Afternoon at the sawmill

[JSH]

Black locust has the huge thorns with bean pods.
Honey locust has thorns similar to a rose thorn, blooms in the spring and the smell is wonderful the first couple of days. The next few before they drop is almost nauseatingly sweet.

If I am wrong there are a lot of books and arborists that have been incorrect for years. I would have to dig to throw the Latin name out there, it eludes me since my days in 4H.

 

[epc308]

If you want great looking stock wood, it will come partly from the root ball. Bois d' Arc, Osage Orange, or horse apple trees mentioned above are more suited for making a bow.

The combined base(s) of the 2 trunks about 8’ above ground level is 4 1/2’ across. That root ball would require a very large track hoe to excavate.

 

[epc308]

Black locust has the huge thorns with bean pods.
Honey locust has thorns similar to a rose thorn, blooms in the spring and the smell is wonderful the first couple of days. The next few before they drop is almost nauseatingly sweet.

If I am wrong there are a lot of books and arborists that have been incorrect for years. I would have to dig to throw the Latin name out there, it eludes me since my days in 4H.

Your favorite engineer at the club disagrees with your explanation.
As I have said before, ask any 10 people and you will get an even split on which is which. Regardless, mine have the smaller thorns and the blossoms which never fail to bring the Baltimore orials each spring to those cloyingly sweet blossoms.
To be honest, I’ve never done the research for which is which.

 

[JSH]

Why would I be surprised.
According to him, if your not an engineer, your an idiot.

 

[Rat Rifle]

It’s nice to have a visit from a baseball team

 

[Kracken McGraw]

Sure doesn't look like what we call red elm in my neck of the woods. Burned wood for heat all but 7 years of my life and seasoned red elm is the best I have ever used. It is incredibly hard and "stringy" and miserable to split. Great wood for producing morels when dead. We also have white elm, I think more accurately called Chinese elm. It is lousy firewood. Around here it's not if an elm tree will die, but when. Good luck with your project!

The only good thing a Chinese elm is for, is growing fast out here on the prairie to make shade.

 

[butchlambert]

The combined base(s) of the 2 trunks about 8’ above ground level is 4 1/2’ across. That root ball would require a very large track hoe to excavate.

Well, that is where the real beauty lies.

 

[Park ranger]

Black locust has the huge thorns with bean pods.
Honey locust has thorns similar to a rose thorn, blooms in the spring and the smell is wonderful the first couple of days. The next few before they drop is almost nauseatingly sweet.

If I am wrong there are a lot of books and arborists that have been incorrect for years. I would have to dig to throw the Latin name out there, it eludes me since my days in 4H.

I think you have this backwards. Honey locust has the longer thorns. Honey locusts also has bi-pinnately compound leaves, black locust only has pinnately compound leaves. There is thornless honey locust used as ornamentals.

 

[Oso]

Elm is beautiful and can be stringy (like willow) and since it has a lot of sap wood so tends to crack when drying. Water Elm is beautiful and have turned into some nice bowl/vessels. As it dries it moves a lot.

Chinese Elm (lace bark elm) if some of the toughest wood and incredibly dense, similar to lignum vitae and denser than osage. Drop a chunk on the garage floor and it resonates like a tuning fork. I use it for turning and also mallets.

Hackberry made me laugh - I remember trying to stabilize some large turning by boiling the wood after rough turning. The idea behind the method was to ensure a consistent water level through the wood (heart wood and sap wood) so it would dry evenly with less risk of radial cracking. What I can tell you is the outcome was similar to boiling a brown paper bag full of dog poop... Really glad I did that in my brother's garage and not mine! Only took a couple of months for the smell to stop lingering.

 

[Oso]

I’ve had talks with some of the best wood guys in my area and they all give me the same answer. Kiln dried wood will take on moisture over the years and finally “stabilize “ to it’s surrounding climate. Kiln dry fresh cut wood if you need it fast. My pile of walnut and cherry has been air dried for 40+ years, the last 20 on my garage attic. I made this chest out of cherry and it hasn’t shown any shrinkage.

Josh... Birds of a feather. There are some great spots in your neck of the wood. Berdal Saw Mill in Austin always has some great slabs in mesquite, pecan, etc. If you find yourself in Houston look me up and we can go look at my lumber locker and do some trading.

Every once in a while there will be a rare Pecan that the heartwood looks like Water Elm... overlapping strokes of reds and rich browns... fantastic and worth hoarding!!!

 

[joshb]

Josh... Birds of a feather. There are some great spots in your neck of the wood. Berdal Saw Mill in Austin always has some great slabs in mesquite, pecan, etc. If you find yourself in Houston look me up and we can go look at my lumber locker and do some trading.

Every once in a while there will be a rare Pecan that the heartwood looks like Water Elm... overlapping strokes of reds and rich browns... fantastic and worth hoarding!!!

Thanks! I may take you up on that offer. The “wood guys” I was talking about are up in Delaware, where they do high end custom furniture and millwork. We’d chew up hours discussing moisture content an stabilization. One story sticks out in my memory. A “new builder” in the area was trying to make a name for himself in timber frame construction. He was doing a house with beautiful morticed beams, pegs and such. He got a load of kiln dried 2” Oak for the 2nd story floor. He laid it tight to the exterior wall supports, thinking that was great “craftsmanship”. During the construction, winter changed to spring, then summer hit. We have pretty high humidity here in the summer. That Oak flooring took on the humidity, expanded and actually pushed the house apart. There was a lawsuit and a big dust up. It sure was a topic among us builders and woodworkers.

 

[butchlambert]

My woodstock guys say there is a difference in dried and cured wood. Being dry does not make it cured.
I buy my walnut from Roger Vardy. Roger's wood is air dried 10+ years.

Roger Vardy Rifles & Stockwood

rogervardystockwood.com

 

[Oso]

Yes- Kiln dried lumber is fast, and provide a consistent product. However, it doesn't relieve the tension in the wood. Air drying for several years (like +4 or more... how young do you want your bourbon or scotch aged) will release the internal tension and provides a more workable (less brittle) wood then kiln.

I win the lottery, I am starting a distillery that has a large workshop and a mini sawmill.

 

[Preacher]

Black locust has the huge thorns with bean pods.
Honey locust has thorns similar to a rose thorn, blooms in the spring and the smell is wonderful the first couple of days. The next few before they drop is almost nauseatingly sweet.

If I am wrong there are a lot of books and arborists that have been incorrect for years. I would have to dig to throw the Latin name out there, it eludes me since my days in 4H.

Actually Black Locust has wayyyy smaller thorns than the Honey Locust has !!!

 

[Preacher]

Black locust has the huge thorns with bean pods.
Honey locust has thorns similar to a rose thorn, blooms in the spring and the smell is wonderful the first couple of days. The next few before they drop is almost nauseatingly sweet.

If I am wrong there are a lot of books and arborists that have been incorrect for years. I would have to dig to throw the Latin name out there, it eludes me since my days in 4H.

Guess your books are wrong....

 

[epc308]

Actually Black Locust has wayyyy smaller thorns than the Honey Locust has !!!

My arborist says the ones on my place are black. They happen to have no thorns on the trunk, small ones on small limbs, and it does have both sweet smelling flowers and seed pods.