We have several Honey Locust trees on our property that we need to clear and was tossing the idea about milling them instead of firewood. Most trees are 12" to 20" wide at the base and up to 50' long. I have been reading where they are rot resistant and make good fence posts etc.
Honey Locusts?
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hermit
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Honey Locust has big thorns, makes nice lumber. I use it for firewood,but not posts. Black locust is very rot resistant and make good fence post and firewood, however the problem with posts is it will split as it ages and can be a real pain to keep staples in. I only use it for corners where the wire will wrap around.
chuckwood
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you're gonna bleed!
I've cut these things down and removed them, with no protection other than leather gloves, it was a long time ago but a memorable experience. I might consider trying it again, but I'll be wearing leg and arm chaps. The thorns *will* punch through leather gloves, PP equipment will just help minimize the bleeding
I've cut these things down and removed them, with no protection other than leather gloves, it was a long time ago but a memorable experience. I might consider trying it again, but I'll be wearing leg and arm chaps. The thorns *will* punch through leather gloves, PP equipment will just help minimize the bleeding
I don't think these are Black Locust because they're a sort of green and yellow and have samller thorns. I always thought that the Black Locust hade the long black thorn and had a shade of purple in them.
We used to have several giant Honey locust (big thorns) on a fence row where my Dad dumped the chipper trucks. Mountains of chips. We had a rope swing in one and would swing from pile to pile. One time a buddy jumped off and ran a thorn all the way through his foot.
One of our climbers was a country boy from the mountains of NC. He had more back woods knowledge than you could ever read about. He used to make honey beer from the seed pods. When they fall and start to dry out you can peel them apart and there is a darkish yellow strip that tastes just like honey in them, Joe.
One of our climbers was a country boy from the mountains of NC. He had more back woods knowledge than you could ever read about. He used to make honey beer from the seed pods. When they fall and start to dry out you can peel them apart and there is a darkish yellow strip that tastes just like honey in them, Joe.
excess650
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Honey locust are the ones with the BIG thorns. Black locust have small, rose like thorns, and generally just on the small branches.
Maybe a little ID problem. Black locust have small thorns and make good fence posts. Honey locust have very long thorns, espescialy around the trunk. I have 2 ornamental locusts in my front yard that were labled "Honey Locust" from the nursery. They are some sort of hybrid that have almost no thorns, Joe.
Sorry to get off track, but I like your signature. My buddy calls beer liquid bread, it's made of wheat and oats and other grains. Like the old song goes "the grounds too rocky by far, that's why we get our corn from a jar", Joe.
BlueRider
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With all the thorness hybreeds it is almost impossable to make a posative ID solely on the presence or absence of thorns. Same goes for the color of the flowers.
What makes black locust so rot resistant is the presence of tylosis. Honey locust does not have tylosis. This will also make black locust take twice as long to dry. It takes 4 years for a 2" slab of black locust to dry where I am, campared to 18 months for 2" walnut. Once compleately dry I find it to be exceptionalt stable and very resistant to spliting. I love working with it and it can polish up like an exotic tropical wood.
What makes black locust so rot resistant is the presence of tylosis. Honey locust does not have tylosis. This will also make black locust take twice as long to dry. It takes 4 years for a 2" slab of black locust to dry where I am, campared to 18 months for 2" walnut. Once compleately dry I find it to be exceptionalt stable and very resistant to spliting. I love working with it and it can polish up like an exotic tropical wood.
BlueRider
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I thought I would add that the latin name for black locust is Robinia Psudo Acacia. This would hint that it would have some formidable thorns.
I forgot to mention how to test awood for the presence of tylosis. If you try to blow air through the end grain on a 1" long it will be imposable if the species is one that hs tylosis. Red and white oak make great control samples for this. Red oak lacks tylosis and you will be able to blow a small amount of air through the end grain, think of the open grain as tiny little straws. White oak has tylosis and you will not be able to blow air through the end grain. This is the most reliable way to distinghish the two types of locust. I should add that the wood samples need to be dry, somthing a microwave oven can do on small samples in a few minutes.
