Black willow is among the softest and lightest of our native hardwoods. The wood has fine, uniform, interlocked grain with little figure or character. It is resilient, flexible and weak but has a very high strength to weight ratio. The wood has no taste or odor. Lumber dries quite rapidly but not always uniformly and should be checked with a moisture meter.
Shrinkage is large and care is required to avoid warp and minimize degrade.
Once dry it is quite stable. Routing, shaping and turning give poor results. It is not a good steam bending wood. It sands to a nice soft luster, glues easily, holds fasteners very well without splitting, takes stain and finishes well. There are no known hazards in working with the willows.