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Black Locust and Mulberry Questions

Started by BlaBla, June 24, 2004, 08:56:16 PM

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BlaBla

I have appr. 1 acre of black locust trees that I'd like to get rid of so that I can plant a desirable species in that area. Is firewood the only use for these locust borer infected trees? If so, how can I split, season, and market this wood?

And I also planted some russian mulberry trees a few years back. Can I prune mulberry to be good timber trees or would their value be limited to firewood also?

Thanks

Ron Wenrich

Black locust makes very good fence posts.  We saw ours to a 4x4, but I've seen tapered posts sawn at 3x6.  We use the larger locust for building posts where you are putting the post into the dirt.  Usually an 8x8.

The muhlberry doesn't have much of a commercial value as lumber.  However, I think there might be something with bowl turners.  You might want to IM Charlie.  Other than that muhlberry is a relatively short lived species.  
Never under estimate the power of stupid people in large groups.

Ed

I've seen black locust used for paneling & flooring, It looks pretty good. Also works good for applications where white oak is used, like trailer decks & truck racks. I use it for pitman arms on my old sickle bar mower, very strong stuff.
Currently a local mill has about 30 black locust logs piled up, waiting to be cut, so they evidently sell a decent ammount of it.

ksu_chainsaw

Both species are rot resistant, although not as much as hedge.  We have used both for fence posts and for pole barns.  If they are large trees, the lumber out of them is good for trailer flooring or other uses where treated lumber is used.
The only thing to watch on the locust is the thorns- they can really screw up tires- I know from experience  ;D

Hope this helps

Charles

Buzz-sawyer

Black locust has market value...it can be sold as r/r ties and pallet stock ...I like it for ties cause the trees are usually prime size to square up for cants ....then use the sides for your fire wood and put 25 bucks in your pocket!
I think some wood workers LIKE mullbery too?
    HEAR THAT BLADE SING!

Larry

Black locust is another under utilized and neglected wood.  Wooden boat builders like the wood a bunch as do some woodworkers.  Hearts make great landscape timbers with the green advantage as opposed to pressure treated stuff.

I just finished sawing quite of bit of the stuff.  Took 4/4 grade until I got to the cant.  If the cant would make 6X6 I turned it into a timber frame post.  4X4's went for landscape timbers.



One caution note.  Black locust is terrible about stump sprouting.  It has to be logged during dog day's to prevent sprouts.  If you don't believe in sign RTU Toredon or 41% Glyphosate applied within a couple of hours to the cut stump will give partial control.

If you want to market it as firewood an ad in the paper will work.  There is also a weekly consignment auction (Showalter?) in your town.  First cold snap firewood sells good and it is a convenient way to get rid of it.

I might be able to make that locust disappear for you.  Send me an IM with your phone number and we can talk it over.  Leavenworth is about 30 miles south of me.

Charles,
If your seeing big thorns you might be looking at honey locust. – Whole different tree.
Larry, making useful and beautiful things out of the most environmental friendly material on the planet.

We need to insure our customers understand the importance of our craft.

BlaBla

Some of the trees have borers. The holes go no more than an inch into the wood(past the bark). They are still solid. Will the borers continue even after the tree has been cut?

BlaBla

I'd like to try to sell some of this as fenceposts. How much can I make per fencepost? Would that be anymore than firewood? How long would each fencepost be? My understanding of a fencepost is a ~3'' diameter log that still has the bark and is fairly straight. I know the farmers out here use similar looking hedgeposts. How much would I be able to get for black locust fenceposts?

Thanks

beenthere

BlaBla
Maybe, price some treated posts at your local yard, and then duplicate the size with some of your black locust. Pick a price just under that yard price for treated, and put an ad in the paper, or whatever 'media' organ to which you have access. See if you get some takers. Go with the same length as the yard posts (8' ?) and about the same diam. You may have to be careful you don't get too many orders, and run out of supply from that lot.
 :)
Be prudent so you don't price it less than what firewood will bring in your area. With the right investment in marketing, labor and packaging, firewood can be a pretty profitable market for marginal quality wood. Just need to know where the 'line' is at, so you don't cross over it too far for too long.  
 ;)
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

BlaBla

"With the right investment in marketing, labor and packaging, firewood can be a pretty profitable market for marginal quality wood. "

How would I do this? How can I package firewood in smaller amounts so that it will get a higher price than selling it by cords?

thanks

Tom

Its done here in several ways.

1: About 5 or 6 sticks of split wood are shrink wrapped or tied in a bundle with twine, accompanied by a couple of sticks of "Fat lighter" and sold as a single fire. The package brings $5 to as much as $10 in the right neighborhoods.  Usually it is sold to grocery stores or department stores who do the retailing. You could probably get $3 a package wholesale or offer it on consignment.

2. "Ricks" of split wood are sold on the street corner, out of the back of pickups.  Stacked log cabin style they usually consist of a stack about 3 feet to 4 feet high, 2 sticks per level, and sell for $10 or $15.  It's enought to make a nice stack in the trunk of a car and will yeild about 3 for 4 fires.

In Urban areas, firewood is usually a novelty item. Young folks in apartments, condos and executives in expensive homes are looking for that one fire for atmosphere and don't want to dirty up their garage, house or hands.  Anything you can do to reach that market will get a good price for your wood.  It must be dry, clean and neatly packaged or it will be passed by.

rebocardo

I sell my firewood for 25% less then everyone else and do not require any min. purchase. What I try to do is cut it up while I am on the property removing it. People here suggested a log splitter, I do not do enough to justify it, though they were right about only handling it once. That way, it is like free money just for loading my truck and driving it somewhere. Plus, I do not have the dust and shavings on my property.

At $99 a cord, when I ran out of oak I had people this past winter in GA buying my green sweet gum. I even told them it was green and only 4-5 months seasoned, they did not care. One guy came back four times in his Ranger and left practically dragging his bumper and it was only loaded to the bed rails. So, I guess once it hits a hot stove its okay to go.

I saw almost the whole tree for firewood, if a branch is anywhere close to an inch it gets cut up and sold. People like getting both large and small.

What you could do is this, build 1/2 cord firewood racks with screws (so you can remove the screws easily later to burn it after a couple years of use) out of the locust and then stuff it full of locust firewood.

I built a rack for my neighbor from pressure treated Home Depot lumber, it cost $35 just for the warped twisted, knotty wood.

If I had locust, it would have been $35 extra into my pocket instead. Plus, you have your attractive rack in their yard and a first cord. As long as you are reasonable on price and give good service, you will always have a future customer for wood.

I will raise prices for the cord wood this year for new customers, all my old ones get it at what it was when I started delivering wood to them. Good will and a good deal makes  good customers and easy profit.

Plus, this year, no advertising! Word of mouth will probably do.

Gary_B

After reading about the locust, I had to go out and cut down a few locusts , just to see how it would saw, and the appearance of the locust, the only problem I had was in length, seems like I could get a 12 ft lenght out of a tree, and then the rest was to crooked to saw, which will make good firewood. Now as far as sawing the locust it sawed like a dream, easy to handle, due to the size, I ended up with some of the most prettiest 6X6X12 beams, the wood had a really nice grain and very few knots, and with the durability of locust, they will work perfect for my pole building, next project.

Cedarman

Black Locust will sprout like crazy. You might think about putting a little Tordon or other killer on the stump as soon as you cut it.  It does not take much. If you set out trees do not put them near the stumps as the chemical will go down the black locust roots and could affect nearby plants.
I am in the pink when sawing cedar.

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