A little water-powered sawmill near the tiny town of Edgewood where I once
lived out here in BC had a contract during WW1 to supply cottonwood lumber
for the making of war aircraft. The story told is that when the supply of
structural balsa wood was cut off from South America, the cottonwood here
was deemed a good substitute. It was shipped out by lakeboat and then train
to the east coast and then to Britain.
Saw some fresh cut cottonwood used to make fences and cabins by some
back-to-the-landers here in the 1960's, and the shapes the boards took was
as wandery as the occupants' pipe dreams. It sure was pretty to see the
wandering sculpture of the fences! Boards would pop their nails if needed
to go their own way, but the occupants didn't mind. They enjoyed running
their little mill, and just kept cutting new wood and patching it in
wherever an opening occurred. It looked bizarrely wonderful, sort of like
a horizontal Watt's Towers.
At that time (before Alice's Restaurant), I bought a little deconsecrated
log church to live in. Built in 1935, it had a vaulted ceiling made of
cottonwood plywood. With the surface never "finished", it still had a
whiteish creamy colour. It was 3 ply, and I never did find out where it
came from. Seemed awfully early for sheet plywood. The barrel vault
shape was framed with arched rafters made up of four layers of 1/2" thick
boards nail laminated together. I guess you would have to say they were
made of 1/2 x 4s. Four layers made up the real inch dimensions used for 2
x 4s here in that era.
I never tried cottonwood for lumber after seeing the lively homestead, but
it sure made great overnight wood in the stove. Just like coal. A single
big chunk would last all night without needing a neighbour to keep it
burning. The ash was another story, and that was why none of the other
locals chose to burn the wood, but I loved it because I never had to tend
the fire in the middle of the night in deep winter.
cp in bc
----- Original Message -----
From: "Mary" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Saturday, December 04, 2010 6:52 PM
Subject: [BP] Vermont store, porch decking
> Ruth
> A few folks recommended species of wood & milling specs for your store's
> porch deck. When I was faced with a similar task, I despaired that I
> couldn't get milled cottonwood (not poplar). I'm old enough to remember
> wood-floored trucks and trailers. The old guys said the decking was
> cottonwood and was common in wagon floors. I did have rhe good fortune of
> living where we had cottonwoods and a local miller. We had him 1/4-saw
> planks, then Milland plane to approx. 2 x 5 -inch planks-- each step
> preceded by cure time. We installed the planks on a summer kitchen floor
> which took a beating -- traffic, hosing, and four seasons of weather. I
> had use of it four four or five years and it remained in superb
> condition. My understanding is that cottonwood, properly milled and
> cured, is strong in all three directions, thus resists cupping, wowing,
> splitting, etc. and holds up to abrasion. I've been thinking about this
> and respectfully offer this comment.
>
> Mary
> ====================
> Mary Tegel
> hands on impresario
> architectural intern
> Tegel Design + Planning
> ====================
>
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