Anyone ever cut locust into boards? I have quite a few large locusts that need to be removed. I know they make good posts. My grandfather introduced them to his property for that reason. He said it was the biggest mistake he's ever made. Lol. I have numerous trees that are 16 to 20" in diameter. Long and straight. They look like they would make a nice looking board.
LOCUST
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Sawyer Rob
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Yes it makes nice lumber.
SR
SR
Great for firewood if you live in a colder area. It eats chains though, not sure milling it would be fun.
Yuh, lots of people cut locust into boards. I am one of them. You are out in Wisconsin, so I don't know value out there, but in Massachusetts, locust (above "firewood grade") is quite valuable (more or less 50% more than say, oak.) Used for docks, outdoor stairs...
So, here come the opinions.... I would say that anybody who tries to "chainsaw mill" more than one boards-worth of locust is crazy. Circular mills work, especially for square posts, etc. .. and it will cost you some teeth and sharpening, etc. Carbide helps, but. Lower-end band mills be "doggy" / slow /annoying for making locust boards, but if you are only making a very few... enh. So, better (30 hp and up) band mills are +/- "practical." Use a high quality "low angle" tooth blade, with full tooth "set" (which will diminish as you go) water or other coolant / lubricator. And expect to use about twice as many blades as you would for ... your basic moderate / clean say red oak log. (I'm assuming what we call "Black Locust") Cutting speed about 1/2 to 3/4 speed in other wood. (When you see "smoke in the kerf" ... slow down.) Try to saw as soon as possible off the stump (and not in cold weather if you can help it).
Locust where I am tends to have very funky cracks in it, voids, hollow sections (often full of dirt / just dirt in the center of the tree). It grows tall, kinda skinny, and not very straight. Probably different out where you are.
Great info. Much appreciated.
If you do cut into boards be prepared to drill holes for nailing or screwing. Stuff does make great fence posts lasting 30-40 years. My dad and I hand split 11' logs into fence rails for Gettysburg battlefield back in the 90's.
Locust 
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.Locust is EXTREMELY rot resistant and very strong. Way stronger and more rot resistant than pressure treated lumber. Makes a great trailer deck. Also good for using outdoors. I've heard that it does wear out the bandsaw blades a lot faster though. I just had a pair of trees about that size milled into boards to redeck my trailer. A friend of mine is doing them for me in exchange for some walnut logs that I brought him. He also milled some red oak for me in the past which he finished kiln drying this past fall. Its all ready to pick up, but the weather hasn't been cooperating with me lately.
It also makes for some amazing firewood. Burns as hot or hotter than shagbark hickory, lasts forever (literally) on the wood pile, and its relatively easy to split. My favorite firewood by far.
It also makes for some amazing firewood. Burns as hot or hotter than shagbark hickory, lasts forever (literally) on the wood pile, and its relatively easy to split. My favorite firewood by far.
I've been told that black locust is good for sill beams as it is quite rot resistant.
I've cut a few here in NorCal, everything you say applies out here, but the finished product is beautiful. I find it more appealing to the eye than oak, with lots of character, and tends to crack and twist as it dries. The thicker slabs are my favorite. Live edge with some of the chainsaw tracks left and sanded smooth but barley visible with a coat of linseed oil, damn nice wood!
I worked at a mill for a while. We only had locust come in once. It was for the owner who was building a bed for his pickup. I was running the edger, got instructions for what size boards he wanted. Was careful to make them all pretty.
Not sure where they found the logs but it was beautiful lumber. Lots of locust logs have defects inside, so turns into firewood.
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Most of it here is firewood grade although I purposely sought two decent hedgerows of it last spring to cut this year, soon. Going to peel everything in the summer once it is staged at the band mill. Most here are in wind blown areas. The damage they do to chains and blades it is worth peeling them. Our black oak ends up the same way. I call them peeler logs. Waiting out the locust bark is always worth the time. Most of my firewood being cut this winter is from stacked bone dry barkless logs left for trash and the burn piles. Other locust junk comes from pencil poles mostly dead on sites being cleaned up. The winds are starting to pushing them over most times from root rot.
If you let it dry, it gets harder than a sailor on shore leave.
Yup it sure does, I'd bet. I'm no sailor though. It will saw a bit slower and much straighter in my limited experience. The sand in the bark does far more damage. We get pine with embedded sand from the ancient sandbars here. It is fine as silt and will destroy chains on the leaward side of a wind blown ridge. Your better off river logging. They eat chains and blades like Australia hardwoods do. Try peeling a stick and letting it dry some then mill it. Summer or late spring cut big logs can sit for two years before I mess with them most times.
These fresh ones will be cut, peeled and milled on the band by summertime end this time around. Getting the bark off with a spud isn't the plan. Building a log roller to peel them may be in my summer plans. Something with drive tires wrapped in chains to spin them past a knife. A bunch of old farm implements are laying around to scrounge parts from. Debarking fat logs for the band mill would be nice on many trees around here. Even oak not from a forest holds a lot of sand that can be removed above the cambium. Most of the muddy logs I wait for the bark to get loose.
Ours cuts good with bark or without, just gotta tune your chain for it, small chips are just fine.
Did one locust tree. Was not impressed. Every board had cup shake in it so bad I stopped milling and cut it all for firewood.
But I would give it a try again if I get a log.
But I would give it a try again if I get a log.
What's up my friend
.My only locust tale is a Honey locust in my front yard, 3) 14" trunks, went over from root rot. Cut for fire wood, I don't recall it being extremely hard on chains, used the gas splitter, it's been in the rack 2 plus years, burning it now, is still a bit green. Good overnight wood. This stuff has (a lot of) powder post beetles and that scares me. Hope they don't spread through my huge drying racks. There's a guy near Madison, WI (Poynette) that often offers black locust for lumber and fence posts.
Honey is higher in btu, but cuts easy, it's splitting it that usually sucks as it's pretty stringy.
