture, office desks, cabinet making, shop & bank fitting & for highquality joinery for staircases, banisters, handrails & paneling; also for domestic flooring, boat building & vehicle
bodies. Logs are rotary cut for plywood & selected logs for decorative veneers for cabinets & paneling.
Chinaberry - Another I've heard of but never worked with. Not sure if it grows big enough around here. It isn't
mentioned in EOW1 at all.
(RU) Chinaberry - melia azedorach - from the Orient, naturalized. In rural south. Yellow fruit is poisonous to
eat. Pits are used for rosary beads. Hardiest member of the Mahogany family. Fast growing, short lived.
Moderately hard & strong. Reddish & yellowish brown striped. Used locally for interior trim & cabinet making.
Often grow in classic umbrella shape. Sawtooth edged leaves.
Jim MacLachlan
Page 24
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
Common Name: Honduras Mahogany
Botanical Name: Swietenia macrophylla
Other Names:
South American Mahogany
Caoba (throughout Latin America)
Acajou (French-speaking areas)
Often named after the country it came from (i.e. Brazilian Mahogany, Peruvian
Mahogany, etc.)
Species
Scattered areas throughout central and South America including some
Distribution:
Caribbean islands.
Endangered?:
The species is secure in El Salvador and Honduras, but it has become
endangered or extinct in some regions of South America. (Bolivia, Brazil (some
regions), Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, & Panama.)
Honduras mahogany trees once had a distribution covering most of South
America. Supply of the wood is still plentiful thanks in part to plantation
harvesting.
Tree
Height of 150' with trunk diameters as large as 6'.
Characteristics:
Honduras mahogany prefers dry forests and can also be found in high elevation
stands.
Wood
Characteristics: Straight grain with a fine even texture. Honduras Mahogany is relatively free of
voids and pockets.
Color:
Reddish brown to medium red which darkens to a deep reddish-brown with
time.
Workability:
Excellent! Honduras mahogany is one of the best woods for machining, cutting,
and planing. Tools should be kept sharp, and a low angle should be used when
planing Mahogany with a wavy grain pattern. Honduras Mahogany can be
sanded very easily and efficiently. Routered edges are crisp and sharp.
Honduras Mahogany also turns well on a lathe.
Finishing
Excellent! Honduras Mahogany readily accepts a wide range of common stains
Qualities:
and finish.
Durability:
Very Good! The wood is strong and dense. It will dent with a sharp hit from a
solid blunt object. Slightly less durability than Red Oak. For outdoor applications
such as patio furniture and wooden boats this boat is an excellent choice for its
combination of strength and rot resistant properties. The popular Chris Craft
wooden boats were built from mahogany until the early 1960 when it was
replaced by fiberglass.
Drying:
Honduras Mahogany can be air-seasoned and kiln-dried without appreciable
warping or checking. Movement after manufacture is rated as small.
Kiln Schedules: T6-D4 - 4/4 stock T3-D3 - 8/4
Jim MacLachlan
Page 25
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
Weight:
Stability:
Uses:
Comments:
Price:
Shrinkage: radial 3.0%; tangential 4.1%; volumetric 7.8%.
Air-Dried: 30-52 pounds per cubic foot.
Excellent in kiln dried lumber.
Fine furniture, cabinet making, plywood, turning, boat building, outdoor
furniture.
Honduras Mahogany has become a valuable cash crop for many South
American countries. Plantation farming is working to supply the demand for this
versatile lumber. Many other species, such as Lauan, are marketed as
"Mahogany", however they often come from other wood families.
Moderate
Mahogany, African
Botanical Name:
Other Names:
Characteristics:
Color:
Workability:
Finishing Qualities:
Durability:
Uses:
Comments:
Khaya spp.
Ivory Coast, Nigerian, Lagos, Ghana, Mahogany.
Straight, tight, interlocking grain sometimes rough surface.
Reddish-brown to light brown color.
Furniture, boat building, veneer, joinery, plywood.
May tend to acquire a woolly finish when planing. Keep cutters sharp.
Home
Jim MacLachlan
Page 26
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
Maple:
We don't have great Maple around here, but it is pretty good. There are a lot of varieties it's lumped
together into Soft & Hard; Red & Silver are soft, Rock, Sugar & Black are hard. These are actual species of Maple
while Curly & Bird's Eye can come from any variety, it just depends on the grain & how it is sawn. I've heard folks
around here tapped the Sugar for syrup, but it isn't a real industry this far south. The trees don't tend to get as big as
we're a bit too warm & they often rot. Once the wood is cut & dried, it's hard to tell the difference unless you have a
piece of each on hand & even then it can be close. One way you can tell is if the piece has both heart & sapwood.
Rock Maple will have a dark brown heart while Soft Maple's heart & sapwood don't differ much. Rock Maple is
heavier & harder too. I’m not sure where Boxelder AKA Ashleaf Maple (Acer negundo) falls in this.
It's used a lot in furniture, strong but brittle, although not as bad as Cherry. It will burn some on the saw,
like Cherry & is hard enough that a cheap saw blade might chatter. It will split & tear out, unless you have sharp
tools, prebore & take small bites. I used it to make some stamp roll holders. I kept one & gave one to Claudia. I
also made some marking guages & other tools with it. It's a little pricey for me to do any big projects with. Very
hard wood, tight & fine grained, with little odor. If clear, it's usually a pretty, light yellow-tan color, but the grain
can get pretty wild & have dark spots in it. Makes good firewood, but can be hard to split if the grain gets twisty.
Takes a while to dry, too.
I'm turning some Soft Maple now for a chess set I'm making out of it & Walnut. It is much harder than the
Walnut & has a much tighter grain. Some parts of it turn well with a knife, but sections will have wild grain & have
to be brought down with a gouge. As the piece gets thinner, it also has a real tendency to chatter & you can see
some of the pieces have characteristic chatter marks on them. No way to get them out except by sanding & it is hard
wood to sand in those tight curves.
27Dec03: I’ve since turned several bowls & they’re the best for using. I think it is Maple, but could be an
Alder, I’ve heard. Looks like hard Maple & came from up by the brush dump at Mom’s. Came down in Isabelle.
Fall04: Made quite a bit on a bunch of Maple Burls from Alan Siegfreid at work. His parents live in PA
& the family home had several big Maples behind it that had to come down this year. I made up bowls as Xmas
presents for him. His parents like usable bowls finished with poly as decoration & for candy. He likes more artsy
bowls that have to be finished with clear epoxy because of voids & large sections of bark. I sold 2 like that at the
EHHC Xmas Bazaar for $50 & $75 each. Alan got one free & $50 for each other one - I think he's up to 3 so far,
but he wants more. The wood isn't terribly hard when it's green, but I know from experience that once it seasons, it
is hard as a rock.
In between the two ponds, right on the lane at the end of the railroad tie retaining wall, is a tree that no one
could identify. The wood was positively identified at the woodworking show on 9Jan05 by several people as Box
Elder as it is well known for the red/pink streaking I found running through it. This tree is still there although about
half of it came down just as Rip was selling the farm to Eric, Aug04. Brandon was cutting it up & noticed the heart
had the red in it. Brought some home to me. Since then I've turned a lot of bowls out of it.
Box Elder is Acer Negundo because of it's seeds, which are very like that of a Maple. Other common
names are Ash leaf Maple & Manitoba Maple. Pg 54 of 'The Wood Book', 335, 494 & 572 of The Audobon Field
Guide to NA Trees. I thought it was some kind of Elm because the wood was weak, very wet & smelled like Elm.
The leaf, to me, most resembled an Elm, although that's not far off an Ash. The bowls I made almost had to be
turned with the grain running with the bed of the lathe. I tried several with the grain perpendicular to the lathe, but I
think only one came out. That was natural edged, but I had to leave the bowl thicker than I liked. The wood often
cracked & moved a lot as I dried it in the microwave. More deformation than I've seen out of anything else. From a
working standpoint, I still put it in the Elm family.
10Dec05: Lois & Irma, 2 doors north of 4015 Federal Hill Rd, had a flaky barked, hard maple taken down
in their back yard. Whole thing has a dark, tobacco heart. I turned several items out of it & am not having great
luck with it. Turns nice but in drying, the dark heart doesn't shrink much & the outer sapwood does, so the bowl
splits. A thinner bottom doesn't even help much. The only piece that did work out was a splay topped vase, where
the bottom is just a few inches in diameter & the sides rise up several inches before flowering out. This still got
some pretty bad cracks, but they were livable, although a lot of work to cover with epoxy clear coat.
It's a shame it's so hard to dry because the center isn't just round, but sort of starred & when turning a bowl
with the tree growing parallel to the bed of the lathe, the center flares up the sides for a very pretty effect. I will try
turning some of it with the wood the other way, perpendicular to the bed of the lathe & see how that works out.
Probably won't be as pretty but should work.
15Jan06: Yesterday I turned some of the Japanese Maple that Dave gave me from his Mom's place. See
2006 Woodworking Notes & below for more on this. Very hard wood, somewhat splintery, but dense & strong.
Jim MacLachlan
Page 27
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
Finished very nicely. Was very dry as the tree was dead & without bark while standing, but cut pieces in bags still
cracked apart - brittle, too! Sat out on the wood pile since last summer, too. Dave tells me the tree is at least 30
years old, so I guess it is one of the original varieties, before we got caught up in too many cultivars.
Aug06, went over to Ma Kirshner's & she showed me the momma tree that the one I got came out of. Big,
red maple leaves, the original Jap Maple.
(RU) Maple (Acer sp.) The sugar or hard maple of the North is one of our
leading furniture woods. Its strength & hardness & finishing qulaities have
given it a place in almost every home. The uniform texture is easy to work
with & makes it an excellent choice for flooring, butcher blocks, doors &
other jobs where hard use is the rule. Since it turns well, it is often used
in chair making. Hard maple shrinks a great deal during seasoning.
Variations in the grain, such as curly, or "bird's-eye" maple are highly
decorative. Soft maple species such as red maple have many of the same uses
as the harder species, except that they are unduited for jobs in which extra
hardness is necessary.
(ES) Notes the syrup industry & also mentions the wood was important for
making syrup buckets & ladles.
(the following notes go with the picture from "A Reverence for Wood", 2
pages after this.)
Maple - all varieties bear two buds, directly opposite each other on a
twig. From these twin buds come twin branches & twin leaves. The leaves &
twigs are adjacent, but usually extend away from each other. Properly called
samara, the fruit of the maple, because of the way it hangs in clusters, is
also referred to as "keys" or key fruit. In autumn, the maple trees put on a
brilliant show of colors, making recognition easy - even at a distance.
Bird's-eye & curly maple are not distinct varieties, but rather common maple
with grain irregularities that give them these names.
Sugar Maple (AKA Rock Maple & Hard Maple) - has bark that
becomes - with age - deeply furrowed, gray, scaly & brittle. Its leaf is
about as long as it is wide; its limbs grow upward & outward. Norway maple
has a leaf similar to the sugar maple, but it is wider than it is long.
This, & also a milky juice that can be seen when the leaf stem is broke,
distinguish it from sugar maple.
Mountain Maple (Dwarf Maple) - is shrub-like with small-toothed
leaves & gray bark. Striped maple (Moosewood) is another midget-sized maple.
Its trunk is dark green, striped with white; its leaf is large & round
bottomed.
Silver Maple (White Maple) - this large tree is distinguished by
its deeply cut leaves. Its keys are very long, with one wing of this fruit
often shorter than the other. The leaves of the silver maple turn a dull
yellow in the fall season. Sycamore maple is also called "False Sycamore" in
the US; in Europe it is known only as the sycamore. It, too, has key fruit
that clings to the twigs throughout the winter, & its buds remain green. The
bark breaks off in small squares, making its trunk resemble that of the
American sycamore & thus accounting for the name.
Red Maple - has some red color through all seasons of the year. In
spring, the buds are red; in summer, the keys ripen to a deep shade of red &
the leafstalks & veins remain red; & this maple is the first tree to turn red
in the autumn. The Ash-Leaf maple (box elder) is an exceptional maple with
compound leaves. It is valuable as a shade tree because of the rapid rate at
which it grows.
(JL) {Maple.}
Jim MacLachlan
Page 28
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
The Maple, of which we have two sorts, is used to make Trenchers,
Spinning-wheels, &c. withal.
{Sugar Tree.}
The Sugar-Tree ought to have taken place before. It is found in no other
parts of Carolina or America, that I ever learnt, but in Places that are near
the Mountains. It's most like one sort of Maple, of any Tree, and may be
rank'd amongst that kind. This Tree, which, I am told, is of a very tedious
Growth, is found very plentifully towards the Heads of some of our Rivers.
The Indians tap it, and make Gourds to receive the Liquor, which Operation is
done at distinct and proper times, when it best yields its Juice, of which,
when the Indians have gotten enough, they carry it home, and boil it to a
just Consistence of Sugar, which grains of itself, and serves for the same
Uses, as other Sugar does.
Jim MacLachlan
Page 29
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
Jim MacLachlan
Page 30
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
(EOW) Soft Maple: More than 10 species of this genus in temperate Canada, Eastern US & Pacific Coast. Only
about 5 are important timber. Famed for their brilliant spectrum of multi-colored autumn leaves of yellow, goldenorange & red. Soft maple is provided by both Acer rubrum, red maple & A.saccharinum, silver maple, which is one
of the largest & fastest growing. It reaches 130' but Red Maple is smaller, about 100' with diameter 2-4'.
A.macrophyllum is Pacific maple.
The sapwood is indistinguishable from the heartwood, which is creamy-white in color with a close, straight
grain & indistinct growth rings on plan-sawn surfaces. The texture is even, fine & slightly less lustrous than rock
maple & lighter in weight.
Red Maple is about 38lb/ft³, Silver & Pacific 34lb/ft³. The wood dries rather slowly with little degrade &
there is medium movement in service. Soft maple is of medium density, with good bending & crushing strengths,
low stiffness & shock resistance. Good Steam-bending classification & works well with tools in all operations.
Moderate blunting. Nailing & screwing OK with care. Gluing is variable & can be brought to a good finish. Wood
is non-durable & moderately resistant to preservation treatment. The sapwood is liable to insect attack, but
permeable.
Attractive, softer & lower in strength than Rock Maple, but very suited for furniture, interior joinery,
turnery & domestic woodware. Numerous specialized uses include the manufacture of shoe lasts, dairy & laundry
equipment, sports & musical instruments & piano actions. Excellent light domestic flooring. Selected logs are
peeled for plywood & sliced to produce a range of excellently figured veneers for cabinets, doors & architectural
paneling.
Rock Maple: A.saccharum & A.nigrum, jointly sold as Rock Maple, AKA Hard Maple in UK, Canada & US.
White Maple (Sap Wood) (USA) & Black Maple. Rock Maple is one of the most valuable timbers growing east of
the Rockies in Canada & northern & eastern US. Canada's flag is the red leaf of A.saccharum. Sugar Maple is also
the source of maple sugar & syrup obtained by tapping the sap in the spring. Rock Maple grows to 130', 2-3' in
diameter.
The wood is creamy-white with a reddish tinge, sometimes with a dark brown heart. It is usually straight
grained but often curly or wavy, with fine brown lines marking the growth rings on plain-sawn surfaces. The texture
is even, fine & lustrous. Pith flecks are sometimes present.
It weighs about 45lb/ft³ seasoned. It dries fairly slowly with little degrade, and there is medium movement
in service. The wood is of medium density, has good bending & crushing strengths, with low stiffness & shock
resistance & a good steam-bending classification. It has a moderate blunting effect on tools, with a tendency to
create tooth vibration when sawing. Irregular grain tends to pick up when planing or molding on quartered surfaces,
a reduced cutter angle is recommended. The wood has a tendency to ride on cutters & burn during end grain
working. It requires pre-boring for nailing, but it glues very well & polishes to an excellent finish. Non-durable,
liable to beetle attack & subject to growth defects, known as pith flecks, caused by insects. The heartwood is
resistant to preservation treatment but the sapwood is permeable.
It makes excellent heavy industrial flooring, for roller skating rinks, dance halls, squash courts & bowling
alleys. It is used for textile rollers, dairy & laundry equipment, butchers' blocks, piano actions & musical
instruments & sports goods. It is also a valuable turnery wood. Selected logs are peeled for 'bird's eye' figure or
sliced to produce fiddleback, curly or blistered & mottled maple veneers for cabinets & architectural paneling.
Maple:
Hard
Oregon
Soft
Black
Sugar
Big leaf maple
Red
Silver
Acer nigrum
A. saccharum
A. macrophyllum
A. rubrum
A. saccharinum
From the US Forest Service:
Jim MacLachlan
Page 31
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
Maple (Acer spp.) contains about 120 species native to Asia [16], North America [13],
Mexico and Guatemala [1], and the European/Mediterranean region [6], with the rest in Eurasia, Malaysia and
northern Africa. The Maples can be separated into two groups based on the ray widths of their microscopic anatomy,
the soft maple group and the hard maple group. Species within each group look alike microscopically. Acer is the
classical Latin name of maple.
Acer barbatum- hammock maple, Florida maple, southern sugar maple, sugar maple
Acer circinatum- vine maple, mountain maple
Acer glabrum-bark maple, California mountain maple, Douglas maple, dwarf maple, mountain maple, New Mexico
maple, rocky mountain maple, shrubby maple, sierra maple, soft maple
Acer grandidentatum- bigtooth maple, canyon maple, hard maple, large-toothed maple, sugar maple, ultravioletalde
bigtooth maple, western sugar maple
Acer leucoderm-chalk maple, palebark maple, sugar maple, whitebark maple
Acer macrophyllum*- big-leaf, bigleaf maple, broadleaf maple, broadleaved maple, bugleaf maple, Californian
maple, Oregon maple, pacific maple, white maple
Acer negundo*-?ash maple, ashleaf maple, black ash, boxelder, boxelder maple, California boxelder, cut-leaved
maple, inland boxelder, manitoba maple, negundo maple, red river maple, stinking ash, sugar ash, three-leaved
maple, western boxelder
Acer nigrum*- black maple, black sugar maple, hard maple, rock maple, sugar maple, white maple
Acer pennsylvaticum- buckwood, goose-foot maple, moosewood, mountain alder, northern maple, Pennsylvanian
maple, striped dogwood, striped maple, whistlewood
Acer rubrum*-?Carolina red maple, drummond maple, drummond red maple, Oregon maple, red maple, scarlet
maple, shoe-peg maple, silver maple, soft maple, southern soft maple, swamp maple, three-pointed-leaf maple,
three-toothed red maple, water maple, white maple
Acer saccharinum*- creek maple, papascowood, river maple, silver maple, silverleaf maple, soft maple, swamp
maple, water maple, white maple
Acer saccharum*- bird’s-eye maple, black maple, curly maple, hard maple, rock maple, rough maple, sugar, sugar
maple, sugar-tree, sweet maple, thumb-nail maple
Acer spicatum-?goose-foot maple, low maple, moose maple, mountain maple, mountain maple-bush, spiked maple,
water maple
*commercial species
Distribution Throughout most of North America, with commercial species in the eastern United States and Canada
and the western coast of the United States (bigleaf maple).
The Tree Maples grow to heights of 120 ft (36 m), with a diameter of 3 ft (1 m). Forest grown trees may have a
clear bole of 60 ft (18 m).
The Wood General Maple lumber comes principally from the Middle Atlantic and Lake States, which together
account for about two-thirds of the production. The wood of sugar maple and black maple is known as hard maple;
that of silver maple, red maple, and boxelder as soft maple. The sapwood of the maples is commonly white with a
slight reddish-brown tinge; the heartwood is light reddish brown, but sometimes is considerably darker. The
sapwood is from 3 to 5+ inches (76 to 127+ mm) thick.
Hard maple has a fine, uniform texture, turns well on a lathe, is resistant to abrasion and has no characteristic odor
or taste. It is heavy, strong, stiff, hard, and resistant to shock, and it has large shrinkage. Sugar maple is generally
straight grained but the grain also occurs as "birds-eye," "curly," and "fiddleback" grain.
The wood of soft maples resembles that of hard maples but is not as heavy, hard and strong, the better grade of soft
maple has been substituted for hard maple in furniture. The sapwood in the soft maples is considerably wider than
that in the hard maples and has a lighter heartwood color.
Maple lumber sometimes has olive or greenish black discolored areas known as mineral streak or mineral stain,
which may be due to injury. Maple wood stains well and takes a high polish. It is intermediate in gluing and has low
decay resistance.
Working Properties: The wood turns well, is harder to work than softer woods, and has high nail-holding ability. It
stains and polishes well, but is intermediate in gluing.
Durability: Rated as slightly or nonresistant to heartwood decay.
Preservation: Moderately resistant to penetration with preservatives.
Uses: Lumber, distillation, veneer, crossties, paper pulp, flooring, furniture, pallets, boxes
and crates, shoe lasts, handles, woodenware, novelties, spools and bobbins, bowling alleys,
dance floors, piano frames, bowling pins, cutting blocks, pulpwood and turnery.
Jim MacLachlan
Page 32
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
Toxicity: May cause allergic bronchial asthma, dermatitis and rhinitis (40).
Botanical Name:
Other Names:
Natural
Characteristics:.
Color:
Workability:
Finishing Qualities
Durability:
Uses:
Comments:
Price:
Jim MacLachlan
Acer saccharum
Rock, Sugar, and White maple.
Typically straight grain, sometimes a wavy figure and a birds eye pattern.
Hence the name birds eye maple.
White sapwood with a reddish brown heartwood
Floors, bowling alleys, turnings, furniture, cabinets, musical instruments,
veneers, butcher blocks, etc.
Bends well. Pre-drill if you plan to nail through maple.
Inexpensive to moderate
Page 33
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
SUGAR MAPLE, Acer
saccharum (Family:
Aceraceae). Like all maples,
the samaras (key-shaped
fruits) are arranged in pairs.
This very useful tree serves
man as a source of sugar,
shade, beauty and an
excellent hardwood.
SILVER MAPLE, Acer saccharium (Family: Aceraceae).
Because of its habitat, it is also called "water maple". Note the
leaves which are deeply dissected; underneath they are a
silvery green. Because the wood is weak and brittle, it’s a
much less desirable and useful tree than is the sugar maple.
Jim MacLachlan
Page 34
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
STRIPED MAPLE, Acer pensylvanicum (Family:
Aceraceae). Growing as a small tree or shrub, this attractive
tree inhabits cool, moist places, and is more common in the
mountains.
From http://www.worldplants.com/mapleintro.htm
Japanese Maples
The term 'Japanese maple' mainly refers to cultivated varieties of Acer palmatum and its close relatives.
The parent of all these varieties, a species Acer palmatum, is pictured to the left and right, in spring and
fall, respectively. There are over 1000 cultivated varieties (cultivars) displaying a great variety in size,
habit, leaf shape and color, texture, and fall coloration. There are cultivars suitable for most cultural
situations, including sun, shade, container growing, and bonsai. The majority do well between USDA
zones 5 and 9. Japanese maples are small enough to fit into most gardens, and although they cannot be
grown as houseplants, they will thrive in a pot on a patio. In some cases, you don't even need more
than one cultivar to have variety. A number of them have one color in spring, another in summer, and
another in fall, and some even have winter interest.
Acer palmatum is extremely variable from seed, due to its genetic richness. This means that
seedlings of the tree pictured above will not necessarily look like the parent, although most do. A
significant minority of the seedlings will differ from the parent in color, leaf shape, habit, vigor, or other
characteristics. Japanese growers discovered this variability hundreds of years ago, and began selecting
and propagating the most interesting seedlings by vegetative means, mainly grafting. Growers all over the
world continue to do this to the present day, so that new cultivars are always being discovered and
introduced.
The result of this selection is a bonanza for both gardeners and collectors. Because there is such a
variation in size, habit, texture, and color, and because the trees are relatively small and thrive in different
exposures, a garden could concievably consist of nothing but Japanese maples and still have great variety.
There's a tree for every spot.
Collectors are not so interested in spots, but focus more on the trees themselves, and collecting Japanese
maples is pursued by many, with special value placed on rare and unusual cultivars. Of course, the
Jim MacLachlan
Page 35
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
collection can never be complete, because the genetic diveristy of maples assures that there will always be
more new ones. ("Cultivar", or "cultivated variety" indicates a variety that doesn't have a natural
population, but is maintained by propagation on the part of growers.)
Home
Jim MacLachlan
Page 36
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
Miscellaneous Trees & Shrubs:
Olive Wood
Botanical Name:
Other Names:
Natural
Characteristics:
Color:
Workability:
Finishing
Qualities:
Durability:
Uses:
Comments:
Price:
Olea europaea
Italian Olivewood
Straight grain with a fine texture.
Color varies in each piece. Alternating white and
dark brown streaks.
GOOD
FAIR
GOOD
Small turnings, carvings, and inlay work.
Olivewood grows almost exclusively along the
Mediterranean coast.
Expensive
Sumac The only use I've ever heard of was as small pipes, usually in the context of tapping Maples for syrup.
Home
Jim MacLachlan
Page 37
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
Rose:
I haven't done any thing with Multifloral Rose, but I'm looking for some big root balls or
trunks that might be turned. It was originally brought over to this area from England by stupid
landowners that wanted to create hedgerows rather than put up & maintain fences. It's taken
over & will give any native plant a run for its money. It likes sun & seems to do well in any
amount of water. Both the roots & the stems can root & send out runners. It's pretty in the late
spring with a lot of little white flowers & smells wonderful. Animals like it a lot, especially
birds & smaller animals. Great protection.
I've cleared a lot of it over the years & it is tough stuff. Best to clear it while green.
Killing it with a spray just makes the thorns sharper & the stems tougher. Large, older sections
are easiest to clear if one person takes a hard rake & pulls a chunk out to them. Another can then
whack off that hunk with a chainsaw. A sickle is the best one-man tool to clear back along a
fence line. Pruning shears are needed for the bigger sections. If you mow it with a tractor, be
prepared for leaky tires. Front tires that run along a hedgerow often go flat.
10Dec05 - David Kirshner gave me some a few weeks ago & I turned a couple of eggs
out of it. Still have a bit. Was a bit far gone, kind of grey colored. He agrees that the root balls
fall apart into individual plants when you get into them, so he doubts I'll find anything big
enough to do much with.
Habit and Form






a deciduous shrub
fountain-like form
3' to 8' tall
10' to 15' wid
medium texture
fast growth rate
Summer Foliage







alternate leaf
arrangement
odd, pinnately
compound leaves
usually 9 leaflets
obovate leaf shape
settate leaf margins
stipules present
bright green leaf color
Jim MacLachlan
Page 38
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
Autumn Foliage


yellow
not ornamentally important
Flowers





white, single flowers
1" across
fragrant
blooms in June
borne in corymbs
Fruit




red hip
0.25" across
egg-shaped
matures in August
Bark


pricles along canes
branches are predomitely basal
Culture





full sun
easy to transplant
prefers well-drained soil
pH adaptable
salt tolerant
Landscape Use




hedge
for flowering effect
specimen
for seaside planting
Liabilities



foliar diseases are common
invasive: the plant seeds readily into wild/waste places
nonserious pest problems
ID Features



recurved prickles
alternate leaf arrangement
red hip
Propagation


by seed
by cuttings
Home
Jim MacLachlan
Page 39
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
Ginkgo Tree Ginkgo biloba, Ginkgoaceae, Maidenhair tree
15Jan06: See Paulownia for letter from Court Robinson, but the piece I have came from him. Just enough for one
egg. Looking at the wood, I would NEVER have guessed it was from a deciduous tree, although, on closer
inspection, I'm not sure why. Very nice wood to turn. Note that the search in Google on this brought up links on
'gingko' & 'ginkgo', although the latter seems to be the correct spelling.
http://scidiv.bcc.ctc.edu/rkr/ginkgo/Ginkgo.html
50 Million years ago, Ginkgo trees ranged throughout temperate regions of the world, including much of what is
now the sagebrush desert of central Washington*. One species, Ginkgo biloba, native to southeast China, survived
the millennia, preserved for its majestic beauty in Asian gardens; all others went extinct. Even this species, Ginkgo
biloba , is no longer found outside of cultivation. When English botanists "discovered" the Ginkgo in Asia, they
brought samples back to Europe, where its value for cultivation was immediately recognized. Ginkgos have been
making their way back into the world's flora ever since as much prized street and lawn trees.
The Ginkgo is a broad-leafed deciduous tree. The fan-shaped leaves are produced in clusters on short branches, or
spur shoots, along the longer branches of the tree. The leaves are a delicate soft green throughout the late spring and
summer months. Their fall color is a brilliant gold. In Washington, the Ginkgo typically loses its leaves at
Halloween. Look closely at the vein pattern of the leaves. Starting at the petiole, or leaf stalk, note how the veins
continuously divide into two's. This vein pattern, called dichotomous venation, is unique to the Ginkgo tree. Other
broad leafed plants have one of three common vein patterns: palmate, where the main veins radiate from a common
point at the base of the leaf, such as the veins of a Maple leaf; parallel, where the main veins are parallel to each
other, such as the leaves of grasses; or pinnate, where the leaf has one mid-vein, and other veins branch from the
mid-vein, such as the leaves of alders or Rhododendrons.
Two small Ginkgo trees once graced BCC's campus. One, called "Baby Gink", was donated by a former BCC
student in the 1980's. BCC grounds personnel chain-sawed baby gink at ground level winter, 2002, asserting it was a
"traffic obstruction". The Ginkgo did not give up, Baby Gink responded to this travesty with several adventious
shoots, thriving in spring, 2003. The second Ginkgo was relocated a number of times by campus staff and failed to
thrive. Both trees were the area scheduled for demolition for the BCC student parking garage, June, 2003. Students
in the Biology 203 class and BCC grounds staff helped rkr salvage and relocate both trees (baby Gink literally from
the construction workers' trash heap). Baby Gink is still "fighting" and the second Ginkgo is doing well in its new
home. BCC purchased a small Ginkgo tree in spring, 2004, to replace the two removed; it is located near the NW
corner of the L building on the BCC campus. As of fall, 2004, no construction is scheduled for this location.
The largest Ginkgo biloba tree in this area is believed to be in Issaquah, located in the parking lot on the north side
of a bank on Front Street, just south of Sunset Boulevard. The preservation of this tree several years ago is an
interesting story of its own.
The Ginkgo tree is a related to the group of plants classified as gymnosperms, or conifers. The seeds of
gymnosperms (which means "naked seed") are not surrounded by a fruit as are the seeds of flowering plants, but are
protected by cones, or by a fleshy seed coat. Ginkgo trees are dioecious; male and female cones are found on
separate plants. (Most gymnosperms and flowering plants have both sexes on the same plant.) Although frequently
called a fruit, it is the seed coat of the Ginkgo that is fleshy; the mature seeds resemble small plums or cherries.
Unfortunately (for human noses), the seed coat decomposes at maturity, producing butyric (or butanoic) acid, which
smells like rancid butter, and caproic (hexanoic)acid, which smells like old gym socks. These odors probably
attracted a dispersal agent when Ginkgos lived in the wild. Today the odors attract chain saw operating humans. For
this reason, most Ginkgos now planted are male trees.
In addition to its striking appearance, and value as an ornamental street and lawn tree, the seeds of the Ginkgo are
eaten throughout much of Asia. You can sometimes find them fresh (minus the seed coat) at Uwajimaya, or in cans,
marketed as white nuts.
* On your next trip east on I-90, take the Vantage exit and follow the signs to Washington's Ginkgo State Park. A
few Ginkgo biloba trees are planted on the grounds. The visitor center has a magnificent display of petrified wood,
Jim MacLachlan
Page 40
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
and murals depicting the geological history of the area. From the visitor center you can also enjoy breathtaking
views of the Columbia River below. After a picnic lunch, drive a few miles up the old Vantage highway to the
Ginkgo forest trail head. Several trails lead through the sagebrush to areas where petrified logs have been excavated.
In spring the desert is in bloom, with dozens of species of wildflowers to enjoy as well as the petrified wood
displays. You can also find Washington's cactus species here (and a few rattlesnakes on occasion). Before your
return home, cross the Columbia River, take the first exit and head toward Wanapum Dam a few miles down the
road, passing through some fine sand dunes (and sand dune plants) along the way. Wanapum Dam has a good
interpretive center, with emphasis on the Native American populations of the area. If you have time, now return
back to I-90 and continue east to the next exit. If you get on the correct dirt road, after a few miles you can view the
largest slag heap of diatomite (diatomaceous earth) in Washington State. It is impressive!
Home
Jim MacLachlan
Page 41
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
Russian Olive:
Mom has a bunch on the other side of the little pond. I'm sure it's ornamental. Doesn't
get very big, isn't very pretty & I'm not sure if the wood is any good. I pruned a bunch of it back
hard a few years ago (2000?) & there should be some pieces up to 4 or 5" up in the woods brush
pile on a straight line out from the house through the grove, if they're not rotten.
26Dec03: Mom had them all cut down & all of it is dried & rotten.
From: http://www.hort.uconn.edu/plants/e/elaang/elaang1.html
Elaeagnus angustifolia Russian-olive Elaeagnaceae
Habitat



native to southern Europe through the Himalayas
hardy to zone 2
Special Note: This species has demonstrated an invasive tendency in Connecticut, meaning it may escape
from cultivation and naturalize in minimally managed areas.
Habit and Form





a deciduous large shrub or tree
over 15' tall and widespreading
rounded habit
fast growth rate
fine to medium texture
Summer Foliage







alternate, deciduous leaves
simple leaves
linear to lanceolate leaf shape
1.5' to 3" long
dull green to gray green leaf color
silvery underside
entire leaf margin
Autumn Foliage

