New Orleans Native Trees

You can come cut down the two magnolias in front of my house. Doggone leaves are everywhere!

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"

I have never used Magnolia as lumber; only for turning bowls…. There is a lot of cypress and oak in those parts, that may be something to consider.

-- "Everything that is great and inspiring is created by the individual who labors in freedom" -- Albert Einstein

Yeah, I hear the leaves are like leather and can wreak havoc on a lawn.

I was thinking about cypress too. I live in VA so oak is a bit too common around here. I want something that feels unique to the place I visited. I’m going to build a Hawaiian project first, but next would be Louisiana. After that, I’d like to do a Vegas project, but I’ll be honest, I don’t think there is much native lumber out there.

If I were to do a project on New Orleans native wood I would use: LIVE OAK.

Cypress would be an ideal choice. It is very a much a native of south Louisiana, and was used extensively in home and furniture building in this area up through the early to mid 20th century. It has made a comeback in popularity for cabinetry in recent years. As a bonus, it is great for outdoor use, too.

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"

Hawaiian? Time for some KOA!!!

I live in the deep south and have never seen Live Oak used as lumber before; The grain is so twisted together its not even funny…

-- "Everything that is great and inspiring is created by the individual who labors in freedom" -- Albert Einstein

Yeah, I wasthinking of koa for the hawaii project, but that is a bit pricey. It may be worth it since it won’t be very large though. I’m also seriosuly considering some macadamian nut in the future and may ask a fellow lumberjock for some help picking out a nice piece for me since I can’t see it in person. I’m slow to complete projects though, so we’ll see.

when i saw the live oak suggestion, i looked it up. it is indeed native, but i read the same thing. not really meant for furniture building.

i also am considering the cypress choice, but again, am having trouble finding much online. i think both of these woods return a lot of ornamental tree images or flooring/decking images.

Here is a link to a local dealer:

http://www.jimmys-cypress.com/index.html

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"

Thanks Charlie,
This is definitely an option. Their prices don’t look too bad either. I probably need about 6 board feet, so I may just give them a call and see if they’d deal with me.

If anyone has any more suggestions on where I might find magnolia though, I’d still love to hear about it!

http://www.diadot.com/wood/magnolia.htm
http://www.hobbithouseinc.com/personal/woodpics/magnolia.htm

You’re going to have to find a small sawmill operator in your area. I’m sure they cut it often. Some of them are even known to tackle live oak.

-- Wonderful new things are coming! - God

well, I’m not from down there. I’m just trying to pick up some of those species to build something to house a few souvenirs from a trip.

Check out a book on Louisiana trees at the library. I have a couple of them here at the house to identify our natives. We have everything down here. One of the most prized for woodworking is the Black Walnut. It is a native in Louisiana. There are Cherry, different kinds Hickory, Tung-oil, 18 varieties of oak that I know of, Locust, Mesquite, Crab Apple, Pecan, Pine, Native Persimmon (which can grow extremely tall and straight), an occasional Camphor tree that has survived the plague, on and on. You could write to the LA Forestry Service for a booklet. Many smaller trees more bush sized can be used if they form a large enough branch-Sweet Olive, Osage Orange, Dogwood. If you want a souvenir, I’d go for the Black Walnut if you can afford it and find it. You could build a display case for your Louisiana souvenirs from different samples of all the woods to make it even more special.
Voice from The Heart of Acadiana.

-- Gnettie the Gnome

Byh the way…I second the suggestion for Cypress. Everything I have had made in the last year I have ordered in Cypress. There are different varieties to buy, all with different prices. It’s very affordable, easily worked, impervious to insects and rot. If you let it age naturally, it will silver out and look countryfied.

-- Gnettie the Gnome

Here’s a link about properties of Magnolia wood, but if you type “Magnolia” in the the search window at the top of this page it will link you to posters who have used it, have it for sale, etc.

http://www.connectedlines.com/wood/wood42.htm

-- Gnettie the Gnome