Thread: Paulownia

I have tried it for in the round carving,but found that it was to soft and the fiber crushed under the chisel.


Terry

Terry,

I have heard that this can be a problem. I think people who work with paulownia feel that because it is soft and light their tools need not be the sharpest possible. In practice it is the exact opposite. I find that I have to sharpen my planner blades more often than expected or the finish is not 100%. Give it another go but just after you have sharprned your chisels. Bob Hollis seems to be able to manage and he is not a old cabinet maker with a life time of sharpening tools.
I'm not really interested in "this potential market" as the requirements of an individual carver is almost too small to make it worthwhile selling the timber. I am interested though in seeing Paulownia known and accepted in Australia for all the purposes for which it is suitable.

John

I'm not much a carver myself as well,, l haven't hear of this timber
cost?
looks (photo would help)

Originally Posted by whitewood

Terry,

. I am interested though in seeing Paulownia known and accepted in Australia for all the purposes for which it is suitable.

John

about 20 years ago when paulownia was first introduced down this way, I was asked to assess it's viability for carving, at the time I only had access to 3 year old tree (about 300mm diameter),( the stuff grows bloody fast in the right conditions)
the wood has a similar consistency to jelutong and balsa.
I wasn't greatly impressed with it's carving qualities but put this down to the age of the wood.
Later I had a chance of carving some 30yr old imported stuff, that was ok, but when compared with what native species we have available carving....
I have used paulownia to replace balsa for replica long boards and still use it regularly for stack laminating large patterns.
I agree, it has lots of uses and I always have a supply in my shed,
oh yeah, it's really good for building RC combat gliders
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXG3GqigIMQ&feature=related"]YouTube - Zagi 101[/ame]

Hi Spirit
I have not had any success photographing a true image of paulownia and even less transferring them to the internet. I deleted the images from my web site for this reason ( www.paulownia-timber-sales.com.au ) If you want to see what it is like visit Port Phillip Plantation Shutters at Mordialloc. I have no connection to his business other than a common interest in the timber. David specialises in paulownia. His show room is full of different profiles and examples of items that can be made with the timber.
As far as pricing it depends on what you buy. It is not a cheap timber. My prices are shown on my web site and you can ask David about his.
Hope this helps.
John

Originally Posted by SPIRIT

cost?

according to my rough maths it works out about $2500 per cube

Underfoot

I did say Paulownia was not a cheap timber. Mine is a little less expensive at around $2,250. That is for small retail sales. I do discount it for large / commercial orders. I believe this price compares favourably to western red cedar. Paulownia is lighter in weight but has much the same qualities so could be regarded as a better timber for similar purposes.