I am considering using Paulownia for an exterior garden bench commission. Does anyone have any experience with this use of this wood? My sawmill operator mentioned that it was a good exterior wood, and so a took a piece, planed it, and put it outside about one month ago, and it is doing fine with no finish. I drove a couple of copper nails in it and so far there is not discoloration around them. I use copper rivets for attaching the seat planks to the side rails. I would plan to coat the legs with West epoxy, to reduce the wicking of water. I think this guy will live on concrete, not dirt or grass, just outside of the client’s front door.
I have never worked this wood before, but was told that it is quite fire resistant. It certainly is light weight. It is hard to chisel becuase it is so soft. Seems to plane fine, both under power and by hand.
Any comments would be appreciated.
Alan
Alan
www.alanturnerfurnituremaker.com
Replies
Dear friend,
Paulownia wood is very much resistant to weather.
It has been used in the far-east to make wooden-walking shoes called 'getha' in japan.
Inspite of being light and rather soft, it is quite strong. It was used in those work shoes with quite tall high teeth (stand-offs) in rice fields walking in water and mud.
Would be interested in knowing more about what you find, if you use it. Also, as to its cost and availability.
Have used getha made of that wood, and even made them for self use, gifts, and a few sales, but from other wood materials, though.
-mbl-
Hey, that means 'shallow water'.
-mbl-
It is available at Groff & Groff, for $3 b.f. I think. Up to 12/4. It was sort of grayish off the planer, but has turned more blonde colored in the weather. Quite a nice color, actually.
Where is Jon Arno when you need him?
Alan
http://www.alanturnerfurnituremaker.com
Thanks, Alan.
-mbl-
I'm here Alan. I'm just in complete agreement with the comments made so far...Kind of refreshing...It's a totally different world over in the Cafe. :O)
As for using Paulownia for an outdoor bench, it has good decay resistance. It's very similar to our native catalpa in that respect...Actually, these two woods are closely related, despite the fact that botanists put them in two different families for some esoteric reason...Possibly relating to their widely separated ranges. Paulownia is native to northern China, even though it is now naturalized here throughout the lower Midwest and southern Piedmont states.
It's low density might pose a slight problem in that it dents easily and would wear faster than the traditional white oak or teak typically used for this purpose...but strength shouldn't be an issue, if you go with a moderately thick stock (5/4 or heavier) and keep the spans between the cross braces reasonably short; say 20" or less.
Paulownia is a pretty wood. I use a little of it for the kerf bent ribs in my dulcimers. It's so punky you can almost tie it in a knot without lifting any splinters. I avoid using it for the sound boards, though. It's almost as good as cork when it comes to deadening sound.
There's a new market niche, muted dulcimers for crowded apartment living.
Dunc, are you gettin' into that Glenlivet single malt again?
Jon,
Thanks as always for your sage advice. I will see if the client thinks it is attractive. Since it is a Japanese motif that is being requested, China is pretty close. It will be a 4 foot bench, I think, and so maybe I'll go with 6/4 for the seat slats. That should do it.
AlanAlan
http://www.alanturnerfurnituremaker.com
Alan, I'm not an expert on Japanese tradition, but I recall reading somewhere that paulownia has some sort of significance in making cerimonial (funeral ?) boxes over there. The Japanese love this wood and have even been known to cruise the Appalachians, offering top dollar for paulownia logs.
...So, I guess, if you're going with a Japanese style, paulownia might make sense on more than just functional grounds. Might make a good sales pitch, anyway.
What I was told was that this wood was used for boxes for important papers, both because it is light and strong, and becuase it won't burn easily.
AlanAlan
http://www.alanturnerfurnituremaker.com
It is also a very fast growing wood. the story goes, when a Japanese daughter is born, they plant one, and when she's fifteen, there's enough wood to make her hope chest.
Teak, teak, and teak. And then make some garden slate work to go with it., very nice. Best outdoor wood I have seen.-
Dryad
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