Basswood

[PA. Woodsman]

Awhile ago I posted about getting permission to cut some of a monster Red Oak that fell on city property near a creek, and I also got some very light, easy to cut and split wood that was very white inside. I was hoping it wasn't Willow but the best I could see from the tree that I thought it came from it didn't look like it. Last week I went back and looked at that tree now that the leaves have sprouted, went home and looked at my Audobon Tree book and the best I could match it to was Basswood. Well, yesterday I called about 5 rounds that I saw laying around at a local kid's school, and they said I could have it and said it was Basswood, so when I got it I looked at the bark and the leaves and you guessed it they matched what I had gotten weeks ago. It is very light wood, splits very easily and straight, and I'm thinking it would be good kindling and smaller quarter splits but maybe not so much bigger pieces of fuelwood. But I sure like the way it looks and splits, and it doesn't seem to have any bad odor to it.

Any experiences with Basswood? Thanks.....

 

[johneh]

I don't burn it
I use it in the carving of duck decoys
very easy to work with

 

[PA. Woodsman]

I don't burn it
I use it in the carving of duck decoys
very easy to work with

Yes, I remember hearing about it being good for woodworking. Split very clean, will be easy to make kindling out of.

 

[Diabel]

Burns fast, ok for shoulder season or kindling.

 

[Applesister]

I buy it milled, and recently found 3 trees on the property. Linden is my latest addition to the arboretum list of tree species here. But I still havent been able to tell if I have American Linden or Mountain basswood. I guess its just the flowering or the little fruit drupes...
Anyway, I wont burn these trees at all, since I only found 3 so far. And I have Honey bees. I guess basswood is one of their favorite pollen trees.
I also use the wood for carving. I dont know about duck decoys, but Basswood is almost an exclusive wood used in carving carousel horses. We just had a local carousel dismantled and moved and restored. A community project.
If I had rounds, I would keep them for carving or sell them to carvers.

 

[PA. Woodsman]

Thanks for the replies. What was funny about this tree was that the 15 foot section that was laying across the monster Red Oak on the ground didn't match up with the tree that it looked like it came from; the cut limb had a barber chair look to the end of it while the section of the tree that I assumed it came from was flush, which made me think they probably cut that limb because the Oak took it down along with itself, so they cut it but then cut the tree flush so it looked better or had a better chance to grow. I remember noodling some of the bigger rounds as they still were a bit hefty due to water weight, but for the most part it was light, one of those woods were you can hoist it and look like Superman as you carry it with ease lol! I really was taken by the clean, flat, white grain on the pieces that I noodled, really cool looking!