I forgot to mention how to test awood for the presence of tylosis. If you try to blow air through the end grain on a 1" long it will be imposable if the species is one that hs tylosis. Red and white oak make great control samples for this. Red oak lacks tylosis and you will be able to blow a small amount of air through the end grain, think of the open grain as tiny little straws. White oak has tylosis and you will not be able to blow air through the end grain. This is the most reliable way to distinghish the two types of locust. I should add that the wood samples need to be dry, somthing a microwave oven can do on small samples in a few minutes.
If air can pass through it I'm amazed it's still called wood?
The stuff I have seems to have retained it.
Brmorgan
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It can only pass through the open pores in the wood - these are much more pronounced in Oak than in most other species. They're the "pipes" that carry the sap and water from the roots up to the crown of the tree, so if they're big and plentiful enough (as in Oak, and evidently Locust though I didn't know that before reading this thread) you can force air though them. I guess this "tylosis" substance either gums up the pores or causes them to collapse more as the wood dries out? Interesting info, I'm going to look into that a bit more. I have so much to learn yet about the hardwoods that don't grow around here.
BlueRider
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It mellows quite a bit and creeps towards the brown tones as it ages. An oil finish will accerlerate and enhance the brownness and a good water clear waterbased finish with a UV inhibiter will retard it a bit.
I've cut these things down and removed them, with no protection other than leather gloves, it was a long time ago but a memorable experience. I might consider trying it again, but I'll be wearing leg and arm chaps. The thorns *will* punch through leather gloves, PP equipment will just help minimize the bleeding
that right thar is funny--been there--
Mike1974
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Keep your file handy
keep your file handy.
I have a fair bit black locust on my woodlot and they are hard as a rock. Sparks fly.
The property was once owned by a family that had a good bit of it vineyard.
They used black locust for the vine arbor posts - and judging by the age of the trees that have now overgrown the old vineyards, they've been standing in the ground for at least 60-70 years.
I've heard the honey locust is hard, but not as hard.
keep your file handy.
I have a fair bit black locust on my woodlot and they are hard as a rock. Sparks fly.
The property was once owned by a family that had a good bit of it vineyard.
They used black locust for the vine arbor posts - and judging by the age of the trees that have now overgrown the old vineyards, they've been standing in the ground for at least 60-70 years.
I've heard the honey locust is hard, but not as hard.
oldsaw
"Been There, Milled That"
In that way it's kind of like osage orange/hedge. I've got a friend with some nice size black locusts he wants gone. I've got to get over there one of these days to check them out. We'll do one every now and again out on the mill. Very nice wood on both honey and black locusts.
BlueRider
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Ol' Brian
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Be careful when messing around with a Honey Locust... those big thorns have some type of poison on them that can cause temporary paralysis. When I was a kid, I tripped and fell on one that jammed right into the palm of my right hand... the next morning I woke up and my arm would not move... it was as limp as a waterlogged spaghetti. This paralysis lasted for about 2 weeks before I got any strength back in it to where I could even lift it. The doctors were baffled, but the only thing that had happened to me was that locust thorn in my hand.
A good way to deal with honey locust thorns is with a "Red Dragon" type weed burner (as long as the fire danger is low, obviously!!!) Just pass the torch over the thorns, and it will burn the sharp points off of them, leaving a much duller end to the thorn. Many of them will burn completely off. Works like a charm!! But, do this only in a fire-safe area... you're on your own if you start a big fire... you've been warned! But it works great! Just use your head.
opcorn:
A good way to deal with honey locust thorns is with a "Red Dragon" type weed burner (as long as the fire danger is low, obviously!!!) Just pass the torch over the thorns, and it will burn the sharp points off of them, leaving a much duller end to the thorn. Many of them will burn completely off. Works like a charm!! But, do this only in a fire-safe area... you're on your own if you start a big fire... you've been warned! But it works great! Just use your head.
opcorn:
