[Tom H]

I think I found another reason to carve Cottonwood bark. At least small pieces of the bark. At breakfast last week one the regulars at the dinner asked me what I was carvin. I said cottonwood bark, and showed him. At breakfast this morning he brought me a plastic bag of small pieces of cottonwood bark. Turns out he has several cottonwood trees on his property that are either dead or dying. Now this is Ohio cottonwood, so it's not real thick, but just fine for small stuff. How lucky can I get? Lucky enough to maybe become a better carver. Got lots of practice bark now.
Tom H

[Butch_Speer]

Tom,
Nice carvings. Looks like you hit pay bark , I mean pay dirt. That bark sure is fun to carve. The small stuff is kind of nice to work with. It makes as nice a carving as the bigger stuff. If you mess it up beyond repair, then it's not that big a deal. You haven't worked on it all that long. Sure does make for a bunch of pratice. Lot's of luck with it.

[DMSLewis]

I live in NW Kansas and there are lots of cottonwood trees in the area, many with large sections of peeling bark. The problem is, I am not sure what to look for when hunting for nice carving pieces. I have done a couple houses but bought the bark from someone from Omaha. Some of what I have found is pretty thick but it doesn't always seem to have the dense, russet portion that carves well. Does it make a difference where the cottonwood is growing or is there something special I should look for when trying to harvest some carvable bark? Thanks

[Tom H]

Perhaps someone with more knowledge about cottonwood bark can answer this question. I spend 4 hours yesterday driving and walking along a river in central Ohio, looking for cottonwood trees. (I live next to the river) I found lots and lots of cottonwood trees. I would estimate that maybe 1 or 2 in 30 have bark that can be carved. A lot of this, I am sure is because of the age of the trees. But even some very old and large cottonwoods don't seem to lay on the thick bark. I know that most books say to look along rivers for cottonwood trees. I see more big old cottonwood trees with carvable bark, growing along the drives of old farmhouses, in old cemeteries, and old parks. At least I have found a new reason to get out and walk...Tom H

[Mark N. Akers]

Great looking faces in the Bark Tom,I love doing bark,each piece is different then the last piece you did.

[gene messer]

Tom .. Those mini faces are great ... Is cottonwood similar to basswood ? Softer or harder ? It looks like it takes great detail ..

[Tom H]

Gene, Cottonwood bark is different. It carves different than basswood. I don't really know how to explain it other than different. Sometimes it's very soft. Sometimes it's hard. Sometimes it holds detail, and sometimes its real flaky. Some times it's fun. Some times it's a Bit__. Help me out somebody.. LOL, Tom H

[Joy]

We are getting ready to cut down a cottonwood tree that is about 14 inches in diameter. It is a live tree, but it is about to fall in the pond. I am curious to see what kind of bark it will have. Hopefully I can cut some slabs and let them dry.
Joy

[Kenny_S]

Joy, if it is a live tree, the bark will not come off. Most of the cottonwood bark harvest are from downed dead tress or standing dead trees.
Cottonwood bark is a dream to carving in but different carving techniques like stop cuts . Once the hard outer bark is eliminated, the redish or Golden, depending what variety of cottonwood you have, the inner bark can almost be cut with a butter knife.
It also depends on what finish you put on the carving where as you will get a different looks. Many coats darkens the inner bark color.
DMS, yes, different thickness of cottonwood bark depends on location. Here in the Kansas area, we have a varity called Plains Cottonwood, There are 7 differnt varieties of cottonwoods growing in the US. The northern Cotton wood appears to be the thickest but have had some from Central Kansas 5 inchs think.

[Tom H]

Thanks for the information Kenny. Kenny, you have a lot of experience with cottonwood bark, as illustrated by the fantastic carvings you do. This morning I decided to walk along a different stretch of river, along a walking path. I had earlier spotted a very tall, what looked like a cottonwood tree, from the highway. I found it this morning not 10 feet off the walking path. This old cottonwood was at least five foot through the trunk. All around the tree lay pieces of bark, from high up on the tree. While most of it was too far gone, there was still some that was ok. The first photo is of this Ohio cottonwood bark. These pieces are solid and are 50 inches long by 4-7 inches wide and are 1 1/2 to 2 inches thick. The second photo has two pieces of cottonwood bark. The piece on the left is from Montana, while the smalled piece on the right is from the tree I found this morning. I don't think this bark would be the best for the Gnome houses, but for small spirits and faces it's great.

A question: Will cottonwood bark that is damp/wet dry out well enough to carve?

Thanks Tom H