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bamboo and making do with willow.

updated sat 10 jul 04

 

wayneinkeywest on fri 9 jul 04


For those in the northeast of the US, and the
eastern southerrn part of Quebec, maybe some
of the other southern parts, you might consider
using basswood. No, NOT balsa wood

The First People used it for weaving baskets,
making handles, snowshoes (from the bark strips) etc.
You can most likely find it in any wooded area
nearby. In most parts of the US where it grows,
it's considered a "trash tree", that is, no
commercial value.

Wayne Seidl
Key West, Florida, USA
North America, Terra
Latitude 81.45W, Longitude 24.33N
Elevation 3.1 feet (1m)
----- Original Message -----
From: "Kathy McDonald"
To:
Sent: Friday, July 09, 2004 9:51 AM
Subject: bamboo............making do with willow.


> I have actually started to use diamond willow to make handles for
baskets
> and t pots.
> You can't get bamboo readily in Manitoba and the willow has some
of the same
> capabilities when wet.
>
> Ash and apple are also nice but much more difficult to get to do
what I want
> with it.
> I soak them in water and mineral oil for about 4 days.
>
> Have also used grapevine...its great for nonfuncional stuff like
raku...i
> even (please forgive me) spray painted it with a bronze laquer to
make it
> match. Sells well.
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wayneinkeywest on fri 9 jul 04


My apologies to the list and all who wrote.
There IS another name for the basswood.

It's also known as the American Linden, though the species I'm
talking about is the shrub or immature tree variety. Too hard
making snowshoes out of logs .

Younger branches and sprouts work well.

Here's the link:
http://www.nysite.com/nature/flora/basswd.htm

Wayne Seidl
Key West, Florida, USA
North America, Terra
Latitude 81.45W, Longitude 24.33N
Elevation 3.1 feet (1m)