Replies

1. 
   robkress | Sep 07, 2009 03:03pm | #1

   I was just at the sawyer's place and saw some cut up willow. Very blond and smooth grain as I recall. Could be really nice especially if you can find something to do with that crotch.

   Rob Kress

2. 
   PrunusSerotina | Sep 07, 2009 09:49pm | #2

   Willow is an extremely lightweight soft wood. It is not very stable, and wouldn't be a good choice to spend time or money on milling it into useful lumber.

   And, by the way, I found that it doesn't make very good firewood, either.

1. 
   RichardDean | May 01, 2014 12:08am | #9

   Yes and no

   Willow is a light wood, but it is classified as a medium hard wood, not a soft wood. It actually handles fine but is a little fibrous, which turns some people off. Personally I love the natural grain of willow. It's a beautiful wood. As for it's durability, it dents rather than breaks (because of the fibrousness), but it can finish a little weird. I've been expirimenting with several finishes. Natural finish with a sealer seems to be the best so far. If the wood is free, I think it is worth milling. If not, see if you can trade some to the mill and they'll probably take it. Violins, guitars, and cricket bats all use willow in their construction. It can be worth money to a mill that knows who to supply with it.

2. 
   blackwillow | Apr 07, 2015 05:11pm | #11

   black willow (salix nigra)

   where is this available? i want a piece of wood to buy.

   I want to do experiment.

3. 
   forestgirl | Sep 07, 2009 10:41pm | #3

   We  had a humongous willow tree go down in 2007, I was asking the same questions.  A sawyer took away all of it, using most of the branches in natural form for rustic coathanger boards and such.  I suspect he'll  use the big trunk for some kind of natural-look project also.  How about turning blanks?
   View Image

   forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-) 
   
4. 
   stantheman | Sep 07, 2009 11:17pm | #4

   steve

   Had one cut down last year.  Good for turning (like F-G said) and carving, but not much character for lumber.  Affirm what P-S said - not good firewood.  It also makes good stringing for inlays due to even white color. 

5. 
   joinerswork | Sep 08, 2009 12:36am | #5

   steve,

   I remember reading somewhere that the primary commercial use of willow is for prosthetic devices (wooden legs etc). Because of its light weight when dry.  Also supposed to be good for making the (special) charcoal which is used in making black powder (charcoal, sulfur, saltpeter).

   Not much heat in willow as firewood. 

   Ray  

6. 
   roc | Sep 08, 2009 01:40am | #6

   I used to work at a bronze foundry. The quintessential starving artists. We had more work than we could do. That was good ! We worked with bronze sculpture worth tens of thousands of dollars and more ( and did I mention we had more orders than we could fill ) so that was very good !

   The work was so hard we took hour and a half breaks and the owner would load us all up in his truck and drive down to the local coffee shop for iced espresso drinks his treat. That was very good. Thank you Rob !

   Then the bozos in washington decided to fight some wars and everybody hoarded their money or invested in war ***t. That wasn't good. The foundry closed.

   OK I got it all out. Again.

   But what I was going to say was usually I took those long breaks down by a super nice little creek. All along that creek were trees. Some of them willow. The city came out to cut up a tree that had gotten down and across the creek. I asked them what kind of tree cause I didn't notice until it was all cut up into chunks they could get out of there.

   I salvaged two chunks about two and a half feet across the diameter and about as long. I painted the ends with thick old house paint and left them to dry. If I did it again I would use wax.

   Anyway I use them to pound stuff on sort of like a black smith would but without the heat. Someday I may even mount an anvil on one. Works no problem so far.

   I think the guy said they are willow but has been a decade now. Soft though.

   roc

   Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe. Abraham Lincoln ( 54° shaves )

1. 
   joespehar | Sep 08, 2009 03:28am | #7

   Cricket bats are made of willow, but a tree called cricket bat willow, not the weeping willows we mostly encounter in this country. Cricket bat willow is light but tough and durable. Weeping willow is light but soft. Many years ago, when I used to heat my house with wood, I quit burning willow very early on because it burned so quickly with little heat.

7. 
   KeithNewton | Sep 09, 2009 05:22pm | #8

   that would be a total waste of time. The wood would be rotten and full of insects by now.

8. 
   blackwillow | Apr 07, 2015 05:04pm | #10

   Where is the black willow (salix nigra) available to buy

   I am curious to experiment to make a cricket bat out of black willow wood (salix nigra). Generally the cricket bats are made of white willow (salix alba) which is available in UK. Black wood also have same characters as of white willow, but the looks are different. Any inputs about the availability of black wood to buy. i want a small piece.

1. 
   Almost_Amish | Aug 22, 2016 08:07am | #16

   Black Willow

   There is a Amish sawyer I use regularly who keeps black willow slabs on hand. I like them personally. They have a gorgeous orange color when finished natural, straight and even grain and its light weight. It is like others said fiberous though and has a tendency to fuzz with sanding. It is a wood to be finished with a sharp hand plane, but well worth the effort I feel. I actually joined this forum just to weigh in. Sorry to bring up such an old topic.

9. 
   Robert greene | Aug 30, 2015 07:38pm | #12

   Willow

   Do you have some pictures of turning   I jest got some logs and don't no much about it what evar you can tell me would be  helpful thanks

10. 
    Robert greene | Aug 30, 2015 07:38pm | #13

    Willow

    Do you have some pictures of turning   I jest got some logs and don't no much about it what evar you can tell me would be  helpful thanks

11. 
    ashleyjohn | Sep 29, 2015 04:02am | #14

    Yes, you must go for the willow log.

12. 
    rider78harley | Apr 13, 2016 01:57pm | #15

    Willow Tree that was removed

    Hi,

    I just saw your posting and pic from where you had a willow tree removed. Where are you located? Where did you find this person. I am asking because I have a huge willow I would like removed from my property. 

    Thanks,

    Jeff 

    [email protected]

13. 
    Beccmark | Nov 24, 2019 03:41pm | #17

    I cut some willow branches from around our pond, left the bark on them and stored them in a,shed for about 2 years.
    When we were building our house and were ready to put in ballisters on the,stairs, we pulled out the branches, used a draw knife to skin them, and built the branches as ballisters
    into 2 inch round larch poles as the bottom and top rails.
    Finished them with polyurethane.
    It is one of the most interesting stair rails I've seen and has held up great.
    Was looking here to find out if i can do the same for an exterior rail around the deck we are going to build.
    Sounds like not good for exterior.