Search for

Clicking any heading in the main data area (at right) will scroll the page back to this top position. Use the following links to jump to the associated section in the main data. Carving Comments Common Names Common Uses Countries of Distribution Cutting Resistance Distribution Overview Drying Defects Ease of Drying Environmental Profile Family Name Gluing Grain Heartwood Color Kiln Schedules Movement in Service Nailing Natural Durability Numerical Data Odor Planing Polishing Product Sources References Regions of Distribution Resistance to Impregnation Response to Hand Tools Sanding Sapwood Color Scientific Name Screwing Staining Strength Properties Texture Trade Name Tree Size Turning Scientific Name Salix nigra Trade Name Black willow Family Name Salicaceae Common Names Black willow, Dudley willow, Goodding willow, Sauce, Saule, Sauz, Southwestern black willow, Swamp willow, Weide, Western black willow, Wilg, Willow Regions of Distribution North America Countries of Distribution  [VIEW MAP] United States Common Uses Straight Even Baseball bats, Baskets, Boxes and crates, Caskets, Casks, Chairs, Chests, Concealed parts (Furniture), Cooperages, Core Stock, Decorative veneer, Desks, Dining-room furniture, Dowell pins, Dowells, Drawer sides, Figured veneer, Fine furniture, Floor lamps, Furniture , Furniture components, Furniture squares or stock, Gun powder, Hatracks, Kitchen cabinets, Living-room suites, Novelties, Office furniture, Packing cases, Pulp/Paper products, Pulpwood, Radio - stereo - TV cabinets, Rustic furniture, Sporting Goods, Stools Environmental Profile Rank of relative endangerment based on number of occurences globally. May be rare in some parts of its range, especially at the periphery Demonstrably widespread, abundant, and secure globally Data source is Nature Conservancy Distribution Overview This species occurs in New Brunswick, Ontario, Quebec, Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, Great Smoky Mountain National Park, Iowa, Illinois, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Vermont, Wisconsin, and West Virginia. It often occurs in pure stands and with cottonwoods, and prefers wet soils of banks of streams and lakes, particularly flood plains. Heartwood Color Brown White Red Typically gray or reddish brown with dark streaks Sapwood Color Red White Yellow Thickness varies Creamy white Grain Figure Other (figure) Somewhat interlocked Texture Coarse Medium Uniform Natural Durability Non-durable Perishable Non-resistant to powder post beetles Susceptible to insect attack Little resistance to attack by decay and wood destroying insects Willow has been extensively used to reinforce levees on the banks of the Mississippi, Ohio and Missouri rivers Odor No specific smell or taste Kiln Schedules US=T10F4/T8F3 Drying Defects Checking Distortion Water pockets Warping can be expected Ring failure Honeycombing possible Expect splits Defects commonly associated with the presence of wetwood Collapse Ease of Drying Tends to retain pockets of moisture Shrinkage is considerable Moisture content should be monitored to insure uniformity Dries rapidly Tree Size Tree height is 10-20 m Tree height is 30-40 m Bole length is 0-10 m Tree height is 20-30 m Tree height is 0-10 m Trunk diameter is 100-150 cm Size varies considerably, and depends upon where the tree is growing. Trees growing in the Mississippi Valley reach heights of 140 feet (43 m) and diameters of 48 inches (120 cm). The tree may have more than one straight and often leaning trunk Product Sources Black willow is available in large quantities on the commercial market. Comments Black willow is one of the largest and most important New World willows, and is distributed extensively across the United States Carving Resistant to checking after seasoning Good results Cutting Resistance Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult to saw Gluing Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Fair to Good Results Fairly Easy to Very Easy Good properties Movement in Service Holds its place well in use Dimensionally stable Nailing Very Good to Excellent Results Fair to Good Results Planing Fairly Easy to Very Easy Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Requires sharp cutting edges to prevent fuzzy surfaces Reduced cutting angles recommended Planes and works well with ordinary machine tools Resistance to Impregnation Sapwood is permeable Heartwood is resistant Response to Hand Tools Fairly Difficult to Difficult to Work Easy to Work Sanding Good characteristics Screwing Very Good to Excellent Results Fair to Good Results Good screw holding properties Turning Sharp cutting edges necessary to prevent woolly surfaces Polishing Satisfactory results Staining Stains easily Strength Properties Weight = medium Max. crushing strength = low Compression strength (parallel to grain) = low Bending strength (MOR) = low Numerical Data Item Green Dry English Bending Strength 4704 7644 psi Crushing Strength 176 421 psi Maximum Crushing Strength 1999 4018 psi Shearing Strength 1225 psi Stiffness 774 990 1000 psi Work to Maximum Load 9 11 inch-lbs/in3 Specific Gravity 0.35 0.37 Weight 47 25 lbs/ft3 Radial Shrinkage 3 % Tangential Shrinkage 9 % Volumetric Shrinkage 14 % Item Green Dry Metric Bending Strength 330 537 kg/cm2 Crushing Strength 12 29 kg/cm2 Maximum Crushing Strength 140 282 kg/cm2 Shearing Strength 86 kg/cm2 Stiffness 54 69 1000 kg/cm2 Work to Maximum Load 0.63 0.77 cm-kg/cm3 Specific Gravity 0.35 0.37 Weight 753 400 kg/m3 Radial Shrinkage 3 % Tangential Shrinkage 9 % References Boone, R.S., C.J. Kozlik, P.J. Bois and E.M. Wengert. 1988. Dry Kiln Schedules for Commercial Woods: Temperate and Tropical. United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory, General Technical Report FPL-GTR-57, Madison, Wisconsin. Flynn Jr., J.H. 1993. Salix nigra - Black willow. In A Guide to Useful Woods of the World. Flynn Jr., J.H., Editor. King Philip Publishing Co., Portland, Maine. 1994. Page 319-320. Kaiser, J. 1988. Wood of the Month: Willows - The Water-loving Trees. Wood & Wood Products, June, 1988. Page 56. Little, E.L. 1980. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees - Western Region. Published by Arthur A. Knopf, New York. Panshin, A.J. and C. deZeeuw. 1980. Textbook of Wood Technology, 4th Edition. McGraw-Hill Series in Forest Resources. McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York. USDA. 1987. Wood Handbook:Wood as an Engineering Material. Agriculture Handbook No. 72. United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Madison, Wisconsin. USDA. 1988. Dry Kiln Operators Manual, Preliminary Copy. Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, Wisconsin.