no fall color
Flowers





silvery white flowers
small, but abundant
blooms in May
foliage tend to cover flowers
fragrant
Fruit





drupe-like yellow fruit
0.5" long
fruit is covered with silver scales
matures in September
edible
Bark




silvery, thin stems
thorns sometimes present
covered in scales
grayish-brown older bark
Culture
Jim MacLachlan
Page 42
3/6/2016
Wood Notes





easily transplanted
salt tolerant
very tough and adaptable
full sun
prune tolerant
Landscape Use




for silvery foliage
hedge or screen
seacoast or highways
for durability
Liabilities



thorns sometimes present
leaf spot, canker, aphids
verticillium
ID Features






Home
small, sessile, solitary, conical buds
suckers / invasive
alternate leaf arrangement
brown lenticels cover every part of plant
silvery look to foliage, fruit and flowers
yellow fruit
Jim MacLachlan
Page 43
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
Teak:
Last time I checked (1990), Teak ran about $8/board foot & is calculated in 3"
increments, unlike most woods. Expensive & available only in specialty stores or in lumber
yards near the water, such as Essex Lumber. Boards tend to be 3 - 4" in width.
It's a very dense, heavy wood filled with oil. I don't think you could stain it & I think you
have to glue it by wiping it with a cleaner & then using a special epoxy. Reminds me a lot of an
oily Osage Orange, although it isn't quite as splintery.
Home
Jim MacLachlan
Page 44
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
Unknown
There's a tree on the dam at the end of the ha-ha wall that I can't identify (turned out to be
Box Elder, part of the Acer family). One of the 3 big trunks that make it up broke off this
summer & it is a white wood with a smallish brown heart. Mom & Rip thought is was a Gum,
but it isn't. The leaves & wood are closest to an Elm from what I can tell, but Derek (who knows
more than I do about trees) says there are some un-Elm-like features. Something about nodules
& how the branches attach. The wood is soft & turns a lot like Elm, though. Very wet, takes
forever to dry even in the microwave & weak. I've tried several turning several bowls by
splitting a hunk in half & only one or two have come out. Mostly they fall apart.
What makes this so special is the red streaks running through it. I'm guessing that the
creosote in the railroad ties got to it because only the branches on that side show the red. It's a
bright red running to maroon. Most bowls have to be covered with clear epoxy because they
check up so bad drying. Have to leave them fairly thick walled, although I've had a couple come
out OK when done thin, but only when the grain parallels the lathe bed.
Home
Jim MacLachlan
Page 45
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
Lilac Tree
See Paulownia for letter from Court Robinson. Court sent me a piece of what he called a
Lilac tree. " The lilac comes from a tree form of the plant which was growing on our place but a storm required
its removal and I was able to get a piece about 15 inched in diameter. Check the odor, most interesting."
In looking up the tree on the web, the only thing I'm finding are two small trees that gets
about 15' high, so I'm not sure what he meant by this. One of the trees is a cedar (Ceanothus
arboreus . Island Mt. Lilac, Tree Lilac) & the other is called a Japanese Lilac tree (Syringa pekinensis - Pekin Lilac
is a related species that is also a nice tree form and blooms in summer with white flowers. It is not quite as hardy as
S. reticulata. ) None of these could make a 15" log.
1Feb06: Court called me after I sent him a note & told me his daughter, a landscape architect,
identified the tree as a Syringa Reticulata. It did only get to be about 30' tall & did have that big
of a trunk. See more here: http://www.hort.uconn.edu/plants/s/syrret/syrret1.html
Syringa reticulata
Japanese Tree Lilac
Oleaceae
Habitat



native to northern Japan
hardy to zone 3
plant does not like warm climates
Habit and Form







a deciduous large shrub or small
tree
stiff, spreading branches
rounded crown
20' to 30' tall
15' to 25' wide
medium growth rate
medium texture
Summer Foliage






opposite arranged leaves
simple, entire leaves
2" to 5" long
rounded leaf base
dark green leaf color
leafs out early in spring
Autumn Foliage

poor fall color
Flowers





off-white flowers
fragrant
blooms in early summer
flowers are borne in large terminal panicles
panicles are up to a foot long
Jim MacLachlan
Page 46
3/6/2016
Wood Notes


panicles can be up to 10" wide
showy
Fruit




capsules borne in large panicles
capsules have a blunt tip
capsules are a tan color
somewhat ornamental
Bark



color is a gray-brown
stout stems, that are shiny brown
horizontal lenticels
Culture






full sun
transplants easily
prefers well-drained, slightly acidic soil
prune after flowering
cut off old flower heads
somewhat resistant to mildew, scales and borers
Landscape Use





specimen
street tree
small groupings
for flowering effect
for high quality foliage and form
Liabilities

does not have as severe of a pest problem as other Lilacs

caterpillars
ID Features





always white flowers in large panicles
very large panicles of fruit capsules
opposite leaf arrangement
shiny brown stems with horizontal lenticels
buds have 4 pairs of scales and are brown and sessile
Home
Jim MacLachlan
Page 47
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
Jim MacLachlan
Page 48
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
Mulberry:
It's known as a 'trash tree' around here. The berries are pretty tart, but good. The trouble is getting them
before the birds do, so you don't find many jams or anything made out of it. The fruit has lots of seeds which the
birds then deposit all over the country side & you can find the saplings growing just about any place that hasn't been
mowed or weeded lately.
The wood is almost white & doesn't have much strength, although I've heard it is very rot resistant. I've
turned a goblet out of it & gave it to Jeff, a guy I work with, for Xmas 2002. I turned it pretty thin & it dried just
from the turning, I think. I may have microwaved it some, too. It came out very smooth & didn't warp at all, if I
did. Finished it with Howard's Feed & Wax. There were some barely darker lines of grain running through it & it
made a very pristine bowl. Some drying cracks became apparent when I was sanding it down with 400grit
sandpaper that only comes in black. They showed up very well, but were small enough they didn't detract much.
I've never done anything else with it, but if I get into inlays, I think I'll slice some up for that. As soft &
pure as it is, it should be pretty. Some varieties have a reddish-brown to orange colored heartwood. It also needs
more looking into as John Lawson notes 3 varieties & writes the Indians would use one of the
white varieties for bows. How to tell the difference before cutting? Leaves & bark LEARN THEM!
27Dec03: I turned a little of the Red Mulberry – see woodwork Journal. I disagree with
Roy, I think the wood is pretty hard – at least it feels that way under a blade of any sort. Splits
easy, though.
1Dec05: Bill McAllillister, our next door neighbor (north) cut down a pretty good sized
Red Mulberry to put in a garage behind his house. I got some of the trunk & started playing with
it. It's wet as can be & the shrinkage is killing me. It shrinks a lot more across the grain than
anything else I've fiddled with. A 9 or 10" bowl lost at least an inch side to side & the stress is
cracking the bowl up. The bottom stayed flat as can be & has been very slow to lose any
moisture except at knots, where it loses it too fast. Real PITA to dry. I'm getting a longer piece
of the trunk soon. I'll try splitting & cutting it up for some boards. Want to make sure I have
some stock big enough for Dave Kirshner to make some banjo necks.
(RU) Red Mulberry (Morus Rubra) This native was joined in the Colonial
times by 2 other species, white & paper, when hope of building a native silk
production was keen. Silk worms died, but the trees did well & are widely
naturalized.
Red is small, rarely over 50'. Yellow-orange wood is soft, light &
weak, but highly resistant to decay. House near where Ray's dad was born had
all red mulberry trim. Fruit ripens just after strawberries & is very sweet.
(JL) {Mulberry.}
We have three sorts of Mulberries, besides the different Bigness
of some Trees Fruit. The first is the common red Mulberry,
whose Fruit is the earliest we have, (except the Strawberries) and very
sweet. These Trees make a very fine Shade, to sit under in Summer-time.
They are found wild in great Quantities, wherever the Land is light and rich;
yet their Fruit is much better when they stand open. They are used instead
of Raisins and Currants, and make several pretty Kickshaws. They yield a
transparent Crimson Liquor, which would make good Wine; but few Peoples
Inclinations in this Country tend that way.
The others are a smooth-leav'd Mulberry, fit for the Silk-Worm. One bears a
white Fruit, which is common; the other bears a small black Berry, very
sweet. They would persuade me there, that the black Mulberry with the SilkWorm smooth Leaf, was a white Mulberry, and changed its Fruit. The Wood
hereof is very durable, and where the Indians cannot get Locust, they make
Jim MacLachlan
Page 49
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
use of this to make their Bows.
pleasant to the Eye.
This Tree grows extraordinary round and
Jim MacLachlan
Page 50
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
From: http://www.hort.uconn.edu/plants/m/moralb/moralb1.html
Morus alba Common Mulberry, White Mulberry Moraceae
Habitat



native to China
hardy to zone 5, and warmer parts of zone 4
Special Note: This species has demonstrated an invasive tendency in Connecticut, meaning it may escape
from cultivation and naturalize in minimally managed areas.
Habit and Form





a deciduous, medium to large tree
dense, rounded tree
30' to 50' and equal in spread
fast growing
coarse texture
Summer Foliage






alternate leaf arrangement
leaves have many shapes, can be lobed or
not
serrate leaf margins
rounded cordate leaf base
pubescent leaf give a rough texture
dark green leaf color
Autumn Foliage



Landscape Use




dull yellow fall color
color develops late
color quality varies
Flowers





Liabilities
fleshy white to red fruit
drupe
up to 1" long
ripens in June to July
edible




Fruit


capsule containing numerous glabrous
seeds
not ornamentally important


Bark















transplants readily
tolerant of drought, urban and seaside
conditions
full sun
prune in winter
prefers moist, well-drained fertile soil
pH adaptable
Jim MacLachlan
considered "trash tree"
suckers
invasive
bacterial blight, leaf spot, canker,
powdery mildewy, scale, witches'
broom
tree looks unkept
fruit can be extremely messy, don't
plant near walkways or parking lots
ID Features
light tannish brown
stems are yellowish brown
sweet taste
white substance appears when stem is
broken in warm conditions
Culture


for extreme tolerance
difficult sites
raise silkworms
fruit attracts birds
alternate leaf arrangement
variable leaf shape with serrate leaf
margins
fleshy drupe fruit
imbricate buds with fine hairs or scale
tips
terminal bud absent
rough leaves
bark sweet when chewed
Propagation



