[wchips]

Hi,
Has anyone ever tried to carve cottonwood? If so how hard is it to carve?
Have a nice day Lee

[Kenny_S]

Not bad at all and the Bark is nice to carve also.

[Thomp]

fyi
Lowe's has a section in the wood dept, there is one section in specific that's called white wood,
i dont know why they have such a area the wood is multi species, and different lengths
honestly a grab bag if wood,
i have found cottonwood willow among the white woods i cant identify them all but if you ever worked with cotton wood you wont soon forget the smell,
same as willow it smells like aspirin..

dont bother to ask the salesmen-st ockers they usually say i didnt know we sold that kind of wood...
but if you want to try weird white colored woods try some of that wood,
some have grain like celery with strings others the knife just goes through like butter, but unless you find an old woodsman of the world you might never know the name of the wood that carves the best out of the white wood section

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

if you burn cottonwood, make sure you have an enclosed woodburner.....stinks like the dickens lol

I saw a program last night that was talking about "black cottonwood"? Never heard of that? also, remember the cottonwood splits like crazy...thats why the native americans used the cottonwood root for they kachina dolls etc.

[wchips]

HI ALL
Guess i will have to go out and find myself a chunk of cottomwood to carve.
Around these parts cottonwood is almost considerd a weed tree.
Have a nice day Lee

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

Originally Posted by wchips

HI ALL
Guess i will have to go out and find myself a chunk of cottomwood to carve.
Around these parts cottonwood is almost considerd a weed tree.
Have a nice day Lee

It is about everywhere wchips! They get started and hard to get rid of!

[Lynn O. Doughty]

Hopi's use the root of the cottonwood tree to carve their Kachinas. Evidently it was the only wood available for them at the time the craft started that they considered worth carving. Now, even though there are much softer woods available, to qualify as an 'authentic' kachina it still must be carved from the cottonwood root. I wonder if their tools are also restricted. If they place such an emphasis on the wood it's only logical that the same would apply to the tools.

[Canopener]

For whatever it is worth; I have read,[in the Hopi cultural website] that some modern Kachina carvers use power tools. On the other hand, my wife works with a woman whose husband uses nothing more than a pocket knife.
Pinon and juniper are also available on the Hopi mesa's but not very good carving wood. I think, quite simply, that the root is just good carving wood. I have fooled around with some aspen root and found that interesting, just have not done a complete carving.
Chips, maybe the root,or the bark is the way for you to go.
Hope this helps.
Jim

[wchips]

Went to the local pallet mill and talked the guy out of aome cottonwood slabes.

I havr a Paxion power carver , carves prettey decent with the power carver. The wood is prettey wet yet, so i hade to pry off the bark . the bark was too thin to do mutch with
Have a nice day Lee

[Thomp]

insure you stack it with thin 1/2" wood strips between slabs and coat the ends of the planks so moisture is not pulled from the end grain..

let the moisture dry naturaly through the bark or side grain only, but with bark removed keep it open to the air plastic can or will make tit grow fungas...

the bark i harvested this summer dried cracked rolled up and was only 1/2 inch thick on a tree 80 years old
must be a species thats different to whats here that grows the thick bark....