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Locust - Not my favorite sawlogs

Started by mike_van, September 04, 2008, 08:25:43 PM

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mike_van

Finished up a job yesterday for 300 sf of 2" thick 12' long locust planks for a bridge deck. Tough wood to saw, blades maybe last half as long as any other wood. Sawdust is fine, dusty, no matter how sharp the blade is. Ants love it, one log I cut had such an ant farm in it, I only got 8 footers out of it. Saved the best log for last, 20" on the small end 

  And, no ants!   

  the big end I had to trim a little to get through the guides.
I was the smartest 16 year old I ever knew.

Dave Shepard

I saw a lot of locust. I don't like the dust much at all. Biggest trouble I have is getting the small logs to clamp without springing out when I try to saw them. I've got plenty of horsepower, which is good because it really needs it when it's dry. I resawed a 12"x12" cant that was about 15 years old. It sawed great, but it pulled the engine down worse than anything I've had on the mill, and that was going slow. :o

That is a nice looking log on your mill. Have you got a lot of nice locust down your way? Might have to send a trailer load or two up here. ;)


Dave
Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51-WR Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

mike_van

Dave, there's stands of it here & there, mostly small, 12 - 18 inchers. I looked at a job I'm hoping to get that had a few 30 inchers there -  I know about the boards peelng off,  some will come off nice & flat, others dont -   I don't ever get asked for 1" so I don't make any, it's either 2 by's or firewood.  That 20" log had a lot of clear bridge planks in it!  :D
I was the smartest 16 year old I ever knew.

raycon

I mill a lot of locust. Hope for the wind at my back seldom get it.

Lot of stuff..

Don P

It is sure underappreciated wood though. I've been working with some recently cause I had some dry and it'll take exposure well. It definitely doesn't crumble under a chisel  :D

Chuck White

Locust is a very strong wood.

I have heard of people drilling and tapping beams and anchoring bolts into them.

Who knows, next they will be trying to make large bolts out of locust.
~Chuck~  Cooks Cat Claw sharpener and single tooth setter.  2018 Chevy Silverado and 2021 Subaru Ascent.
With basic mechanical skills and the ability to read you can maintain a Woodmizer  LT40!

TexasTimbers

I love Honey Locust. Black too. Don't have much Black here but plenty of medium sized honeys. I recently felled a large solid Honey which is hard to find here. They are usually in the range you mention Mike, but I don't mind sawing them at all. I don't like sawing Mesquite.
The oil is all in Texas, but the dipsticks are in D.C.

Dave Shepard

Whatcha makin' Don? Enquiring nosy people want to know. :)


Dave
Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51-WR Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

JV

Sawed one two years ago that had been down for a year and a half.  Got within 18" of the butt end and it clamped down on the blade like a vice.  We had to cut the slab off and wedge the kerf to back the blade out.  Cut that 18" off before I made anymore cuts.  Locust is a beautiful wood but requires sharp tools.  I helped on a small timber frame several years ago that had 6"x6" locust.  By the time we finished, it required very sharp chisels and a lot of effort.  Still one of my favorite woods though.  It makes beautiful wainscot.
John

'05 Wood-mizer LT40HDG28-RA, Lucas 613 Swing Mill, Stihl 170, 260 Pro, 660, 084 w/56" Alaskan Mill, 041 w/Lewis Winch, Case 970 w/Farmi Winch, Case 850 Crawler Loader, Case 90XT Skidloader, Logrite tools

TexasTimbers

You fellas that are not specifying, are you talking about honey or black? JV sounds like black you are talking about black for sure. Cutting honey isn't as bad as what you describe.
The oil is all in Texas, but the dipsticks are in D.C.

mike_van

What we call the honey locust has the huge thorns on it - This has some small ones on some branches, so I'd say it's the black locust.  Here's a funny note about locust - They used it for pegs in the old timberframe barns, the old timers said locust would last 2 years longer than stone!   :D     Makes good fence posts too -  8)
I was the smartest 16 year old I ever knew.

JV

The timber frame I helped on was down by Indianapolis and was made with black locust.  The locust I sawed was honey.   We are located a little far north for black locust.  I also sawed one this spring that was down for a year or better and the butt end was really hard.