Page 51
by cuttings
by seed
tissue culture
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
Cultivars/Varieties
'Fruitless' and 'Mapleleaf' - These non-fruiting male forms, which are similar and confused in the trade, bear
deeply-lobed glossy leaves that superficially resemble the foliage of true maples (Acer). They form rounded,
spreading trees to 40' tall and wide.
'Laciniata' - As per the species, this selection only differs with its strongly-lobed, serrated leaves of finer texture.
'Nuclear Blast' - Appropriately named and perhaps worth owning only for its novel moniker, this shrubby plant has
leaves that are reduced to slivers and ribbons. Despite the ridicule of most every observer, this mutant -- which
appears as if spawned by radiation exposure -- is nonetheless offered by some specialty nurseries.
'Pendula' - The most commonly seen form of the species, this selection forms a small tree to 20' tall with harshly
weeping, often gnarled branches. This form does produce fruit, though 'Urbana' is a similar fruitless cultivar.
Red mulberry Moraceae Morus rubra
Leaf: Alternate, simple, roughly orbicular in shape, 3 to 5 inches long with a serrate margin. Leaves may be 0 to 3lobed, (sometimes more). Leaves are papery, with white fibers apparent
when torn.
Flower: Normally dioecious, small, green, male flowers are hanging catkins,
1 to 2 inches long. Female flowers, also catkins, are 1 inch long.
Fruit: Resembling blackberries, cylindrical, 1 to 1 1/4 inches long, fleshy
multiples of drupes, each containing a small seed. Maturing June to August.
Twig: Slender, zigzag, green changing to red-brown. Twigs are often
pubescent. Buds are covered with brown-margined overlapping scales.
Silvery-white filaments when broken.
Bark: Reddish-brown and quite irregular with long ridges. Younger trees are
often orangish, especially when wet.
Form: A small tree, with a short trunk that branches low.
Red Mulberry
(Morus rubra)
Height 60'
Characteristics: Ordinarily a
small to medium tree with a
short trunk. The leaves are oval
in shape and wide, 5 to 6 inches
across. If you find a leaf, feel
the soft hairs underneath. The
leaves can form into three
different shapes: (1) oval, (2)
mitten-shaped, and (3) threelobed. The three shapes can occur on the same tree. The bark is smooth and light
gray. The fruit is sweet, juicy, and edible in late spring.
Location: Look for this tree on moist, flat soils along waterways.
Use: The wood is occasionally used for fenceposts, furniture, interior finish and
agricultural implements. Wildlife, especially songbirds, eat the berries.
FUN TREE FACT: Choctaw Indians wove cloaks from the fibrous inner
bark of young mulberry shoots
Home
Jim MacLachlan
Page 52
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
Jim MacLachlan
Page 53
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
Oak:
There are 2 main varieties around here, that I can easily see; White & Red. I've heard there are
others, but I can't point them out. Cousin Cam, a landscape architect, tells me that oaks crossbreed & that
acorns are the best way to tell them apart. This is one reason the number of species is indeterminate,
between 275 - 500. The bark of all kinds was once used as a source of tannin, I believe. I believe I've
also heard of teas being made from the bark.
White Oak is fairly tight grained & mostly white with brown grain marks. It is very hard &
brittle, but it is so strong that any brittleness is over shadowed by it. Pre-drill for fasteners. Screws will
sheer off & nails will bend or split it along the grain, although not as likely as with Red Oak. It can often
be used in place of metal for some things. Makes great furniture & grows slowly. Gets harder & more
brittle as it ages.
Red Oak is open-grained with long strands. Very strong across the grain, it tends to break easily
along it. The wood is brittle, somewhat rot resistant with a definite reddish cast. The leaves are pointier
than the White Oak & the bark is a lot rougher. I've used this wood a lot. It has a very strong, bitter smell
when fresh.
In fences, it makes great boards, although it is hard to nail, especially when seasoned. It will
bend a nail or split. Use wax on 2 galvanized 8d's to nail to a Locust post & put them at the 1/3 marks for
a good joint. Nail at an angle toward center about 1/2" in from the post edge (typical 4x6 tapered post, 1"
on a half round 6" post) which should give you a good 2" from the end of the board. Don't use soap to
grease it as that will expand the wood fibers & you'll never pull it out. Half the time you break nails off
pulling out of Locust anyway, since they tend to rust right at the air line. Old fence boards make great
kindling. Cut into 2' lengths, I used to split the 6" board into thirds easily by hand. Just hold both sides &
whack them on a sharp corner of another log. Unless there is a knot, that 2' board will split that easily.
For furniture, it's wonderful wood, but you need to be careful when boring through. Very easy to
get tear out. I've seen a lot of molding & furniture made from it. Knots usually are great places for it to
break as they tend to be full of voids. It isn't too hard to get completely clear pieces, though.
The two best projects I've ever done from it are a reproduction of my great-grandfather Kranz's
stool that he made for my grandfather, C.H. MacLachlan back in the '30's or '40's & a Lazy Susan.
The stool was quite a bit of work. I think g'grandpa used White Oak for the top of his, but I'm not
sure. The grain of both can be similar when cut & once stained it's very hard to tell. I definitely used a
Red Oak scrap which has a few borer holes & a big knot in it. I hid the main knot underneath & the top
grain of that flows great with the design.
There wasn't any real craftsmanship on my part for the Lazy Susan, but I found a piece of 18"
wide 4/4 Red Oak up at Thomas' sawmill (28Dec02) that was a little over 6' long. Bill had kiln dried it &
the center had split some, but it was pretty tight & hadn't cupped at all. The center split came & went up
the board, so I drew 4 - 18" circles in the cleanest spots. I cut one out & made a Lazy Susan top
immediately. I haven't done the rest. Still thinking of what else I can do with it. I finished it with
Minwax Golden Oak topped with 3 coats of clear Shellac. One LS is on sale for $50 at Jarrettsville
Antiques. Also gave them an unfinished one to sell.
I made 2 bowls for Mark, owner of the Bagel Meister, to put his dip in the center (1/2lb plastic
container) with chips around it. There is a lip in the center to hold the container about 3/4" high 4"
diameter. The bowls were about 8" in diameter. It was interesting turning them because the grain was
perpendicular to the spin on the lathe. Typically, I have the grain parallel to the bed when making bowls
out of pieces of log. Gouging out the bowl was MUCH easier, but cutting the edges was MUCH harder.
A parting tool could barely make headway. Wound up cutting them off with the Table Saw.
A friend of Mom’s, David Green (410-329-6241) over by Shawsville (about 5 miles up 23) has
the corner farm on 23 & Whitehall Roads (SW). He has a Laurel Oak. Typically it doesn't grow further
north than SE VA. It’s part of the Red Oak family, but is almost an evergreen. His was positively
identified as such by someone in the Extension Office. I’ve seen a limb & it sure looks right. Oblong
Jim MacLachlan
Page 54
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
leaves about 3” long & it had tiny acorns at the end of Jun03. He’ll give me the wood if I help him take
off a limb.
Sep03: Isabelle brought down a Chestnut Oak that I’ve turned some – see journal.
(ES) Live Oak - symbol of the Southland, this tree spreads tremendously.
Its leaves are somewhat like those of the laurel & willow oak, but are more
elliptical, blunt-tipped, and leathery, and are green throughout the year.
The wood of the oak is valued for hardness, strength & durability.
(ES) (Oaks from a Reverence for Wood)
Oaks - the acorn is the distinguishing feature of the nearly 300 kinds
of oak trees. Another item that helps in recognition is its leaf, which is
strong & has a leathery appearance. Though by then it will be dry &
shriveled, it will often stay on the tree through the winter. The bark of
the White variety is, as the name implies, pale in color, & it flakes off in
vertical strips. The Black variety's darker bark breaks off in irregular
chunks. White oak leaves have rounded lobes; the leaves of the black are
sharp-toothed & pointed.
Pin Oak has branches that grow close together, often near the ground.
The leaves are slender & have sharp points. The twigs are rubbery & strong.
Scarlet Oak displays magnificent, most brilliant colors in the autumn.
Its leaf is like the pin oak's, but is fuller; its acorn is large.
Black Oak has rough bark that is black nearest the ground. When a cut
is made in the outer bark, a yellow-orange inner bark is seen. This inner
bark, which produces a dye, is the black oak's identifying mark. Its acorn
is small & orange-yellow inside.
Red Oak has smooth areas between the furrows in its bark. The acorns
are large & set in a shallow cup.
White Oak was the American colonists' favorite oak. It is broad &
majestic in shape, with gray, scaly bark, & limbs that reach out in a
horizontal direction.
Bur Oak (also called Mossy-cup & Overcup) has wood that is tough,
close-grained, & durable. Its acorns are enclosed in a very large, fringed
(burred) cups.
Chestnut Oak was once called rock oak, & it is found on rocky hills.
The bark is not as rough as that of most oaks, & its leaves are similar to
those of the chestnut, though they are shorter & without the chestnut's
sharp-pointed teeth. The acorns are large & sweet.
Swamp White Oak has a wedge-shaped leaf & light gray-green bark. This
tree's wood is the one most preferred by boat builders.
Black Jack Oak is a small tree that is found in our southern & southcentral states. Its black bark breaks into squarish plates.
Willow Oak is an eastern oak. It has smooth leaves & its light-brown
wood is soft, but strong & heavy.
Bear Oak (Scrub oak or Dwarf Oak) now rare, once covered much of the
poorer New England soil.
Jim MacLachlan
Page 55
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
Jim MacLachlan
Page 56
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
Water Oak is found in the south & SE US. Its obviate leaves are bluegreen, & its wood is hard & coarse-grained.
Shingle Oak has shining laurel-like leaves. Its wood is used for
shingles in our western states.
(ES) In most of his books, Eric Sloane mentions the use of Oak, but never
specifies a variety. He says it was always used for trunions (tree nails)
even when beams were hickory or ash. He also lists it as the first choice
for barn & house frames, also by wet coopers. It is also prime firewood,
just behind Hickory.
(JL) {Chesnut-Oak.}
Chesnut-Oak, is a very lofty Tree, clear of Boughs and Limbs, for fifty or 60
Foot. They bear sometimes four or five Foot through all clear Timber; and
are the largest Oaks we have, yielding the fairest Plank. They grow chiefly
in low Land, that is stiff and rich. I have seen of them so high, that a
good Gun could not reach a Turkey, tho' loaded with Swan-Shot. They are
call'd Chesnut, because of the Largeness and Sweetness of the Acorns.
{Scaly Oaks.}
White, Scaly-bark Oak; This is used, as the former, in building Sloops and
Ships. Tho' it bears a large Acorn, yet it never grows to the Bulk and
Height of the Chesnut Oak. It is so call'd, because of a scaly, broken,
white Bark, that covers this Tree, growing on dry Land.
{Red Oak.}
We have Red Oak, sometimes, in good Land, very large, and lofty. 'Tis a
porous Wood, and used to rive into Rails for Fences. 'Tis not very durable;
yet some use this, as well as the two former, for Pipe and Barrel-Staves. It
makes good Clap-boards.
{Spanish Oak.}
Spanish Oak is free to rive, bears a whitish, smooth Bark; and rives very
well into Clap-boards. It is accounted durable, therefore some use to build
Vessels with it for the Sea; it proving well and durable. These all bear
good Mast for the Swine.
{Bastard Spanish.}
Bastard-Spanish is an Oak betwixt the Spanish and Red Oak; the chief Use is
for Fencing and Clap-boards. It bears good Acorns.
{Black Oak.}
The next is Black Oak, which is esteem'd a durable Wood, under Water;
but sometimes it is used in House-work. It bears a good Mast for Hogs.
{White Iron.}
White Iron, or Ring-Oak, is so call'd, from the Durability and lasting
Quality of this Wood. It chiefly grows on dry, lean Land, and seldom fails
of bearing a plentiful Crop of Acorns. This Wood is found to be very
durable, and is esteem'd the best Oak for Ship-work that we have in Carolina;
for tho' Live Oak be more lasting, yet it seldom allows Planks of any
considerable Length.
{Turkey Oak.}
Turkey-Oak is so call'd from a small Acorn it bears, which the wild Turkeys
feed on.
Jim MacLachlan
Page 57
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
{Live Oak.}
Live-Oak chiefly grows on dry, sandy Knolls. This is an Ever-green,
and the most durable Oak all America affords. The Shortness of this Wood's
Bowl, or Trunk, makes it unfit for Plank to build Ships withal.
There are some few Trees, that would allow a Stock of twelve Foot, but the
Firmness and great Weight thereof, frightens our Sawyers from the Fatigue
that attends the cutting of this Timber. A Nail once driven therein, 'tis
next to an Impossibility to draw it out. The Limbs thereof are so cur'd, that
they serve for excellent Timbers, Knees, &c. for Vessels of any sort. The
Acorns thereof are as sweet as Chesnuts, and the Indians draw an Oil from
them, as sweet as that from the Olive, tho' of an Amber-Colour. With these
Nuts, or Acorns, some have counterfeited the Cocoa, whereof they have made
Chocolate, not to be distinguish'd by a good Palate. Window-Frames, Mallets,
and Pins for Blocks, are made thereof, to an excellent Purpose. I knew two
Trees of this Wood among the Indians, which were planted from the Acorn, and
grew in the Freshes, and never saw any thing more beautiful of that kind.
They are of an indifferent quick Growth; of which there are two sorts. The
Acorns make very fine Pork.
{Willow Oak.}
Willow-Oak is a sort of Water-Oak. It grows in Ponds and Branches,
and is useful for many things. It is so call'd, from the Leaf,
which very much resembles a Willow.
{Fresh-water Oak.}
The Live Oak grows in the fresh Water Ponds and Swamps, by the River sides,
and in low Ground overflown with Water; and is a perennial Green.
Jim MacLachlan
Page 58
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
Oak:
Red
White
Black
Blackjack
California black
Cherrybark
Laurel
Northern Pin
Northern Red
Nuttall
Pin
Scarlet
Shumard
Southern red
Turkey
Willow
Arizona White
Blue
Bur
California white
Chestnut
Chinkapin
Emory
Gambel
Mexican blue
Live
Orgeon white
Overcup
Post
Swamp chestnut Oak
Swamp White
White
Quercus velutina
Q. marilandica
Q. kelloggi
Q. falcata var. pagodeaefolia
Q. laurifolia
Q. ellipsoidalis
Q. rubra
Q. nuttallii
Q. palustris
Q. coccinea
Q. shumardii
Q. falcata var. pagodeaefolia
Q. laevis
Q. phellos
Q. arizonica
Q. douglasii
Q. macrocarpa
Q. lobata
Q. primus
Q. muehlenbergii
Q. emoryi
Q. gambelii
Q. oblongifolia
Q. virginiana
Q. garryana
Q. lyrata
Q. stellata
Q. michauzii
Q. bicolor
Q. alba
From The US Forest Service:
Worldwide, the oaks (Quercus spp.) consist of 275 to 500 species that can be separated into three groups based on
their microanatomy: the live or evergreen oak group, the red oak group (Erythrobalanus), and the white oak group
(Leucobalanus). Species within each group look alike microscopically. The word quercus is the classical Latin name
of oaks, said to be derived from Celtic fine and tree.
The commercial North American species are as follows:
Red Oak Group (Erythrobalanus)
Quercus coccinea-bastard oak, black oak, buck oak, red oak, scarlet oak, Spanish oak, spotted oak
Quercus falcata-American red oak, bottomland red oak, cherrybark oak, Elliott oak, red oak, Spanish oak,
southern red oak, swamp red oak, swamp spanish oak, turkeyfoot oak, water oak
Quercus kelloggii-black oak, California black oak, Kellogg oak, mountain black oak
Quercus laurifolia-Darlington oak, diamond-leaf oak, laurel oak, laurel-leaf oak, swamp laurel oak, water oak,
obtusa oak
Quercus nigra-American red oak, oak blackjack, pin, possum oak, punk oak, red oak, spotted oak, water oak
Quercus nuttallii-nuttall oak, pin oak, red oak, red river oak, striped oak
Quercus palustris-pin oak, red oak, Spanish oak, Spanish swamp oak, Spanish water oak, swamp oak, swamp
Spanish oak, water oak
Quercus phellos-black oak, laurel oak, peach oak, pin oak, red oak, swamp willow oak, water oak, willow oak,
willow swamp oak
Jim MacLachlan
Page 59
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
Quercus rubra-American red oak, black oak, buck oak, Canadian red oak, common red oak, gray oak, eastern red
oak, leopard oak, Maine red oak, mountain red oak, northern red oak, red oak, Spanish oak, spotted oak, southern
red oak, swamp red oak, water oak, West Virginia soft red oak
Quercus shumardii-American red oak, Schneck oak, Schneck red oak, shumard oak, Shumard red oak, southern
red oak, spotted bark, spotted oak, swamp red oak, Texas oak, Texas red oak
Quercus velutina-American red oak, blackjack, black oak, dyer oak, jack oak, quercitron, quercitron oak, redbush,
red oak, smoothbark oak, spotted oak, tanbark oak, yellowbark, yellow oak, yellowbark oak
White Oak Group (Leucobalanus)
Quercus alba-American white oak, Arizona oak, Arizona white oak, forked-leaf white oak, Louisiana white oak,
mantua oak, ridge white oak, stave oak, true white oak, West Virginia soft white oak, white oak
Quercus bicolor-blue oak, cherry oak, curly swamp oak, swamp oak, swamp white oak, white oak
Quercus garryana-Brewer oak, Garry oak, Oregon oak, Oregon white oak, Pacific post oak, Pacific white oak, post
oak, prairie oak, shin oak, western oak, western white oak, white oak
Quercus lyrata-American white oak, overcup oak, swamp post oak, swamp white oak, water white oak
Quercus macrocarpa-blue oak, bur oak, burr oak, mossycup oak, mossy-overcup oak, overcup oak, scrub oak,
white oak, white mossycup oak, white overcup oak
Quercus michauxii-American white oak, basket oak, cow oak, swamp oak, swamp chestnut oak
Quercus muehlenbergii-chestnut oak, chinkapin oak, chinquapin oak, dwarf chestnut oak, dwarf chinkapin, pin
oak, rock oak, rock chestnut oak, running white oak, scrub oak, shrub oak, white oak, yellow oak, yellow chestnut
oak
Quercus prinus-American white oak, basket oak, chestnut oak, chestnut rock oak, chestnut swamp oak, cow oak,
mountain oak, rock oak, rock chestnut, rock chestnut oak, swamp oak, tanbark oak, white oak, white chestnut oak
Quercus stellata-American post oak, barren white oak, bastard oak, bastard white oak, box oak, box white oak,
brash oak, Delta post oak, Durand oak, iron oak, pin oak post oak, ridge oak, rough oak, rough white oak, southern
oak, turkey oak, white box oak, white oak
Live Oak Group
Quercus virginiana-dwarf live oak, encino, live oak, rolfs oak, scrub live oak, Virginia live oak, Virginia oak
Distribution Widely distributed throughout the United States.
The Tree Oaks can reach a height of 125 ft (38 m), with large diameters.
The Wood General The sapwood of oak is white to very light brown, while the heartwood is light to dark brown in
the white oak group and reddish brown in the red oak group. Oak wood has a course texture; it is heavy, straightgrained, hard, tough, very stiff, and strong. Fast-grown oak, with wide rings, is stronger and heavier than slowgrown oak.
Working Properties: Oak wood has good working properties. It machines and glues well and holds fasteners
extremely well. It tends to split when nailed, unless predrilled. Oak fin-ishes well, but shrinks considerably.
Durability: The oaks are rated with respect to resistance to heartwood decay as follows
(98):
Very resistant
bur oak, chestnut oak, Gambel oak, Oregon oak,
post oak and white oak
Moderately resistant
swamp chestnut oak
Slightly to nonresistant
black oak and red oak
Preservation: The heartwood of the white oak group is resistant to impregnation with
preservatives, whereas that of the red oak group is more easily penetrated.
Uses: Ships, railroad crossties, timber bridges, tannin dyes, fuel wood, hardwood dimen-sions
and flooring, furniture, veneer, plywood, barrels, kegs and casks (white oak group),
truck and trailer beds, mining timbers, containers, pallets, caskets, boxes, paneling.
Toxicity: May cause allergic bronchial asthma, rhinitis, and dermatitis (40, 64, 105).
Jim MacLachlan
Page 60
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
(RU) White Oak (Quercus Leucobalanus sp.) rivals walnut as the king of the woods. Its versatility is unmatched.
White-oak timber is heavy, hard & very strong. It will make an axe handle that is nearly the equal of hickory or ash.
The pores of white oak are blocked with inclusions called tyloses that mke it impervious to liquids. This, coupled
with its strength, makes it the only choice for whiskey barrels. Moderately resistant to decay, it is a prime timber for
ship building. When sawn or split on the radial plane, the surface is quite distinctive, with large patches of silver
grain. It is a difficult wood to season successfully, but woth the effort.
Red Oak (Quecus Erythrobalanus sp.) The dozen or so major species of red oaks can usually be
distinguished from those of the white-oak group by the presence of tiny bristles or spines on the tips of the pointed
lobes of the leaves. Red-oak wood is heavy, hard, & stiff, but extremely porous. If the end of a stick of red oak is
placed in a cup of water & air blown through the other end, bubbles will appear in the water. This is why you never
hear of red-oak whiskey barrels. Red oak is usually straight grained & easy to work with. It is an excellent furniture
& construction material, although it will quickly decay in contact with the soil
From The Plant Information Center (http://owl.ils.unc.edu):
Quercus+alba
White oak is a common and characteristic oak of much of the Piedmont. Slow growing and moderately tolerant of
forest competition, it is a dominant of older forests. Oak leaves can be very variable, even on one tree. White oak
leaves in particular vary from the shallowly (the "shade leaves") to deeply (the "sun leaves") lobed. They turn a
pastel pinkish-red to deep red in autumn. Oaks are wind pollinated--and so the flowers are inconspicuous. Not so the
oak fruit--the acorn. White oak acorns are an important food source for wildlife and birds and were used (after
boiling) as a staple in Native American diets. White oak wood, hard and durable, has been valued for centuries.
Early ships (including the gun decks of Old Ironsides, the USS Constitution) made great use of white oak and it was
the best wood for wooden barrels. White oak achieves great age--certainly in excess of 400 years and famous oak
trees marked important historic events (including activities of William Penn, George Washington, and Thomas
Jefferson) and survive today.
Liriodendron+tulipifera
Willow Oak is so named because of the narrow willow-like leaves, while many of our most common oaks have
distinctly lobed or toothed leaves. Look at the fruits of this tree--the acorns--and you will see at once that it is truly
an oak (willows have small, downy, wind blown seeds and are related to aspens, cottownwoods and true poplars).
Acorns are an important and calorie rich food for birds and wildlife. Like many other flood plain species (sweetgum,
elms, willows, cottonwoods, ash) willow oak makes a fine street and yard tree. It has fast growth rates on good sites
and can attain huge size--6 feet in diameter and over 100 feet tall.
Jim MacLachlan
Page 61
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
Common Name:
Botanical Name:
Other Names:
Species Distribution:
European Oak
Quercus Robur
European Oak, English Brown Oak, Rovere, Quercia, Chene, Eicke, Eik
Europe, Parts of West Asia, and Northern Africa.
European Oak has also been imported to parts of the US and Canada.
Endangered?:
NO
