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Paulownia (Princess Tree)

Kent Reisdorph

Kent Reisdorph

Joined
Sep 19, 2023
Messages
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Location
Columbia, TN
I walk my 5 acres every few months just to see what I see. I'm amazed that after two years I find trees I did not know I had. The other day I stumbled across a tree that Picture This identified as princess tree. Picture This is often wrong, especially if the tree doesn't have leaves. So I took a picture of a leaf on the ground. Princess tree. Then I found a cluster of empty nut husks. Sure enough, it's a princess tree.

I understand paulownia is used for carving. It has a Janka hardness of 300, and is called "the other balsa." Any thoughts on this wood?
 
Kent Reisdorph said:
I walk my 5 acres every few months just to see what I see. I'm amazed that after two years I find trees I did not know I had. The other day I stumbled across a tree that Picture This identified as princess tree. Picture This is often wrong, especially if the tree doesn't have leaves. So I took a picture of a leaf on the ground. Princess tree. Then I found a cluster of empty nut husks. Sure enough, it's a princess tree.

I understand paulownia is used for carving. It has a Janka hardness of 300, and is called "the other balsa." Any thoughts on this wood?
Click to expand...
It is NOT native. It is consider invasive. A fellow woodturner says "kill'em all".
 
I'm not terribly interested in the wood as a turner. I was thinking of processing and selling it for carving and/or surfboard blanks. It has some value and is difficult to find in any thickness over 1".
 
Paulownia is a very stable wood when it comes to temp and humidity. Used in Asia to make boxes with tight fitting sliding on lids that don’t move with changes in weather.
 
The Paulownia/Royal Empress Tree was traditionally planted when a couple had a daughter and by the time she was of marrying age, it was ready for harvest to be made into furniture. They can grow 50 foot tall and 16 to 18 inch diameter in 10 years. The inside does have a large center hole. I have seen some You Tube videos of a process where they take a red hot iron from the fire and scorch the top surface and then scorch it. It can finish out nicely. Only use of it that I know of for it is as the sound board for that 'on your lap. slack string" instrument from Japan. As for the Tree of Heaven, I think you need chemicals. They sprout from roots.

robo hippy
 
It’s nice for furniture. Very soft, but cuts easily and cleanly. Working properties are more like basswood than balsa. Machines pretty well, but it’s really great for anything with a lot of hand tool work. Lovely grain patterns, too.

Milling it for lumber is a solid plan. If I was closer I would buy some slabs from you.
 
robo hippy said:
The Paulownia/Royal Empress Tree was traditionally planted when a couple had a daughter and by the time she was of marrying age, it was ready for harvest to be made into furniture. They can grow 50 foot tall and 16 to 18 inch diameter in 10 years. The inside does have a large center hole. I have seen some You Tube videos of a process where they take a red hot iron from the fire and scorch the top surface and then scorch it. It can finish out nicely. Only use of it that I know of for it is as the sound board for that 'on your lap. slack string" instrument from Japan. As for the Tree of Heaven, I think you need chemicals. They sprout from roots.

robo hippy
Click to expand...

That's a cool backstory for paulownia. I think mine is about 16" diameter.
 
Kent Reisdorph said:
I'm not terribly interested in the wood as a turner. I was thinking of processing and selling it for carving and/or surfboard blanks. It has some value and is difficult to find in any thickness over 1".
Click to expand...
Not sure about current value. In Maryland around 2003-4 there were several reports of thefts of pawlonia.
Probably same group cutting trees near the road and taking the logs from semi rural areas.
 
Kent Reisdorph said:
I also have some Tree of Heaven that need to go.
Click to expand...

I'd kill every cell of the Alanthis from the roots up, and process the Paulownia into banks and boards and dry them.

Ever done any chip carving? I learned it from books when I wanted to chip carve on turned things - chip carvers seem to stick to flat wood! It was a lot easier to learn than I imagined. So I bought a bunch of northern basswood, turned some, and glued up pieces with other woods.

I have one Paulownia I plan on taking down soon and cut some blanks and boards and see how it takes to chip carving. I've never had any but read that it would work OK. If so, would be cheaper than buying basswood and having it shipped!

In case anyone's interested in chip carving, here are some turned things with chip-carved basswood (after a bit of flat practice):

chip_carving_comp.jpg
 
Kent Reisdorph said:
I walk my 5 acres every few months just to see what I see. I'm amazed that after two years I find trees I did not know I had. The other day I stumbled across a tree that Picture This identified as princess tree. Picture This is often wrong, especially if the tree doesn't have leaves. So I took a picture of a leaf on the ground. Princess tree. Then I found a cluster of empty nut husks. Sure enough, it's a princess tree.

I understand paulownia is used for carving. It has a Janka hardness of 300, and is called "the other balsa." Any thoughts on this wood?
Click to expand...
It turns well. My FiL grew several on his property and has turned it. He told me the wood was very little but strong and held up well to turning. I'll see if I can find a picture of one of his Paulownia turnings.
 
Rusty Nesmith said:
If you have a friend that is a carver make a box or something and do a collaboration.
Click to expand...
That's a beautiful piece!

I sent turned basswood goblets, Christmas ornaments, and then one of these to a well known carver/artist:

penta_chips_composite.jpg

He said when he got the little dished platter he immediately put some commission work on hold to start on it.
Sometimes half the effort is in the layout!

JKJ
 
Kent Reisdorph said:
I also have some Tree of Heaven that need to go.
Click to expand...

Oh, I just found a great article on the method I mentioned before that I use to permanently wipe out Privet, Ailanthus, Black Locust (sends up new growth from even small bits of root left in the ground), bush honeysuckle, and nasty vines (I've found poison ivy vines on my property at least 4" in diameter, more like wood than vine).

All I do differently is hack all the way around, or for smaller stuff I make cuts with a utility knife instead of a hatchet. I use Garlon diluted with water.

extension.psu.edu

Using Hack-and-Squirt Herbicide Applications to Control Unwanted Trees

Dense understories of undesirable shade-tolerant trees interfere with the establishment and development of desirable regeneration.
extension.psu.edu extension.psu.edu

For those who haven't heard: What do you carve out of poison ivy wood? Mother-in-law spoons. (Not a very nice joke!)

JKJ
 
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