any advice on turning Catalpa?

[Jeffrey J Smith]

Just returned from taking a look at a 70 year old catalpa tree that will be taken down in about three weeks. The owner has offered me as much as I'd like. The lower trunk sections are 36" in diameter (about 9 feet in circumference). At every crotch it looks like it is burled. There are several burls all along the trunk section. Few of the burls look like they'd be terribly interesting judging from the nature of the bark that covers them. The lower branch sections are 18 - 24" in diameter.
This is a beautiful old tree that appears to be in reasonably good health, just happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
I've never turned catalpa, don't have any familiarity with the nature of the wood. The arborist that's taking it down has offered to leave as much as I want.

Any advice?

[Thomas Canfield]

Check out postings and you will find that Catalba makes some nice turnings. That sounds like a rare find and you should take advantage of the opportunity. I have never seen any that size so can't advise, but some crotch, burl, and slabs sound nice. Hope someone has a big chainsaw.

[John Keeton]

Jeffrey, catalpa is excellent wood to turn. I have turned end grain (no pith) hollow forms to 1/4" thickness, microwaved them dry, and then finish turned them the same day. Very little movement. I had the wood milled for me in 8" x 8" timber with no pith, and have stored it like that with just the end sealed. It has done well. It is soft wood with a nice color and grain, but when you sand use caution as it will have a tendency for the soft grain to sand away, leaving the harder rings proud. Very light in weight, so if you do bowls, leave a little thickness is the bottom for ballast.

Get all you can get!

[Reed Gray]

I have turned a little of it. When dry, it is very light weight, and doesn't 'feel' right to me. Also, it has a kind of sweet smell to me that I am not sure if I like or if it is too much. Rather plain brown color, but since it is free, get some. The one I got was a spring tree, and had a lot of water in it, more than most other woods.

robo hippy

[Jeffrey J Smith]

Sounds like it's going to work a lot like cottonwood - not one of my favorites. Tough and stringy when wet, very light when dry. The saving grace here is the age of the tree and the probability that there's very large sections with dramatic figure. Every one of the large branch crotches looks strangely shaped - kind of bulbous looking. Don't know if this is normal for Catalpa, but it looks like there may be well developed feather inside.
We'll see. It'll be interesting to slice into some of this stuff just to see what's in there.

[John Keeton]

Jeffrey, I don't think you will find it like cottonwood. It turns very well IMO, and I kind of like the color - works well with walnut, BTW. I have some with crotch figure and it shows well when turned. I think you will like it.

[Robert Henrickson]

I've found catalpa to be rather soft, but not stringy. Sands very easily. Grain looks great.

[Paul Hinds]

I agree w/ Robert ... grain looks great and yeah, it is a pretty light/soft wood as everybody has been saying, but I also have not found it to be stringy.

[Dale Miner]

Carves well too.

[Bob Coates]

An arborist sliced a ~3/8 section from limb and said it would not split, it didn't. Picked up several 18" dia sections and turned down the center with pith. Its been 2 years and no signs of cracks or checks. The growth rings make are different design. The trunk must have had small branches, because it looks like small candles on the sides. Bowl is ~15 by 7.

[robert baccus]

Catalpa is one of the "escaped tropicals" and is very light and soft but not stringy usually. Very rot resistant if that is important for outside uses. Soft, weak woods have one advantage--they are very stable and split resistant. The wood reminds me of Sassafras but softer. Most escaped tropicals have big showey flowers, fruit, and leaves and are fast growing.