Tree Characteristics: Trees tend to grow in large stands with trunk diameters up to 6ft and heights
of 50ft. Wide, long boards are commonly available.
Wood
Straight, long grain in trees cut from large stands. Quarter sawn European
Characteristics:
Oak tends to have a silvery grain structure. The wood's texture is coarse and
characterized by open pores. Wood harvested from the northern area's of
the species distribution zone tends to be denser and tougher while wood
from the central regions tend to be straighter and more uniform..
Color:
Light brown to a dark tan. Sapwood and heartwood have similar colors and
grain patterns. Sapwood tends to be lighter in color.
Workability:
Workability is good. Denser woods may require sharper cutters. Reduced
planing angles are required for highly figured grain sections. Turning
properties are satisfactory. Steaming should be done at around 25%
moisture content. Green woods tends to rupture when bent. The wood
should be kept from metal fasteners while bending.
Finishing Qualities:
Finishing and gluing qualities are good. English Oak accepts a broad range
of finishes.
Durability:
The heartwood is naturally resistant to decay however logs and green wood
may be susceptible to several boring beetle species.
Drying:
English Oak tends to dry slowly and may degrade in the initial stages.
Shrinkage is high and cracks and warps may occur. A yellow stain that
eventually disappears is also common during drying.
Kiln Schedules:
T3 - C2 (4/4); T1 - C1 (8/4) US Schedule C (4/4) United Kingdom
Stability:
Uses:
Seasoned wood tends to have moderate movement during usage.
Comments:
Trees stained by the "beef-steak" fungus are often converted into highly
figured veneers.
Price:
Due to the high cost of importing English Oak into the United States,
domestic species are often used in similar applications. The wood is also
very acidic and often causes corrosion with iron and steel.
High cost when imported into the US. Moderate in Europe.
Jim MacLachlan
Page 62
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
Botanical Name:
Other Names:
Characteristics:
Color:
Workability:
Finishing Qualities:
Durability:
Uses:
Comments:
Price:
Quercus spp.
American Red Oak, Gray Oak, Canadian Red Oak, Northern Red Oak
Straight grain, Coarse Texture, Open Grain.
Pinkish to red color.
Botanical Name:
Other Names:
Characteristics:
Color:
Workability:
Finishing Qualities:
Durability:
Uses:
Comments:
Price:
Quercus spp.
American White Oak, Swamp White Oak, Burr Oak, Overcup Oak.
Straight grain, moderate to coarse texture.
Light tan with a yellowish tint.
Open grain, may need to be filled.
Furniture, veneer, flooring.
Grain might need filling to achieve a smooth finish.
Moderate
Finishes well with all finished. Will darken to a deep color over time.
Fine furniture, Whiskey Barrels, Boat Building, Cabinetmaking.
Excellent for barrel making.
Moderate
Home
Jim MacLachlan
Page 63
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
Osage Orange:
This wood isn't used for much that I've found around here. It was once used by the Indians to make bows.
Now it is generally found in hedgerows & known as 'Monkey Brain' or 'Horse Apple' for the big, green fruits
(almost softball size) it drops in October (after the first frost). It tends to have lots of branches & be pretty spiny. It
has a loose bark that comes off in long strips - might make good rope(?). The wood is stringy, very hard & splits
very clean, if there aren't any knots in the way, which there usually are.
Most tend to be short & I rarely see any over 8 inches in diameter although occasionally I'll find them up to
a foot. The biggest one I've ever seen was cut down on Old Pylesville road, just south of Route 543. There's a
runoff ditch there & they (utilities) cleared the side of the road. Marg saw it on her layover from her bus route &
told me about it. It was about 42" in diameter, but the bottom sections were all hollow with only 4" - 6" of live
wood around. One of the roots was about 6" around. I got a couple of clear sections that were 20" - 2' in diameter
& about that long. Heavy!!! I had troupble picking them up.
My first turning with it I did with a 5" log I found on the corner of Hess & Hutchins Mill roads, Mrs.
Todd's property. I turned two goblets; the first one I kept & didn't finish since just the sanding did an awesome job,
the 2d went to Mrs. Todd & was finished with Howard's Feed & Wax. The wood burns easily & 400 grit paper hits
the grain making a darker brown against the orange-yellow (almost florescent) of the wood. It has a tight, stringy
grain that stands out great for turning, but it will split easily. Careful with the thin edges of bowls! I've had a couple
fly apart when I got to the end.
I found a 10" log & turned a couple of bowls out of it. One was thin, flat bottomed with a slight outward
bow to the sides, about 3" deep. That sold at the Pony Club Silent Auction for $50. I made it on Halloween & the
sale was about a week later. Finished with wax. I did another piece right afterward from that log, but over a period
of 4 - 5 evenings. Kept getting called away & I swear I case-hardened the wood. It wound up a thick, candy dish
shape that split because it was too green. This is really hard wood. Microwaving doesn't do much to this wood, but
does dry it out & stand up the grain some.
The wood is more resinous than Locust & yellow orange rather than OD Green. I think it's denser, but
otherwise very similar. The USFS notes that people confuse the two. I don't see how unless the color of the wood
is hidden.
(RU) Osage Orange (Maclura pomifera) An east Texas native, the Osage orange has been widely planted & can
now be found thought the country. The wood is bright yellow when first exposed, but soon turns an orangish brown.
Because of its resistance to rot, it is widely used for fence posts. It is very strong, heavy & hard; it is often used in
place of black locust. Its flexibitlity makes it a popular wood for use in hunting bows, hence its other name, "bois
d'arc," or bow wood. It splits straight & is a generally useful wood.
Osage Orange (bois d'arc)
Maclura pomifera
From US Forest Service:
The genus Maclura contains about 12 species native to: North America [1], with the rest in tropical America and
Africa. The genus name maclura is after William Maclure (1763-1840), and American geologist, while the species
epithet pomifera means bearing pomes or apples, in allusion to the large, spherical fruits.
Maclura pomifera-Bodare Us, Bodark, Bodeck, Bodock, Bois d'arc, Bowwood, Geelhout, Hedge, Hedge Apple,
Hedge-plant, Horse Apple, Maclura, Mock Orange, Naranjo Chino, Osage, Osage Apple-tree, Rootwood, Wild
Orange, Yellow-wood.
Distribution Native to Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas, but since escaped and naturalized throughout the eastern
and north western US.
The Tree Osage Orange is a medium size tree with thorns which grows in bottom lands. It attains a height of 60
feet and a diameter of 3 feet. The bark has an orange cast and was used in making kaki dye during W.W.I. It
produces large spherical fruits the size of large grapefruits in the fall.
The Wood General The sapwood of Osage Orange is narrow and light yellow, while the heartwood is golden to
bright orange, which darkens upon exposure. The heartwood can also contain red streaks. It has no characteristic
odor or taste. The wood is very hard, heavy, tough, resilient and takes a high luster. It is ring porous and commonly
confused with black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia).
Working Properties: Osage orange is difficult to work because of its hardness. It holds glue and screws well, but it
is difficult to nail.
Durability: Rated as exceptionally resistant to heartwood decay; one of the most durable woods in North America.
Jim MacLachlan
Page 64
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
Preservation: No information available at this time.
Uses: Fuel wood, fence posts, game calls, smoking pipes, artificial limbs, crutches, insulator pins, wheel rims and
hubs of farm wagons, railroad ties, treenails, machinery parts, archery bows (Native Americans), dye from roots,
windrows and hedges.
Toxicity: The sap can cause dermatitis (105).
Home
Jim MacLachlan
Page 65
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
Royal paulownia Scrophulariaceae Paulownia tomentosa
Not a native, it is supposed to be a great tree to grow locally for farmers as it grows fairly fast (10 years?) &
commands a super high price from foreign buyers - Japan, I think, although I believe it is native to China. That's the
word, but I don't know that I've ever met anyone who has raised & sold it. You just hear about their cousin doing
so. I've never worked it, but hear it is wonderful. Hype?
Woodworking Festival Jan 6-8, 2006, a guy told me he had some & would get it to me. Against all hope, I
received a box on 12Jan06 from J. Courtland Robinson, MD, MPH, 10522 Burnside Farm Road, Stevenson, MD
21153 ((410) 484-7604) with a pretty large chunk (about a cubic foot) of Paulownia, along with some other samples
(Lilac tree, Red Cedar (a sample from a piece of siding or something) Osage Orange (he called it 'Horse Apple') &
Gingko. (This last was just large enough to turn one egg, which I did. Very nice to work with.))
I'm not terribly impressed with the wood. It's coarse grained & soft although surprisingly strong for all
that. It does finish down pretty nicely, although one egg shows tear out on the end grain. Must use sharp tools &
final sand.
Dr. Court Robinson, in his letter, says the following,
Dear Jim,
Nice to have met you at the Wood Fair and your efforts are interesting.
Enclosed is a large piece of paulownia which I hope you find interesting. If you turn suggest sharp tools
but rely on sandpaper for the final since the wood is rather course but strong. I have use polyurethane with
satisfaction.
The lilac comes from a tree form of the plant which was growing on our place but a storm required its
removal and I was able to get a piece about 15 inched in diameter. Check the odor, most interesting.
The gingko came from a large branch that I sawed into simple planks and some pieces for turning. It is a
clean cutting wood and fun to turn.
The other are scraps which I though you might not have. Hope you find the wood interesting. Let me
know if you would like more paulownia since, I believe, there are still chunks out in a nearby field.
Sincerely yours,
Court Robinson
21Jan06 - tried turning a bowl out of it. Any kind of scraping motion tears out chunks. I did manage to slice the
side of the bowl nicely, but the inside had to be sanded with 60 grit for quite a while, even though I was as careful as
I could be to slice. The first bowl didn't come out since I wound up slicing the bottom too deep & went through as I
sanded the inside. I'll try again to do another. Just remember to leave a good 1/8" or a bit more for sanding. Very
soft & sands well, just need to leave a lot of room for it since the wood is so soft.
21Jun06: Court lives over in the Greenspring Valley area. Stopped by & gave me a big chunk of Paulownia
2'x16"x1' or so. I gave him a couple of Holly logs, some Red Mulberry, Sycamore & spalted Ash.
Leaf: Opposite, simple, heart-shaped and quite large, 5 to 12 inches long. Typically quite velvety. Green above and
paler below. Leaves on younger trees will often show course serrations.
Flower: Large, showy, upright clusters of purple flowers. Individual tube-like flowers are 1 1/2 to 2 inches long,
very fragrant. Appearing in May.
Fruit: Oval capsule, 1 to 1 1/2 inches long filled with numerous (1,000s) small seeds. Initially sticky and green,
later turning brown and dry, persistent.
Twig: Stout, light brown, numerous lenticels, leaf scar nearly circular, bundle scars arranged in a circle, pith is
hollow in the second year, terminal bud lacking, lateral buds small.
Bark: Thin, grayish brown with shallow fissures.
Jim MacLachlan
Page 66
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
Form: Rounded crown, heavy, clumsy branches, reaches 50 feet tall, 2 feet in diameter.
From: http://forestry.about.com/
Paulownia tomentosa has marvelous press on the Internet. Several Australian and United States companies
make claims of extraordinary growth, unbelievable wood values, magnificent beauty; Paulownia, they write, can
shade an area in record time, resist insects, feed livestock, and improve the soil component.
Is this just hype, or is the plant truly a "supertree"? Let me introduce you to Royal Paulownia or Empress Tree. You
make up your own mind.
The Empress Tree
Right away you know the tree is very special. The plant's pedigreed and regal names include Empress
Tree, Kiri Tree, Sapphire Princess, Royal Paulownia, Princess Tree, and Kawakami. The surrounding mythology
abounds with several cultures claiming title to the plant's legends.
Probably the Chinese first linked a tradition with the tree. The oriental Paulownia is planted when a daughter is born.
When she marries, the tree is harvested to create a musical instrument, clogs, fine furniture, and they live happily
ever after. In actuality, it is a valued wood in the orient and top dollar is paid for its procurement.
Legend also insists that it was named Royal Paulownia in honor of Princess Anna Paulownia, daughter of
Russia's Czar Paul I. Unlike Paul Harvey, I can't seem to find the rest of the story...
Jim MacLachlan
Page 67
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
The United States has stands of these trees all along the Eastern Seaboard and through the midwestern states.
Paulownia's range is said to have expanded because of the seed pods used in packing shipped cargo from China.
Containers were emptied, winds scattered the tiny seeds and a "fast forest" developed.
The tree has been in America since the mid-1800s. It was first "discovered" as a profitable tree in the 1970s by a
Japanese timber buyer. This sparked a multi-million dollar export market for the tree. One log is said to have sold
for US$20,000.
The wood has been ignored by domestic companies in the United States but utilization studies (which I
have not been able to find on the Internet) have been done by several universities, including Tennessee, Kentucky,
Maryland, and Virginia. Planting the Paulownia tree, says Fred Wright, Carolina-Pacific International, Inc., is a
reaction to the "failure of our domestic forests to meet a growing demand, coupled with man-made crises" which
have led to declines of the spotted owl and the red-cockaded woodpecker.
There are some compelling reasons to plant Paulownia. It most definitely is a tree with soil, water, and
nutrient retaining properties. It can be made into forest products. At first blush it makes sense to plant Paulownia,
watch it grow, improve the environment, and make a fortune at the end of ten to twelve years...but is it that simple?
Here is the hype:
 Paulownia is a light, air curable wood, that does not warp, twist, or crack; The tree is fire resistant and
water repellent.
 Paulownia can be sold for pulp, paper, poles, construction material, plywood, and furniture, at top dollar.
 Paulownia can be commercially harvested in five to seven years.
 Paulownia is a beautiful tree and is easily propagated from root cuttings.
 Paulownia is nitrogen rich and makes an excellent livestock fodder and soil amending mulching material.
If all of these statements are true - - it would be a good deed to plant the tree. It would, in fact be a grievous
error for you not to plant the tree. Great for the environment, great for shade, great for soil, great for water quality,
great for beauty. Fact is, I have made up my mind to purchase a few for my property. But is it economically sound to
plant Paulownia over large areas?
Are Paulownia Plantations Economically Practical?
A recent discussion on a favorite forestry listserv group was "are Paulownia plantations economic?"
Gordon J. Esplin writes " promoters of Paulownia plantations are claiming incredible growth (4 years to
60', 16" at breast height) and value (eg $800/cubic meter) for Paulownia trees. This seems to be too good to be true.
Are there any independent, scientific studies on the species?"
James Lawrence of Toad Gully Growers, a Paulownia propagation company in Australia sums it up
completely. "There has, unfortunately, been much over-hyped promotion of Paulownia. It is true, however, that
under the right conditions, Paulownia produces valuable timber in a shorter time frame..." Lawrence goes on to say
that it usually takes from 10 to 12 years to achieve a size economical to mill and is not construction strong enough to
be used as building material. "It is most likely to find its place in moldings, doors, window frames, veneers, and
furniture."
He further says that trees in the "cooler regions of Australia may be more slowly grown and consequently
of higher timber quality - close growth rings are desired for furniture - than those grown in warmer climates;
however, the higher rate of crop rotation in the warmer zones should compensate for any lower returns per m3."
Lawrence just indicated, at least to me, that we need to take a deep breath and grow the tree slower for optimum
quality.
And what about a little thing called market?
Remembering that the top three things that effect the value of any real property is "location, location,
location" - I would suggest that the top three things that effect the value of standing timber price is "market, market,
market."
Paulownia is no different from any other tree in this regard and you need to find a market before
planting...and I have found no support for a market on the Internet. Further, the literature suggests that the present
US market is extremely under-developed and one source actually suggested that there is "no present market". The
future of this tree depends on a future market.
I did run across a credible reference to price. Mississippi State University indicates in a report on "Unique
Species and Uses" that Paulownia logs "have been found growing in the Mississippi Delta and south along the
Mississippi River. Paulonia logs have been in high demand in Japan and bring excellent prices (my emphasis) to
landowners in Mississippi." I have yet to find that buying source.
Also, there are risks associated with any tree planting venture. Paulownia is no different. It is sensitive to
drought, root rot, and diseases. There is also the economic risk of producing a tree with little future economic value.
Jim MacLachlan
Page 68
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
Another web site: http://www.paulownia.org/ is there for the purpose of banding together growers & putting them
in touch with sellers. Also tips on how to grow, etc.
From their site: "If trees interest you, you will find Paulownia difficult to ignore. Highly prized for its
easily-worked wood and its ability to establish a quick canopy, this tree with leaves as large as a meter wide is
condemned as an invasive weed by some outside its native China. It has been harvested to extinction in Japan, one
of its earliest habitats.
"When severely copiced, Paulownia can regrow a mature tree within a single season, and produces millions
of small fluffy seeds formerly used as packing material. Yet this enigmatic tree is difficult to propagate, seeming to
prefer to establish itself in the parking lots of abandoned filling stations and other exhausted soils.
Paulownia.org exists as a means for Paulownia producers to find markets, and for consumers of Paulownia
to find sources. In what is hoped to be the best tradition of the World-Wide Web, some of the current and projected
facilities of Paulownia.org are free, and some, to support the ongoing work, are provided for a fee designed to be an
excellent marketing value for small entities with limited promotional budgets.
Home
Jim MacLachlan
Page 69
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
Jim MacLachlan
Page 70
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
Pear:
I've never fiddled with this, but came across it when researching other woods. Sounds
like it is worth finding some.
21Jan06 - Glen Arnold gave me some Bradford Pear that he cut down on Ring Factory
Road in Belair. The logs are a couple of feet long & about 10" - 12" in diameter. Pretty heavy
for their size, suggesting a dense wood.
29Jan06 - I cut up the log with the limbs & turned a bowl out of it. Very nice wood to turn. The
eggs deformed some, but expectedly. The bowl did the same. When finished with shellac, it
really shows a pretty, but subtle, grain.
Turns great with the grain perpendicular to the bed of the lathe, but both bowls I turned parallel
(into the end grain) cracked badly. Not very strong, but fairly dense.
(RU) Pear - pyrus commonis - Native of Europe widely cultivated since ancient times. Widely
naturalized near inhabited areas throughout the East, south & NorthWestern states. Fruit
production can be so heavy as to break the limbs. Light brown wood that is excellent for the
pattern maker who requires a stable, even grained, easy-to-work material. Earliest surviving
scientific instrument made in US is a backstaff (?) made of Pear in 1676. Pear is the
characteristic wood of French provincial cabinet maker. Beautiful for carving & turning.
Home
Jim MacLachlan
Page 71
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
Jim MacLachlan
Page 72
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
Persimmon
(RU) Persimmon (Diospyros virginiana) It is hard, strong, & very heavy. A member of the ebony family,
it is occasionally stained black & used as a substitute wood in piano keys. Its primary use is for making wooden
golf-club heads & weaving shuttles. The wide sapwood is yellowish, often tinged with streaks of brown or black. It
is a difficult wood to work with & shrinks considerably during seasoning, but its toughness & ability to stay smooth
under friction suit it for many special uses. The fruit can be eaten as soon as it is well wrinkled; you don’t have to
wait for a frost.
He also notes the bark is dark black & broken into blocks. The mature fruit is wrinkled & globular.
(EOW) Persimmon (Diosprus virginiana Family: Ebenaceae)
This member of the ebony family is known as 'white ebony' as the timber of commercial interest consists almost
entirely of pale straw colored sapwood. This small to medium tree occurs in the central & southern US where it is
known as bara bara, boa wood, butter wood, possum wood & Virginia date palm. It grows to a height of about 100'
with a diameter of no more than 2.5'.
It has a very small heartwood core with variegated streaks of yell-brown, orange-brown, dark brown &
black. The valuable sapwood is off-white with a gray tint & straight grained with a fine even texture.
It weighs 52 lb/ft³ when seasoned; there is large movement in service with changes of humidity. The wood
dries fairly rapidly, with some tendency to check. It is very dense, has high bending & crushing strengths &
medium stiffness & shock resistance. It is suitable for steam-bending to a moderate radius. This is a very tough
timber which works readily with both hand & machine tools, but has a moderate blunting effect on tools which must
be kept sharp. The wood requires pre-boring for screwing or nailing. It can be glued without problems & polished
to an exceptionally smooth & high lustrous finish. The sapwood is liable to attack by the powder post beetle; the
heartwood is durable & classified as resistant to preservative treatment.
The sapwood is used for textile shuttles, as it can be machined to the intricate detail & smooth finish
required & is very resistant to wear. It is claimed these shuttles can be used for more than 1000 hours without
replacement. It is also ideal for golf club heads, as it is highly resistant to impact & for shoe lasts. It is used as a
turnery wood for striking tool handles. Selected flitches are cut from logs which contain the variegated heart wood
core, showing streaks with a wavy grain. These are sliced for ornamental veneers displaying variegated striped or
roe figure, for cabinets & architectural paneling.
Jim MacLachlan
Page 73
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
From: http://www.hort.uconn.edu/plants/
Diospyros virginiana
Common Persimmon
Ebenaceae
Habit and Form





