Huge Figured Cottonwood - how to dry it?

[DaltonPaull]

I'd noticed that there was a cottonwood tree a few blocks from my house that was entering decline and starting to look like a hazard. I had thought that cottonwood wasn't something that was worth milling but this one was so large and lumpy that I was intrigued and kept an eye on it. Two weeks ago a crew started the removal so I stopped by and they said that I could have as much as I wanted so I took two sections - the bottom 10' and the next 12' above that. The base was around 5' and was so heavy that I had to split it before I could load it with my boom truck.

I started milling it last weekend - some of it on the truck bed till I lightened it up a little to make it easy to move around. The wood is incredible looking.

Does anyone have any input on drying it? I read on the web that cottonwood should be dried quickly to avoid cell collapse so it might be time to build a bigger kiln. I'm not sure what variety it was - probably our native black cottonwood. It didn't have the upward pointed branches that some cottonwoods have but instead a more typical hardwood canopy form. Anyone have a guess?

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[discounthunter]

super score there! never seen cottonwood with anything close to figure!


sorry no clue on dryer . mine always goes to the fire pit,lol

 

[MHouse1028]

wow thats pretty nice stuff there ...seal the ends with latex paint and put it indoors out of the sun and i think you should really minimize checking or splitting...nice job

 

[Mill_wannabe]

Great looking wood! And I love your boom truck. One of those would sure be nice to have.

 

[brookpederson]

I found 2 tree's worth of highly figured cottonwood at our local compost site a few years back. Someone had cut it into big rounds, easier to lift into a truck i suppose. All of it from the trunk to the branches had nice figure. I cut it into turning blocks and table tops. I have been pleasantly suprised on how it works, it has dried fairly well with minimal checking. The only thing that sucks about it is that no one believes me that its cottonwood:msp_razz:
hears some pics

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[DaltonPaull]

I have been pleasantly suprised on how it works, it has dried fairly well with minimal checking. The only thing that sucks about it is that no one believes me that its cottonwood:msp_razz:
hears some pics

Thanks for the info. Good to know it's possible to dry figured cottonwood with good results. I hope I have similar success. Nice vase!

 

[7oaks]

I found 2 tree's worth of highly figured cottonwood at our local compost site a few years back. Someone had cut it into big rounds, easier to lift into a truck i suppose. All of it from the trunk to the branches had nice figure. I cut it into turning blocks and table tops. I have been pleasantly suprised on how it works, it has dried fairly well with minimal checking. The only thing that sucks about it is that no one believes me that its cottonwood:msp_razz:
hears some pics

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Wow that's some incredible wood. I'll never look at cottonwood the same again. Many years back some friends built a bar and put cottonwood planking down as flooring. I asked why since it is known as a softwood. They said that this was cheap as it was bridge planking. Apparently cottonwood bridge planking wears very good and doesn't splinter and crack causing tire damage. Who wooda thought?

 

[PheasantHunter]

Wow, that is quite a score. Looks like amazing wood. I don't know what to tell you on drying it, other than you may need to seal it more than normal due to all the end grain/bark etc.

I buy lumber for a mill in Iowa once in a while, the mill owner showed me some curly cottonwood that was like the vase in this thread, unfortunately he was pretty much sold out by the time I got there.

Are you going to use it or sell it?