My wife knows a woman that needs her mimosa tree trimmed. A buddy and I are going to go trim it. I will have some more mimosa soon.
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Mimosa
- Thread starter Rusty Nesmith
- Start date
Such a beautiful wood, but hard to find in pieces big enough to make a bowl.
I cut this storm damaged mimosa this past summer. I was surprised at how pretty it was.
Go quite a few 8 to 10 inch bowls out of it.
Go quite a few 8 to 10 inch bowls out of it.
I did pick up some blanks years ago that came from Florida, and they were very red. I will not turn it any more, it makes me sneeze and itch.
robo hippy
robo hippy
I got some “mimosa” a few years ago but was never sure of its identity as I never saw the tree. I was surprised by how open the pores were. To the point that a vacuum chuck couldn’t be used and you could feel the breeze going THROUGH the side of the bowl when cleaning it with compresses air. Does this sound typical of the mimosa you’ve turned?
It was a pretty wood to turn though.
It was a pretty wood to turn though.
I don't know if it is an acacia or not. I tend to think of most acacia trees as being rather dense, and this stuff is almost as light as balsa. It is an ornamental tree, maybe 15 foot tall, though they may get bigger. They have pink feathery flowers and long seed pods. Also called a silk tree.
robo hippy
robo hippy
If you had problems with the wood, stay away from the flowers. Those and other parts of the Mimosa (Silk tree) are toxic to livestock and humans if ingested, and the pollen can cause severe allergic reactions. Wood Database indicates there are maybe 130-150 species of Mimosa.
I consider them weed trees like the Ailanthus (Tree of Heaven) and dig up every one. I've removed many of both from our farm property, some was way overgrown when we bought it a couple of dozen years ago so no large Mimosa here that I know of. Ailanthus is also the stinkiest tree I've encountered.
I also have a campaign against privet and bush honeysuckle, both invasives like Ailanthus. Privet, BTW, rarely gets big but I've encountered a few large enough to cut them into turning blanks. The wood looks and feels much like dogwood, hard, heavy, very fine grain, also difficult to dry. Turns like dogwood too.
JKJ
I believe this thread is referring to Albizia julibrissin (looks to me what is in the pic in the first post). It is considered an invasive species in most places in the US I believe (at least it is in my area).
I won't touch it. A member of our local club turned a piece. His face and arms (all that was visible) were covered with crusty red blotches for 6 months. It took 2-3 years before he could work with wood again.
Wow. That's the worst case I've heard of. I hereby solemnly promise to continue eradicating any I find.
I read that once you get sensitized to one wood species it is easier to become sensitive to others. I found wen turning Eastern Red Cedar if the dust got under my watch and stayed there a while, I'd get a mild rash. I now make sure to not wear a watch with turning ERC and still rinse off my skin.
I've heard of some that were seriously allergic to Cocobolo. One gentleman even refused to turn on a lathe that had been used to turn Cocobolo, even if it was well cleaned.
JKJ