a deciduous tree
35' to 40' tall
pyramidal in youth becoming open with age
medium coarse texture
fast growth rate
Summer Foliage




alternate leaf arrangement
simple, deciduous leaves
2" to 6" long
ovate leaf shape


dark, glossy green leaf color
pubescent, lighter underside
Autumn Foliage


yellow to red fall color
variable
Flowers



dioecious
blooms early spring
not ornamentally important
Fruit






only on female trees
red orange multiple fruit
1" to 2" long
matures in September
edible
attracts wildlife

Bark


Liabilities
smooth, gray to brown bark
twiggy stems with spur-like branches



Culture



prefers moist, well-drained soil
neutral pH
full sun
leaf spot
difficult to transplant
suckers
ID Features


no terminal buds
lateral buds are small and black
Propagation
Landscape Uses




to attract wildlife



for attractive foliage
for fall color
park tree
for fruit
by seed
by grafting
by root cutting
Cultivars/Varieties
'Meader' - The most commonly available cultivar, popular for its extreme hardiness and ability to fruit without a
pollinator. Reaches 30'-40' tall and also serves as a good ornamental plant with handsome fall foliage. Developed at
the University of New Hampshire.
Other common fruiting varieties include 'John Rick', 'Early Golden', 'Garrettson' and 'Killen'
Home
Jim MacLachlan
Page 74
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
Poplar:
There are a lot of varieties of Poplar around. It's a soft, hardwood that grows very fast. There are a whole
bunch of varieties that are bred for various uses, mostly to make a pretty tree in a yard that used to be a field. Mom
& Rip put in some along their lane. They grew a couple of feet a year & have a nice wide spread of branches. The
roots are a mowing hazard, though. Like a bunch of snakes coming up out of the ground. Another fast growing
hybrid is a pole like one that has a lot of little branches off the sides, that don't go out more than a foot or so vertical twigs. You see them a lot along the edges of the lots put in during the 80's. I saw an article 10 or 15 years
ago about a guy in Canada growing Poplars with square trunks to minimize the waste at sawmills. Weird.
The Tulip or Yellow Poplars are where most of our local wood comes from, I think. Big trees that don't
grow as fast as the hybrids, they have a white wood with a greenish cast that gets more pronounced toward the heart
where it suddenly turns a dark brown. The wood is often clear & as soft as pine, without the heavy, brittle grain that
Pines can have.
I've worked with it a lot as it is cheap & plentiful. We used it along Jerrys Road for the fence boards rather
than Oak since it was so much cheaper. Lasted pretty well. Splits less easily than Oak when nailing because it is
soft, but it can be split easily enough if you try. Makes great kindling.
I made a stool for Mom with a fox burned into the seat. Most of my wood burnings/carvings are on Poplar
or White Pine. All the 1/2" stock that I carved & burned during 2002 was Poplar. It has enough of a long, stringy
grain that is soft enough so tear out usually isn't a problem. You tend to push the fibers out of the way & can clean
them up later & never see a tear.
Poplars are very confusing, so I've lumped a bunch together here. Aspen has always had its own spot in my
notes since I originally thought it a cousin of the Birch & I don't think most people think of it as a Poplar. Briefly,
Cottonwoods & Aspens are true Poplars, while Yellow or Tulip Poplar is a type of Magnolia. Magnolias aren't
Poplars, but they're called it half the time anyway. It's tough to tell the woods apart when sawn, I think.
(RU) Cottonwood (Poplus sp.) Fast growing, tufts of white hairy seeds.
Usually grow along riverbanks if soil is well drained. Wood is weak & soft.
Hard to season without warping. Used for musical instruments, berry boxes,
large packing crates, tubs & pails to hold food. If burned, it is supposed
to clean the chimney out.
<Note: I think we're too far north for it usually. I have seen some
around on the Eastern Shore & south in the state.>
(Magnolia sp.)Several species of Magnolia. The 2 most common are the
Cucumber tree of the mountains, whose light, soft, decay-resistant wood is
used like the Tulip Poplar for troughs, woodenware & pump logs and the
Southern Magnolia which is harder & heavier. Both are used for joinery work
such as sash, doors, trim & venetian blinds. The Cucumber tree is the only
Magnolia with rough, furrowed bark. Both are popular landscape trees well
into the Northern states. Among the first to develop reproductive strategy
of flowers. Cone like aggregate fruits of ancient design. Goats & kids can
easily climb the ladder like branches within the cone of foliage.
Yellow Poplar or Tulip Tree (Liriodendron tulipfera):
Yellow poplar is not a true poplar like cottonwood or aspen, but is actually
a member of the magnolia family. A fast-growing tree, yellow poplar lends
itself to wide variety of uses. The wood is soft & light, but moderately
stiff. It is usually straight grained, clear of knots & very easy to work
with hand tools. The sapwood is white & may make up a large percentage of
younger trees. The heartwood ranges from a light green to a deep purple.
Poplar is an easy wood to season & stays in place when dry. It is a favorite
wood for wooden bowls, shovels & hewn construction timbers, but it also
decays rapidly in contact with the ground.
(ES) AKA Yellow Poplar or Whitewood - an outstanding tree in the
forest, it has a magnificent straight trunk & neatly furrowed gray bark. It
is not really a poplar, though many country people call in 'popple'. Its
flower is like a tulip; its fruit a cone of many winged seeds.
Jim MacLachlan
Page 75
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
(JL) {Tulip-Tree.}
The Tulip-Trees, which are, by the Planters, call'd Poplars, as nearest
approaching that Wood in Grain, grow to a prodigious Bigness, some of them
having been found One and twenty Foot in Circumference. I have been inform'd
of a Tulip-Tree, that was ten Foot Diameter; and another, wherein a lusty Man
had his Bed and Houshold Furniture, and liv'd in it, till his Labour got him
a more fashionable Mansion. He afterwards became a noted Man, in his Country,
for Wealth and Conduct. One of these sorts bears a white Tulip; the other a
party-colour'd, mottled one. The Wood makes very pretty Wainscot, Shingles
for Houses, and Planks for several Uses. It is reckon'd very lasting;
especially, under Ground, for Mill-Work. The Buds, made into an Ointment,
cure Scalds, Inflammations, and Burns. I saw several Bushels thereon. The
Cattle are apt to eat of these Buds, which give a very odd Taste to the Milk.
Cottonwood
Cucumber
Magnolia
Poplar
Jim MacLachlan
Balsam poplar
Eastern Cottonwood
Plains Cottonwood
Southern
Sweetbay
Yellow poplar
Populus balsamifera
P. deltoides
F. sargentii (F. ???)
Magnolia acuminata
Magnolia grandiflora
M. virginiana
Liriodendron tulipfera
Page 76
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
From The US Forest Service: (More than one entry here)
Cottonwood (the genus Populus) is composed of 35 species which contain the aspens and poplars. Species in this
group are native to Eurasia/north Africa [25], Central America [2] and North America [8]. All species look alike
microscopically. The word populus is the classical Latin name for the poplar tree.
Populus angustifolia-balsam, bitter cottonwood, black cottonwood, lanceleaf cottonwood, mountain cottonwood,
narrowleaf cottonwood, narrow leaved poplar, Rydberg cottonwood, smoothbark cottonwood, willow cottonwood,
willowleaf cottonwood
Populus balsamifera-balm, balm of Gilead, balm of Gilead poplar, balm cottonwood, balsam, balsam cottonwood,
balsam poplar, bam, black balsam poplar, black cottonwood, black poplar, California poplar, Canadian balsam
poplar, Canadian poplar, cottonwax, hackmatack, hairy balm of Gilead, heartleaf balsam poplar, northern black
cottonwood, Ontario poplar, tacamahac, tacamahac poplar, toughbark poplar, western balsam poplar
Populus deltoides*-aspen cottonwood, big cottonwood, Carolina poplar, cotton tree, eastern cottonwood, eastern
poplar, fremont cottonwood, great plains cottonwood, Missourian poplar, necklace poplar, northern fremont
cottonwood, palmer cottonwood, plains cottonwood, Rio Grande cottonwood, river cottonwood, river poplar,
southern cottonwood, Tennessee poplar, Texas cottonwood, valley cottonwood, Vermont poplar, Virginia poplar,
water poplar, western cottonwood, whitewood, wislizenus cottonwood, yellow cottonwood
Populus fremontii-Arizona cottonwood, Fremont cottonwood, Fremont poplar, meseta cottonwood, valley
cottonwood, wislizenus cottonwood
Populus heterophylla-bigleaf cottonwood, black cottonwood, cotton gum, cotton tree, cottonwood, downy
cottonwood, downy poplar, river cottonwood, swamp cottonwood, swamp poplar
Populus trichocarpa*-balsam cottonwood, black cottonwood, California poplar, cottonwood, western balsam
poplar
*commercial species
Distribution
Most of North America, with Populus deltoides in the eastern to midwest United States and Populus trichocarpa in
the western United States.
The Tree Cottonwood trees can reach heights of 190 ft (77 m), with a diameter of 6 ft (2.4 m).
The Wood General The sapwood of cottonwood is white, while the heartwood is light brown to brown. The wood
is weak in bending and compression, soft and low in shock resistance. It has a sour odor when wet, but no
characteristic odor or taste when dry. Tension wood is frequently present, causing a fuzzy surface when cut.
Working Properties: Cottonwood glues well, has low nail-holding ability, does not split
easily, and holds paint well.
Durability: Rated as slightly or nonresistant to heartwood decay.
Preservation: No information available at this time.
Uses: Lumber, veneer, plywood short bolts, pulpwood, boxes, crates, food containers, inte-rior
furniture parts, agricultural implements, wooden ware, cutting boards.
Toxicity: Sawdust may cause dermatitis (40, 64, 105).
Jim MacLachlan
Page 77
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
Magnolia (Magnolia spp.) consists of about 80 species from Asia [50], West Indies [8], Central/South America [10]
and North America [8]. Some species separations are possible based on microanatomy. The genus Magnolia is
dedicated to Pierre Magnol (1638-1715), professor of botany and medicine and director of the botanic garden at
Montpellier, France.
Magnolia acuminata*-black lin, black linn, blue magnolia, cowcumber, cucumber, cucumber magnolia,
cucumbertree, cucumberwood, elkwood, magnolia, mountain magnolia, pointed-leaved magnolia, yellow
cucumbertree, yellow-flower magnolia, yellow lin, yellow linn, yellow poplar, wahoo, wauhoo
Magnolia ashei-ashe magnolia, cucumbertree, sandhill magnolia
Magnolia fraseri-cucumber, cucumbertree, earleaf cucumber, earleaf cucumbertree, earleaf umbrella-tree, Fraser
magnolia, Fraser umbrella, Indian bitters, Indian physic, long-leaf cucumbertree, magnolia, mountain-cucumber,
mountain magnolia, mountain-oread, North Carolina bay-tree, umbrella-tree, water-lilly-tree, whahoo
Magnolia grandiflora*-bat-tree, bull-bay, big-laurel, black lin, cucumberwood, evergreen magnolia, great laurel,
large-flower magnolia, laurel,
laurel bay, laurel-leaved magnolia, magnolia, mountain magnolia, southern magnolia, sweet magnolia
Magnolia macrophylla-big-bloom, bigleaf magnolia, cowcumber, cucumber,
cucumbertree, elkbark, great-leaved magnolia, large-leaf cucumbertree, large-leaf magnolia, longleaf cucumber,
long-leaved magnolia, mountain magnolia, pyramid magnolia, royal-oread, silverleaf, silverleaf magnolia, southern
cucumbertree, umbrella-tree, large-leaved umbrella-tree, white cucumbertree
Magnolia pyramidata-mountain magnolia, mountain-oread, pyramid magnolia, southern cucumbertree, woodoread
Magnolia tripetala-cucumber, cucumbertree, elk-browse, elkwood, Japanese magnolia, magnolia, umbrella
magnolia, umbrella-tree, wahoo
Magnolia virginiana*-bat-tree, bay, bay-tree, beaver-tree, big laurel, black lin, bullbay, cucumberwood, Indian-bark,
laurel magnolia, magnolia, mountain magnolia, small magnolia, southern sweetbay, swampbay, swamp-laurel,
swamp magnolia, swamp sassafras, sweetbay, sweet magnolia, sweetbay magnolia, Virginia magnolia, white-bay,
white-laurel
* commercial species
Distribution North America
The Tree Magnolia trees can reach heights of 80 ft (24 m), with a diameter of 3 ft (1 m).
The Wood General The sapwood of magnolia is creamy white, while the heartwood is light to dark brown, often
with greenish to purple-black streaks or patches. The wood is even-textured and moderately heavy, fairly hard and
straight grained. It resembles yellow poplar (Liriodendron spp.). Magnolia is moderately stiff, high in shock
resistance, and low in shrinkage. It has no characteristic odor or taste.
Working Properties: Magnolia has average nail-holding ability, is readily worked, and
glues, paints, and finishes well.
Durability: Rated as slightly or nonresistant to heartwood decay.
Preservation: No information available at this time.
Uses: Lumber, veneer, furniture (upholstery frames), boxes, interior trim, cabinetry, doors, slats for venetian blinds,
plywood.
Toxicity: The bark and leaves can be irritating (64), while the wood has been reported to cause bronchial asthma
and rhinitis (40).
Jim MacLachlan
Page 78
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
Yellow Poplar (Liriodendron spp.) contains 2 species, the Yellow Poplar of North America (L. tulipifera) and a
Chinese species (L. chinensis). Both species look alike microscopically. The name liriodendron is derived from the
Greek lily and tree, because of the showy "lilylike" flowers (the flowers look more like tulips).
Liriodendron tulipifera-American whitewood, basswood, blue poplar, canar poplar, canarywood, canoewood,
cucumbertree, hickory poplar, liriodendron, old wives shirt, poplar, popple, saddle-tree, sap poplar, secoya, southern
yellow poplar, tulipia, tulip poplar, tuliptree, tulipwood, white poplar, whitewood
Distribution Most of the eastern United States, from Massachusetts west to Illinois, Arkansas and Louisiana, south
to the Gulf Coast and central Florida.
The Tree Yellow Poplar trees reach heights of 160 feet with a diameter of 8 feet. It is probably the tallest hardwood
tree in the eastern US.
The Wood General - Yellow Poplar sapwood is white, sometimes with stripes, while the heartwood is usually tan,
but can range from greenish brown to dark green, purple, black, blue and yellow. The wood is straight grained,
uniform in texture and moderate to light weight. Among commercially important hardwoods in the US, it ranks in
the lower third of the range of the following properties: specific gravity, bending strength, toughness, impact
resistance, work to maximum load, crushing strength, fiber stress at proportional limit, shear strength, tensile
strength and side hardness.
Working Properties: Yellow poplar has the reputation of being one of the easiest of all
hardwoods to work with hand and machine tools. It works well in planing, turning, gluing
and boring. It is average in mortising and nail- and screw-holding abilities, but poor in shap-ing
and sanding. It holds stain and paint well.
Durability: Rated as slightly or nonresistant to heartwood decay.
Preservation: No information available at this time.
Uses: Lumber, veneer, pulpwood, furniture, plywood, interior finish, dimension stock,
gunstocks, musical instruments, toys, novelties, hatblocks, sporting goods, pallets, ship-ping
crates, slack cooperage, particle board.
Toxicity: It may cause allergic reactions or dermatitis (40, 64, 105).
Jim MacLachlan
Page 79
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
Poplar, Yellow
Botanical Name:
Other Names:
Natural
Characteristics:
Color:
Workability:
Finishing Qualities:
Durability:
Uses:
Comments:
Price:
Liriodendron tulipifera
Whitewood, Tulipwood, Canoe Wood, Tulip Tree.
Straight grain with a fine even texture.
Color is generally between a white and light brown shade. Poplar often has
green or brown streaks that run randomly throughout the wood.
Finishing is generally good but can often come out blotched or uneven.
Variation in the color of the wood, such as green streaks, can often lead to
different colors in the finish. To minimize some of this try using a "spit coat"
before finishing.
Joinery, cabinetry, musical instruments, furniture, plywood.
Poplar is one of the most common woodworking woods today. Poplar trees
grow relatively fast and the wood is hard and strong. Lower grade Poplar is
often used as the core of furniture grade plywood.
Inexpensive
From The Plant Information Center (http://owl.ils.unc.edu):
Liriodendron+tulipifera
Often called Poplar, Yellow Poplar, or Tulip Poplar, this is no poplar at all, but a relative of Magnolias. It is the only
tree that has a leaf with a V-shaped or notched tip in our forests. The flowers, born all over the tree crown in spring,
are remarkably like tulips, though the tree is also unrelated to that plant. After pollination, many winged fruits
develop--and twirl like minature hellicopters to the ground. The spinning keeps the fruit in the air longer (it slows
the fall of the fruit) so that they fly further from the parent tree. Tuliptrees are one of our largest eastern trees--in the
few remaining old growth forests they can reach 10 feet in diameter and 200 feet tall. It is a fast growing species
with light weight wood. It was used for many purposes by settlers owing to its commonness and today is used in
paper manufacturing. Often hollow, the trunk was used for dugout canoes. Daniel Boone floated down the Ohio
River on a 60 foot Tuliptree canoe. Tulptree leaves turn light yellow to a deep gold in the fall.
Jim MacLachlan
Page 80
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
TULIP POPLAR, Liriodendron tulipifera (Family: Magnoliadaceae). Shown here is the trunk of a fully mature
specimen over a hundred feet in height. This fast growing tree is common and widespread throughout the east. The
wood, marketed as "yellow poplar" has many and varied used including house construction and furniture.
Eastern Cottonwood 1
Home
Jim MacLachlan
Page 81
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
Jim MacLachlan
Page 82
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
Sassafras:
“I've never seen it this big around here - look!” is what I wrote when I first
started these notes a year or so ago.
My Projects\Wood Work Journal.doc - Sassafras_firstbowls 27Dec03: I cut up one of the 3 Sassafras logs that Jim
Isenock gave me. (He gave them to me 28Nov03, but I think he cut down the tree at the end of Oct03 & were
starting to check on the ends.). They’re maybe 11” in diameter by 2’ long. I cut one in half, stripped the bark
off/rough-rounded on the big lathe (it was barely warm enough) & brought it in to the Delta lathe to make a bowl.
It wobbled a lot, even when I had it rounded down really well & I had to cut it in half again with a parting tool. It
still wobbled some until I got it roughed out. One side of the wood is just full of water compared to the other.
There’s a rotted spot, like an old limb going up near the center & another along the inside edge that might have
connected to it. I guess this is a rotted branch. That side of the entire log is lighter than the other.
Sassafras reminds me a lot of weak Red Oak, except that it is green – the same green you see in Black
Locust & parts of Poplar - & it has that distinctive smell – medicine but good. It has the same large growth rings
with the pronounced spring growth lines, but doesn’t have the
strength. Tools cut it very quickly & easily, although with the grain
parallel to the lathe bed, going in to the side can be a little tricky.
The grain will grab a gouge & it tends to chip off. Had the devil’s
own time with top of the bowl. It kept wanting to chip.
I left this bowl rather thick & unfinished due to the rot
spots & trouble I had with the chipping. I nuked it a bunch of times
(5 –7) for 2 minutes each most times. (Made the house smell great!)
There are a few fine dry cracks, nothing you’ll see once the finish is
on, especially if it is a wax. I took it back out to the shop &
painted it with cut, clear shellac. I saved some of the sawdust & will fill the hole with a mixture of glue & sawdust.
The shellac should keep the glue from penetrating on the sides much & stabilize the rotting wood from the branch
on the side. Once the glue is dried, I turned it some more, but it wasn’t holding. Put in a mixture of shellac &
sawdust. That was a little better, but not great. There are still voids there, but the wax finish (Howard’s) sealed
them pretty well.
I split up the other half of the log (not the piece I cut off on the
lathe) & it split down great. I used the froe to get nice flat faces & then
the Radial Arm saw (just too big for my little bandsaw) to cut the
corners. This allowed me to make a small, 6” diameter bowl out of one
piece with the grain running perpendicular to the lathe bed – a radial cut
bowl? I nuked it last night as well & brought it out to finish it up on the
lathe this morning. I cut more off of it, especially the base, which had a
crack in it that got worse. It looks pretty nice. I finished with
Howard’s Feed & Wax.
An interesting side note on Sassafras: Since I saw that Thomas’ Sawmill sells it, I’ve asked around & no
one seems to know what it is used for. In the Feb04 issue of Woodworker’s Journal (yes, it is Dec03 – go figure) I
found that this month’s column by Ian Kirby has a column on Tusk Tenon joinery & he made the demo table out of
Sassafras. He made the stringers very complicated to use that wood, IMO. Great grandpa’s stool uses that joint for
the bottom stringers & I felt Red Oak was barely up to it. Still, Kirby writes, on page 54, “I chose to use flat-sawn
sassafras that looks a lot like chestnut & has a very basic wood color & appearance.” I don’t notice any green cast
to his wood, but I don’t see it in the pictures of the bowls above, either.
(RU) Sassafras (Sassafras albidum) It is soft, weak & rather brittle, but it is quite resistant to decay. It
splits straight, is easy to work & smells wonderful. Often used for small-boat construction, fence posts &
foundation posts, it's also a good wood for making wooden pails & ox yokes. Although it is not a strong wood, it,
like red mulberry, is occasionally used for making country chairs. It turns well. He also notes that the leaves come
in 3 styles; mittens, double thumb mittens & no thumb mittens.
Sassafrass
Sassafras albidum
From US Forest Service:
Jim MacLachlan
Page 83
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
Sassafras is a genus composed of three species native to North America [1], China [1] and Taiwan [1]. The name
sassafras is a Native American name used by the Spanish and French in Florida in the middle of the 16th century. In
1577, the use of sassafras by Native Americans was reported and in 1587, Sir Walter Raleigh brought it back to
England from the Virginia Colony. In the early 17th century (1602—1603), several ships were dispatched from
England to the colonies to collect sassafras roots; the colonists used the wood to build forts. These forays were
known as the Great Sassafras Hunts.
Sassafras albidum-ague-tree, black ash, cinnamon wood, common sassafras, file-gumbo, gumbo-file, red sassafras,
sasafras, sassafac, sassafrac, sassafras, sassafrasso, saxifrax, saxifrax tree, smelling-stick, wah-en-nah-kas, white
sassafras.
Distribution Sassafras is native to North America from Maine through Ontario, Michigan, Iowa, and Kansas, to
Florida and Texas.
The Tree The tree can reach a height of 90 ft (27 m) and a diameter of 5 ft (1.5 m). The leaves vary in shape from
simple (entire) to mitten-shape to tri-lobed on the same tree. Sassafras produces greenish-yellow flowers in the
spring and bright red, yellow, and orange foliage in the fall. It has thick, dark red-brown bark that is deeply
furrowed. Trees are either male or female, although the flowers may appear perfect. The fruits are olive-shaped to
spherical, with a dark skin and thin flesh. Sassafras is a pioneer species, the first to invade abandoned fields. It
spreads asexually by root runners, forming small groves of the tree. Sassafras grows alongside persimmon, oak,
sweetgum, dogwood, ironwood and pawpaw.
The Wood General Sassafras heartwood is pale brown to orange brown, resembling ash or chestnut; the sapwood
is a narrow yellowish-white. The wood is coarse-grained, straight, brittle and soft, with a spicy aromatic odor.
Sassafras is a ring-porous species.
From: http://www.hort.uconn.edu/plants
Habit and Form







