# Is liquid wood possible? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 17, 2017, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-liquid-wood-possible/789159 "2017-06-17T03:35:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2017, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-liquid-wood-possible/789159/21 "2017-06-19T10:48:11Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > Perhaps a way to grow it into a form could work? We already do this to plants to some extent for special uses but it’s slow and needs constant attention. But perhaps some artificially produced living wood can do better. I guess if we’re talking about growing steaks in a tank, then why not planks of wood? It’s tissue from a living organism. On a rather more basic level, I guess it would be possible to craft a living willow object (say, a chair), let it grow until it’s fused together, then cut it, dry and finish it as a piece of functional furniture. Actually I would love to try that. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2017, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-liquid-wood-possible/789159/22 "2017-06-19T11:39:40Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > On a rather more basic level, I guess it would be possible to craft a living willow object (say, a chair), let it grow until it’s fused together, then cut it, dry and finish it as a piece of functional furniture. Actually I would love to try that. [Been done](https://www.google.com/search?q=growing+chairs&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8). ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2017, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-liquid-wood-possible/789159/23 "2017-06-19T11:48:12Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > ISTM the interesting properties of wood as a material are driven by the macroscopic fibrous nature. Which means that to create a viscous formable product you need some way to “comb” the congealing process to create the fibers in the correct alignment. That seems to me to be a very, very tall order. Maybe not so tall. When casting metal, the crystal grains tend to follow the surface of the mold. This has practical implications during the design process: if you want sharp corners on your finished part, you design the casting form with rounded corners (to assure gradual transitions in grain orientation) and then come back afterwards to machine the sharp corners and achieve the desired final shape. Maybe a molding process for liquid wood could utilize a similar phenomenon to achieve smooth wood grain flow across the entire shape of a part. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2017, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-liquid-wood-possible/789159/24 "2017-06-19T19:51:01Z")
If liquid wood is possible, would very small rocks float in it? ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2017, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-liquid-wood-possible/789159/25 "2017-06-19T20:30:55Z")
[This is interesting](https://phys.org/news/2017-05-silk-proteins-paired-renewable-wood.html). Spiderwood, spiderwood, does anything that liquid wood could? ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2017, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-liquid-wood-possible/789159/26 "2017-06-19T21:14:31Z")
Every time I drink Scotch, I think if wood were liquid, this would be it. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2017, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-liquid-wood-possible/789159/27 "2017-06-19T21:22:05Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > [This is interesting](https://phys.org/news/2017-05-silk-proteins-paired-renewable-wood.html). > > Spiderwood, spiderwood, > does anything that liquid wood could? That was fascinating, as someone who builds all wood archery bows I have an intense interest in wood properties. This application might not be primitive but I can see some possibilities here in bow building. We currently use animal sinew to back our bows. This product seems to have properties of both. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2017, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-liquid-wood-possible/789159/28 "2017-06-19T21:32:13Z")
There is already [“wood” 3d printing filament](https://www.monoprice.com/Product?p_id=12507&gclid=CjwKEAjw7J3KBRCxv93Q3KSukXQSJADzFzVSd0kyaXRpD4KoJ-9mGV8m2zhSzDaW94CiNRRgx1Pv2BoCIVvw_wcB) for printing “wooden” objects. But this is just plastic with very small wood fibers, like sawdust, embedded in it. It doesn’t have the strength or structural characteristics of natural wood, which as others have said, is dependent on its fibrous nature. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-liquid-wood-possible/789159.md?page=1)