Kentucky Coffee Tree

[Randy Hedden]

Has anyone ever worked with Kentucky Coffee Tree wood?  If so, with what could it be compared.

Randy Hedden

[The other DWS]

check it out

Wood: The wood of the Kentucky Coffeetree is "heavy, somewhat soft, strong, coarse-grained, very durable in contact with the soil, light reddish brown, with thin, lighter-colored sapwood; diffuse-porous. Uses include fence posts, rough construction, furniture, interior trim" (Barnes, Wagner at el. 1977).

and

http://tinytimbers.com/specie_coffeetree.htm


everything seems to indicate that it is a slow growing tree with a wood that is more suitable for use in larger forms.  I speculate that it was/is too soft to handle fine detail edges like you'd need for inletting gun parts into it.  and much more task-appropriate woods were readily available.

[California Kid]

Had to cut some of those down years ago. As I remember it was darker than, but similar to ash.

[Acer Saccharum]

You'll always be able to use your gun for a fence post, it won't rot. 

Seriously, there may be some wood from the larger trees, hillside, north side grown, which may exhibit denser wood that open grown. Just a random guess.

[California Kid]

Now that I think about it, would probably make a better stock than ash as it was harder than the local ash it was growing with. Would make a great Mtn. rifle. The bean pods on the trees were a foot long, like giant lima beans from the garden. Wish I had kept a piece.

[Tim Crosby]

 Is a Cataba (Monkey cigar tree) tree the same thing?

 Tim C.

[T*O*F]

Tim,
You are thinking of a Catalpa tree......they are not the same.

The KC tree is a fairly rare tree for Northern IL.  I only ever remember seeing 3 of them in 50+ years afield.  Most were large, open meadow trees that had survived the fence to fence clear cutting by farmers of the 70's.

They have a Johnny Appleseed history.  During the Civil War, soldiers used to roast the seeds and brew a poor coffee from them.  It is said that if you find a grove of them, it was a bivouac site and that trees out of the normal range were a result of dropped seeds by soldiers returning home.

[northmn]

The use for furniture and interior trim indicated it may be suitable.  Ash has been used for stocks, but often for plain uncarved ones.  Whether it is worth i depends on grain and figure.

DP

[Tim Crosby]

 Thanks TOF.

 Tim C.

[Swampwalker]

For what it's worth, Elias 'North American Trees' states that the wood is handsome, hard, durable, and finishes to a high luster.

[Skychief]

Years ago, I had a quilt rack built for my mom out of KC.   It was/is beautifully grained.  I can't say how easy it may or may not be to carve.   I want to say it is a bit brash.   Comparing KC to Ash makes sense, though I believe,
 the KC is a much prettier wood.

I noticed 3 or 4 of the largest KC trees I have ever seen this week while marking a stand of timber.

Good luck.