Summer Foliage



a deciduous shrub or tree
reaches 40' to 50' tall under some
conditions
pyramidal or shrubby when young
rounded to irregular when older
suckers from the roots and forms
thickets
branching is horizontal on young plants
branching is more irregular on mature
trees
Jim MacLachlan


leaves in an alternate arrangement
leaves are entire or shaped like mittens
mittens can have left, right or two
thumbs
leaves are 3" to 7" long, 2" to 4" wide
color is medium green
Autumn Foliage


Page 84
generally outstanding
ranges from red to orange and yellow
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
Flowers






ID Features





dioecious; male and female plants
yellow, before the leaves
bloom tine is early may
flower clusters about 2" long
individual flowers are .4" in diameter
limited ornamental impact
Liabilities
Fruit




mitten-shaped leaves when present
sympodial branching
green twig bark
deeply furrowed mahogany bark
red-orange-yellow fall color





blue-black fruit on female plants only
0.5" long, held in clusters with red
pedicels
ripens in September
fruit quickly eaten by birds or drop off,
but red pedicels persist and can be
showy
chlorosis on high pH soils
difficult to transplant and establish
likely difficult to locate in commerce
Japanese beetles
propensity to sucker endlessly
Bark




ornamentally appealing
deeply furrowed, forming flat, corky
ridges
red-brown color
twig bark is smooth and green (See
pictures next page)
Culture




