Cottonwood is one foul smelling tree

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forestryworks

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Short little clip of a cottonwood I fell this weekend.

I got laid off at the end of May and have sat here in Texas cooking like a hot dog.

Got called to do a cottonwood at a friend's lake house. Haven't ran a saw in over 2 months so I look a little rusty. Nothing special, thought I'd share.

<iframe width="560" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/dP15uT6UGuk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 
You didn't look as smooth as you usually do but still a good video, especially the ending. Have a beer on me. :lol:
 
The word putrid comes to mind when I think about the smell of cottonwood. One of the funnest trees to remove around here, soft and light compared to everything else, they just stink.
 
If you cut the stuff in the spring it weighs a lot ,full of water .After about a month and it dries out it's about like balsa .
 
Nice logs are worth saving for lumber if you have a mill available. Full 2x6 boards made good scaffold planks. I had my doubts, but gave them the good bounce test. They seem to be stronger than store bought. Pretty good all round construction lumber.
 
Nice job on the drop.

Cottonwood definately is some foul shrit. I do mill any that I drop if they are worth saving, got decent sized one (24" dbh) just waiting for me to put the steel to, probably get 3 logs out of it.

Made this shelf unit from Cottonwood last year.

Ed

shelf1.JPG
 
Agreed - cottonwood smells a lot like cat piss, not to mention it's completely worthless as firewood. I can't even give the stuff away around here. Cottonwood and willow are the only 2 kinds of wood that I usually have to take to the dump.
 
A lot of cottonwood gets sold under the generic name of poplar . It doesn't make bad trim for windows etc .If they sold it as cottonwood nobody would buy it .

They used to use it make corn cribs etc back in the days of harvesting ear corn on the cob .It wouldn't last a real long time in the weather but it was cheap and plentifull at the time .
 
Wow Ed. Cottonweed put to really good use!

Somehow, I've never really minded the smell that much.

Well done again F.W. Looked kind of fun to smash the fence too.:P

True Story: Last winder, after cutting some really nasty Lombardy Poplar all day, my two work buddies and I went in to the Tavern just down from my house. This (quite plain and rather drunk) girl came and sat down by us and started telling me how good us tree guys smelled! :lol:

She got really, really, really miffed when I started laughing at her, and I had to explain the whole thing about Poplar smelling bad etc. Poor little thing still went away all upset. :lol:

My way with the ladies... What can I say...
 
Ed, nice shelves. I never thought cottonwood was worth anything. No good for burning... Been dumping them in the swamp out back for years. Got a few big ones here yet I just let grow. Now thinking of my milling friends...thanks for the tip guys...
 
As firewood, it burns well and quick, with enjoying flames. Nice for the dinner and good for a quick warming. But it doesn't last long, put some hard wood for the night.

If you can keep it dry, the poplar can make good enough timber frames, light and cheap, for small barns and sheds.
Really out of the ground and with a good roof.

A miller said to me, that some poplars have a serpentine fiber. It's tricky to saw such wood but it makes amazing floor for the trailers. It's light and it sustains rocks dropping, much better even than oak.
 
I did some pruning of cottonwood at my parents place a few months back, my mom asked me to save anything of substance as one of my brother in laws wanted it for camping firewood, I was fairly surprised but happy to not have to take it to the dump.
 
I tell people "next to Birch its the prettiest fire", they usually keep it.
When its dry its as hard as a bone. Used as trim quite often and back when I apprenticed to be a carpenter it needed to be predrilled to take a nail.
Definitely Cat piss. Smell that stuff for days. Ugh.
 
It's good for a bow drill! It's lower burning point makes it easier to get a coal started to make yer flame. For the same reason it's good to take along the wood camping to get the fire started.
 
Flint and steel? You and all your new fandangled technology!

I've never been able to get anywhere with the sparks from flint and steel, but yes, my bow drill skills are more than adequate. It's kinda fun!
 
:) Flint and steel? I now have 3! lol not used one of them yet for actual fire starter, so far Gary has used a boy scout match to light the fire the last 3 times I went camping. Maybe in a couple weeks when the family goes I will try it out. Although I have been wanting to try to get a fire drill to work. Video? :D
 
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