difficult to establish due to sparse root
system
prefers a light, acidic sandy soil
full sun
remove root suckers if a single trunk is
desired
(Note: The picture of the bark doesn’t show the
silver highlights that I found on the ones that Jim I.
gave me. Very noticable.)
Home
Jim MacLachlan
Page 85
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
Jim MacLachlan
Page 86
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
Sea Grape: Coccoloba uvifera
21Mar04: James had the Schweitzer’s bring me back a piece of this tree that they got cut down
in their place in Florida, out on the east coast, about center. It’s a few inches in diameter & 2’
long. Green as can be. Couldn’t find anything on it in the Audobon or Wood books. Nothing in
the USFS NA Hardwoods. Did a web search.
It's not great for turning as it is very wet wood & will burn easily in the microwave. Also
moves a lot & cracks. Like our local Fox Grape, it has a hollow pith in the very center. A very
pretty color when dried. Kind of a light red-purple. No strength to it. Chattered on the lathe
very easily.
Found http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/archives/forestry/hough/WoodsPart_XIII.html which shows that Hough’s
WoodBook does have SeaGrape in it on plate 302. Hough notes that it is sometimes used in
cabinetry.
From http://www.ci.miami.fl.us/parks/virginiakey/sea_grape.htm
Coccoloba uvifera
The large, wide leaves of the Sea Grape make it
one of the easiest trees to identify in the coastal
hammock. The small, spherical fruits of this tree
are edible and are commonly used to make jelly.
From: http://www.tradewindsfruit.com/sea_grape.htm
Very common tree native to seashores throughout tropical America. Forms long clusters of
grape-like fruit with an acidic flavor. The sea grape is often used as a landscape tree near beaches
and waterways as it adapts well to sandy soil.
Uses: Eaten fresh out of hand or used to make jams and
jellies.
Plant Cultivation: Small shrub to medium sized tree
up to 30ft high. Sea grapes are fairly hardy plants in
tropical zones, surviving light frosts with little damage.
Temperatures below 30F for any length of time may
kill the plant. They grow extremely well in sandy soil
and often grow directly on sandy beaches next to the
ocean--similar to the coconut palm.
Propagation: Almost exclusively by seed.
Origin and Distribution: Native to seashore regions
throughout tropical America.
From: http://www.tropilab.com/seagrape.html
(A supplier of medicinal plants & herbs)
Jim MacLachlan
Page 87
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
Common name: sea grape, uva de playa, gemeine seestraube, raisenier, raisin marine, uvero, uvito,
arahueque.
Family: polygonaceae (buckwheat family).
Sea grape is an evergreen tropical tree; it grows in Suriname up to 50' tall.
It has shiny, leathery alternate leaves, 8" in diameter with a primary vein that's reddish at the base.
Sea grape has small fragrant white flowers on spikes.
The fruit (a berry) hangs down in clusters; there are more than 40 fruits in the cluster.
The velvet - like fruits are globose and white - light brown colored, with a single seed.
The taste is sweetish acid.
The fruit pulp is eaten raw, made into jelly or fermented into wine.
The wood can be used for furniture, while the bark resins can be used for the tanning of hides.
Medicinal applications: the bark resin is also used against throat ailments while the root is used against
dysentery.
Hardiness: USDA zone 9 B - 11.
Propagation: seeds and cuttings.
Culture: partial shade / full sun, drought tolerance.
Protect from frost or plant in frost free areas; leaf damage starts at 32° F. and branch damage at 25° F.
Can be used in landscaping as a free standing tree.
Misc sources:
 The heart-wood is dark red and is very hard and rot resistant.
 On sand dunes and beaches, seagrape usually grows as a diffuse, sprawling shrub with stout
branches and rarely a distinct trunk. However, away from the constant salt and sand spray it
can grow into a handsome vase-shaped tree up to 50 ft (15.2 m) tall.
 The fruits are edible raw and are made into "seaside jelly" or wine. In the West Indies, they
boil the wood to yield a red dye. Wood from larger trees is prized for cabinet work. A gum
from the bark is used for throat ailments, and the roots are used to treat dysentery.
 Don't confuse Seagrape with Sea Hibiscus which also has very large leaves and flowers that
change color as they mature.
 First there were the spinning tops. Our parents traditionally shaped and carved these for us
from the sea grape or guava branch because they were hard wood.
 The resin of the bark is used in tanning and dying. The wood is used to make furniture and as
fuel.
Home
Jim MacLachlan
Page 88
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
Sycamore:
Big, pretty fast growing & filthy, the Sycamore is all around this area. Large ones often rot in the center,
but they'll keep growing. I once saw a tool shed made out of the trunk of a big one that came down. It was cut off
about 8' up, a split widened & the inside was cleaned a little. There was a little gable roof & board door on some
gate hinges with trunions. Made a fine tool shed. They get 60' tall easily & drop a lot of twigs & seeds which can
clog a gutter in no time. The twigs tend to stick in gutter guards. I've never used the wood for anything except
firewood, which it isn't great for. Burns fast. I'd like to turn some & have been asking around.
Fall05, got some from David Jayne who works for the Smythes. They bought Tom & Anne Graul's old
place on the Pike (146) & the Gunpowder right on the county line across from Doug Small & Jerry Stautberg. He
gave me some firewood lengths that had been down for a while. I tried cutting a bowl out with the grain running
parallel to the bed of the lathe only once. The wood wasn't up to it. Lots of pockmarks as it tore out pieces. . The
grain was too twisted to split so I cut them in half with a chainsaw & tried natural edge bowls. They came out nice,
although the end grain was still a bear. The wood is soft & very even in texture. The bark doesn't like to stay on hell, it doesn't stay on the live tree very well. I got some of the greener ones to stay but by the end of Dec04, none
of it would. Very stable in drying, but a lot of that is probably due to the age of the wood. I'd like to get some really
green & see how it works. Cut some up for samples.
The wood is very porous. When dry & putting a finish on it, the poly soaks into the wood & will actually
travel 3/16" through the wood & come out the other side on the end grain. Flat isn't bad, although it does take 3
coats to cover it well. 5 or 6 are needed for the end grain & I must sand between each one. I've taken to letting the
end grain soak up all I can each coat. Still takes a ton & you can feel the bowl get heavier. I've tried putting the
Krylon clear spray on, which is water based to block the poly from soaking through so much, but it doesn't seem to
help much.
(RU) Sycamore (Platanus occidentalis) Sycamore, sometimes called
buttonwood, is a very fast growing tree, often reaching a diameter of 10 feet
& a height of 150 feet. It decays rapidly in contact with the ground. In
fact, huge hollow sycamore trees were the first homes for many pioneer
families. The wood is somewhat difficult to split & moderately strong &
hard. It turns well on a lathe & makes excellent food containers, as it
imparts no taste or stain. It is an excellent wood for butcher blocks &
industrial flooring. A good wood for steam-bent furniture & boxes.
(ES) AKA Buttonball &/or Buttonwood is easily recognized by its bark
which resembles "old scraped-off wall paper." The trunks of mature sycamores
are often hollow; their limbs are remarkably light in color, ranging from
cream to gray, pale green & tan. The fruit is a ball of seeds.
(JL) {Sycamore.}
The Sycamore, in these Parts, grows in a low, swampy Land, by River-sides.
Its Bark is quite different from the English, and the most beautiful I ever
saw, being mottled and clowded with several Colours,
as white, blue, &c. It bears no Keys but a Bur like the sweet Gum.
Jim MacLachlan
Page 89
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
Its Uses I am ignorant of.
Sycamore
Jim MacLachlan
American Sycamore
Platanus occidentalis
Page 90
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
2 Entries from the US Forest Service:
Sycamore
Platanus occidentalis Platanaceae Sycamore
Sycamore (Platanus sp.) also known as Buttonwood or Plane is composed of 5 to 9 species which grow in Eurasia
[2] and North America [8]. All species look alike microscopically. The common name “Sycamore” is used in
England to designate a species in the Hard Maple Group (Acer pseudoplatanus), whereas Plane or Planetree is used
to name the Platanus which grows there.
Platanus occidentalis American Plane, American Sycamore, Buttonball, Buttonball-tree, Buttonwood, California
Button, California Sycamore, Cotonier, Lacewood, Oriental Planetree, Oriental Sycamore, Plane, Planetree,
Quartered Sycamore, Sycamore, Water Beech
Platanus racemosa Aliso, Buttonball, Buttonball-tree, Buttonwood, California Planetree, California Sycamore,
Planetree, Sycamore, Western Sycamore
Platanus wrightii Alamo, Arizona Planetree, Arizona Sycamore, Sycamore
Distribution: The eastern US, from the Canadian border to the Gulf of Mexico and from the Atlantic coast west to
the Great Plains.
The Tree: Sycamore trees reach heights of 120 feet, with a diameter of 3 feet.
The Wood General: The sapwood of Sycamore is white to light yellow, while the heartwood is light to dark
brown. It is classified as moderate in weight, hardness, stiffness, shock resistance, strength in bending, endwise
compression and nail holding ability. It has a close texture, glues well and resists splitting due to interlocked grain. It
holds its shape well after steaming and machines well, but requires high speed cutter heads to prevent chipping. It
shrinks moderately in drying and is inclined to warp when flat sawn. It is odorless, stain free and tasteless.
Working Properties: Sycamore has a close texture, glues well, and resists splitting because of its interlocked grain.
It holds its shape well after steaming and machines well, but requires high speed cutter heads to prevent chipping.
Durability: Rated as nonresistant to heartwood decay.
Preservation: No information available at this time.
Uses: Furniture (especially drawer sides), containers, millwork, flooring, veneer, pallets, boxes, plywood, pulp
wood, paper, particleboard.
Toxicity: No information available at this time.
Jim MacLachlan
Page 91
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
The true Buttonwood is included here for reference. It's a Florida tree.
The genus Conocarpus is composed of 2 species native to: North America [1] and the shores of tropical America and
Africa [1]. The word conocarpus means "cone fruit", in reference to the cone like rounded fruits.
Other Common Names: Asokolo, Asopolo, Botoncahui, Botoncillo, Botonillo, Buttonbush, Button Mangrove,
Button-tree, Chene Guadeloupe, Conocarpe Droit, Estachahuite, Flordia Button, Florida Buttonwood, Geli, Gra
Mangrove, Grey Mangrove, Grignon, Grijze Mangle, Grijze Mangrove, Iztac-cuahuitl, Jele, Kaba, K an-chik-inche,
Kanche, K ank-ank-che, K ank-che, Madre de Sal, Mangel, Mangel Blancu, Mangle, Mangle Blanco, Mangle
Boton, Mangle Botoncillo, Mangle Cenizo, Mangle Garbancillo, Mangle Gris, Mangle Jeli, Mangle Lloroso,
Mangle Marequita, Mangle Negro, Mangle Pinuelo, Mangle Prieto, Mangle Roche, Mangle Torcido, Mangle
Zaragoza, Manglier, Manglier Gris, Mangrovia Grigia, Mangue, Mangue Branco, Mangue de Botao, Maraquito, N
Ja, Paletuvier, Paletuvier Gris, Pash-ch uhnul, Pataban, Saragosa, Silver Buttonwood, Taabche, Tabche, Witte
Mangel, Witte Mangro, Wortelboom, X-kanche, Xtabche, Yana, Zaragosa, Zaragoza Mangrove
Distribution Native to the silt shores of coasts and islands of Florida, including the Florida keys. Also widely
distributed on coasts of tropical America from Bermuda and Bahamas through West Indies including Puerto Rico
and Virgin Islands. From Mexico south on the Atlantic coast to Brazil and on the Pacific coast to Ecuador including
the Galapagos Islands and Peru. On coasts of west Africa and in Melanesia and Polynesia.
The Tree Buttonwood occurs in tidal lagoons and bays of brackish water. It forms dense thickets of shrubby
growth, but becomes tree like when growing alone. Flowers and fruits are produced year round. The tree reaches
heights of 60 feet and 3 feet in diameter. The bark is thick and has broad plates of thin scales which are gray to
brown. The bark is rich in tannins.
The Wood General The heartwood of Buttonwood is olive brown, with a reddish tinge, while the sapwood is
lighter. It is moderately heavy, hard and strong. It has a high luster, medium texture, with a straight to mottled grain.
Working Properties: Buttonwood is not easy to work, but it finishes smoothly.
Durability: Moderately resistant to heartwood decay.
Preservation: No information available at this time.
Uses: Durable construction, fuel, charcoal.
Toxicity: No information available at this time.
Salix nigra
black willow, swamp willow
Photograph(s) by*: CM NRCS
Characteristics
Height: 35-50'
Spread: 20-35'
Flowers: Mar.-Apr.; yellow green
Fruit: Apr.-May; green yellow; cone/cone-like
Fall color: yellow green
Conditions *
Light:
Moisture: Moist Wet
Soil pH: 6-8
Soil type: Clay Loamy Sandy
Salinity: 0-0.5 ppt
Habitat
fresh tidal marshes, fresh tidal swamps, forested wetlands, floodplains, wet meadows;
regularly to permanently flooded
Native to
Region: Coastal Piedmont Mountain *
States: MD DE PA NY WV VA
Jim MacLachlan
Page 92
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
Wildlife
*
high wildlife value
Notes
streambank stabilizer; spreads by suckers; preferred food of ruffed grouse and pine
grosbeak; tolerates flooding; tolerates salinity to 0.5 ppt
Home
Jim MacLachlan
Page 93
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
Jim MacLachlan
Page 94
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
Walnut:
Besides Oak, this is the most abundant furniture grade hardwood locally. We have a lot of Black Walnut
around & it is pretty good quality. Fairly slow growing, the wood isn't very hard, but can have hard spots. Some of
it can be almost as soft as Poplar, other spots can be almost as tough as Oak.
I've done a lot of projects with it. For the Dick's, I made a really nice wall cabinet to hold all their mail. It
was mostly made of 1/2" thick boards with lots of slots & pockets. I've turned it & it isn't hard to turn green, doesn't
split easily as it dries, either. Very pretty grain, no need to stain, although a coat of Orange Shellac can bring out the
color nicely. Plain poly, shellac, wax or oil can do the same, though. 40 lb/ft³
10Jun06 - Stella, a friend of Mom's brought me several logs a few feet long about a foot
in diameter or a bit less.
(RU) Black Walnut (Juglans nigra)is unquestionably the most gratifying
wood to work with hand tools. The deep brown wood with occasional streaks of
purple is our finest domestic cabinet stock. Straight-grained walnut can be
readily split into the rough blanks for further shaping. Very resistant to
rot, it has been used for posts & pilings. They are slow growing, hence
their current scarcity. Finding a walnut tree in the forest often indicates
an old house site. The punky white sapwood on a fallen log near old
foundations may conceal a beautiful treasure within.
(ES)
Walnut - a most valuable hardwood, has leaves that are fine-toothed,
pointed, smooth above & hairy beneath. There are from fifteen to twentythree leaves on a black walnut branch & from eleven to nineteen leaves on a
white walnut (butternut) branch. Black walnut has a darker bark & its round
nut grows in a thick green husk. The butternut spreads more & has lighter,
grayer bark & slightly broader, more hairy leaves. Husks from both of these
walnuts produce a fine yellow dye. Black walnut was used in making water
wheels & as charcoal for gunpowder. Sugar was produced from the sap of the
butternut.
(JL) {Walnut.}
The Walnut-Tree of America is call'd Black Walnut. I suppose, that Name was,
at first, to distinguish it from the Hiccories, it having a blacker Bark.
This Tree grows, in good Land, to a prodigious Bigness. The Wood is very
firm and durable, of which Tables and Chests of Drawers are made, and prove
very well. Some of this is very knotty, which would make the best Returns for
England, tho' the Masters of Vessels refuse it, not understanding its
Goodness. 'Tis a very good and durable Wood, to bottom Vessels for the Sea
withal; and they say, that it is never eaten by the Worm. The Nuts have a
large Kernel, which is very oily, except lain by, a long time, to mellow. The
Shell is very thick, as all the native Nuts of America are. When it has its
yellow outward Coat on, it looks and smells much like a Lemon.
Jim MacLachlan
Page 95
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
Walnut
Black Walnut
Juglans nigra
From the US Forest Service:
The walnut/butternut group (Juglans spp.) contains 15 species which grow in South America [6], Eurasia [4] and
North America [6]. The word juglans is the classic Latin name of walnut, meaning nut of Jupiter.
North American species of Juglans :
Juglans californica-California black walnut, California walnut, claro walnut, southern California walnut
Juglans cinerea a,b -butternut
Juglans hindsii-California black walnut, hinds black walnut, northern California walnut
Juglans major-Arizona black walnut, Arizona walnut, little walnut, Mexican walnut, western walnut
Juglans microcarpa-Arizona walnut, dwarf walnut, little walnut, Mexican walnut, river walnut, Texas black
walnut, Texas walnut, western walnut
Juglans nigraa -American walnut, American black walnut, black walnut, burbank walnut, eastern black walnut,
eastern walnut, gunwood, Virginia walnut
a
commercial species
Distribution Black walnut is native to the eastern United States, from southern Minnesota east to Pennsylvania,
New Jersey, New York; south to South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama; west to Texas; and north through
Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, and South Dakota.
The Tree Black walnut trees reach heights of 120 ft (37 m), with a diameter of over 3 ft (1 m).
The Wood General The sapwood of black walnut is nearly white, while the heartwood is light brown to dark,
chocolate brown, often with a purplish cast and darker streaks. The wood is heavy, hard, and stiff and has high
shock resistance.
Working Properties: Black walnut is straight grained and easily worked with hand tools and by machine. It
finishes beautifully and holds paint and stain exceptionally well. It also glues and polishes well.
Durability: Rated as very resistant to heartwood decay—one of the most durable woods, even under conditions
favorable to decay.
Preservation: No information available at this time.
Uses: Furniture, fixtures, cabinets, gunstocks, novelties, interior paneling, veneer.
Toxicity: No information available at this time.
Jim MacLachlan
Page 96
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
Walnut, Black
Botanical Name:
Other Names:
Natural
Characteristics
Color:
Workability:
Finishing Qualities
Durability:
Uses:
Toxicity:
Comments:
Price:
Juglanes nigra
American Black Walnut, American Walnut.
Tough wood, medium density, straight grain.
Dark brown to Purplish Black.
Holds a good edge.
Finishes well with a natural finish.
Fine furniture, carving, gunstocks, plywood.
Contains Juglone, a chemical which might cause dermatitis in some
woodworkers.
Do not use shavings for horse bedding.
Can tend to dull and blunt saw blades.
Moderate
Home
Jim MacLachlan
Page 97
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
Jim MacLachlan
Page 98
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
Willow:
While there are several varieties around, I think all the wood is about the same. It's light & doesn't have
much strength. I've never used it for much except playing as a kid. The new shoots have a pithy core that is easy to
poke out & make straws out of. You can also work the bark loose on these & make a sliding whistle. Bigger shoots
were good for toasting marshmallows & hot dogs over a fire.
The wood is a delicate white & I got some from one of the trees that fell down by the little pond by Rip &
Mom's house. It had been sitting in the pond for a while & then in the brush pile. I tried to turn it, but it was too wet
& rotted. I have some pieces drying on the shop floor. I'll see what they'll turn like at some point.
2005: Got some Black or Swamp Willow from David Kirshner. When green, the wood sucks. Way too
soft to turn & it breaks apart as it dries. Let some dry over the winter in the shop & it's OK to turn then. Still soft, a
little stringy & isn't ever going to be a favorite. Might be a little stringier than the Weeping Willow, but otherwise
seems the same.
(RU) Willow (Salix sp.) This is the tree that gave us the expression
'clean as a whistle'. In the spring the bright green bark of the growing
twigs can be easily slipped off to make willow whistles, leaving the pure
white wood beneath the new bark. Will wood is soft, light & very weak. Its
light weight & the ease with which it can be shaped with hand tools make it
ideal for artificial arms & legs. The charcoal made from willow wood was
prized for making black powder. Willow trees love water & can often be found
along stream banks. It decays rapidly in contact with the ground.
(JL) {Willow.}
The Willow, here, likewise differs both in Bark and Leaf.
found on the Banks of fresh Water, as the Birch is.
Willow
Black Willow
Peachleaf willow
It is frequently
Salix nigra
S. amygdaloides
From The US Forest Service:
Willow (Salix sp.) is composed of 170 to 400 species native to: Eurasia [60], South America [1], Central America
[19] and North America [87]. All species look alike microscopically.
Salix nigra-Dudley Willow, Goodding Willow, Southeastern Black Willow, Swamp Walnut, Tall Black Willow,
Western Black Willow
Distribution Throughout the eastern United States, from the Atlantic coast west to Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska,
Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas.
The Tree Black Willow trees reach heights of 140 feet, with a diameter of 4 feet.
The Wood General The sapwood of Black Willow is light tan, while the heartwood is pale reddish brown to
grayish brown. It has no characteristic odor or taste. It is soft, but does not splinter when dented. It is uniform in
texture, and weak in bending and crushing. It rates moderately high in shock resistance, low in nail holding ability,
but does not split readily due to its interlocked grain.
Working Properties: Black willow is classed as one of the most difficult woods to machine. It glues very well and
readily accepts finishes. It rates moderately high in shock resistance and low in nail-holding ability, but it does not
split readily because of its interlocked grain.
Durability: Rated as slightly or nonresistant to heartwood decay.
Preservation: No information available at this time.
Uses: Factory lumber, veneer, box lumber, pulpwood, furniture, paneling, interior trim, cabinetry, artificial limbs,
fiber board, slack cooperage, excelsior, novelties, toys, wooden shoes, polo balls and carvings.
Toxicity: No information available at this time.
Home
Jim MacLachlan
Page 99
3/6/2016
Wood Notes
Jim MacLachlan
Page 100
3/6/2016