Yeah, I've heard that black locust lasted 2 to 10 years longer than a rock.   :D
John

'05 Wood-mizer LT40HDG28-RA, Lucas 613 Swing Mill, Stihl 170, 260 Pro, 660, 084 w/56" Alaskan Mill, 041 w/Lewis Winch, Case 970 w/Farmi Winch, Case 850 Crawler Loader, Case 90XT Skidloader, Logrite tools

Toolman

I cut alot of locust. I like it when it's green. I use bi-metal blades when cutting  any more then couple years old. We have more black than honey in my general area. I have found that honey locust seems to have less defects than black. Maybe it's just me. I find more ants in black than I have found in Honey locust. Anyone else notice any difference? I also just cut honey locust for a bridge deck and had about 18 beautiful 2x12x14 boards. These trees were dropped 2 weeks prior. I don't need to tell you how heavy these boards were!!!
"A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have" (Thomas Jefferson)

SwampDonkey

We have black locust up here that has spread on old farms. The natural woods here will kill it out. It's mostly yard trees and fence row or sometimes abandoned apple orchards. I see more in NS and southern NB. Never heard of anyone up here sawing it. Bristly locus is also a yard tree here, but does not winter as well and a mild winter followed by a cold spring will kill it. I've seen it leaf out in February on one of those rare mild winters, then cold in March does it in. Beautiful flowers though.  ;)
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

TexasTimbers

Mike either species will have or will not have thorns. Honey is known to have the longest. They can be on branches only, trunk only, or both. Or none of the above.

Toolman, it's unsual for me to find large solid honey locust here but i do on occassion. Mostly as mentioned in the 14 - 20 range and some of those are punky or rotten inside. The ones that grow in flood zones here, and my main woods where i log is a flood zone, they rot and die young.
The oil is all in Texas, but the dipsticks are in D.C.

Don P

A good black locust here is a find, most go to firewood but I cut any that are good into the largest beam they will make. The locust borers do a number on ours, then the ants move in. They are not a long lived tree to begin with.

Another interesting tidbit, insulator pins for the old glass insulators on power poles were locust because it is so stable.

Dave, I've been making a roof to go over a west facing window in this live above barn. It was getting toasty, and the casements couldn't be used in inclement weather. It was kinda tight up there so I had to get creative and used some steel in it as well. Hopefully in the next year or three I'll get to build them a house. At the end of the day we were talking wood and staining and maintenance. I handed them a chunk of locust from the back of the truck to test samples on. He asked what kind of wood I had used and I told him it was locust. He said "I've got one around back that's too big for me to move and I hate to cut it up into firewood" I'll be taking the trailer Monday  ;D.



There's one I learned from Eric Sloane, the roof over the sliding doors is a pent roof or penthouse

Larry

I like sawing it...the sawdust smells like cinnamon cookies...my favorite.
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.

Ron Wenrich

Last week, they brought in 2 honey locust for a custom job.  The largest one was 50" and the smallest one was 46".  They were heavily split and had pockets of rot.  A lot of the stuff fell apart, and some of the junk ended up in the chipper.  It was only the second time I've sawn honey locust.

We generally have black locust in the yard.  It sits there until we have an order.  Orders usually come in during the spring or fall, so by the time I get the logs, they are pretty hard.  Most logs are under 16", and some are as small as 6".

The normal order is for a 4x4 post.  Since I use a circle mill and have a vertical edger, I can normally cut a log up in a few passes.  I look to get to either a 12x12 or an 8x8.  I set the vertical saws at 4" and cut 2 or 3 posts in a pass. 

As stated, sharp saws are a must and they won't stay sharp for long. 
Never under estimate the power of stupid people in large groups.

TexasTimbers

Ron,

A log that big, unless it was mostly all rot I bet you still got some nice boards from it eh?
When you say "pockets of rot" I can relate because alot of the honey here has that, and I still consider it worth sawing since it has so many wonderful characteristics.

A 50"er, man, that would be lovely. ;D
The oil is all in Texas, but the dipsticks are in D.C.

urbanlumberinc

I saw both honey and black locust quite frequently and have yet to see one bit of rotten wood out of a honey.  Honeylocust has replaced ash as my favorite wood, though when it comes to cutting em down, I'll take the ash any day.  I've been shredded by more than a few Honey locust climbs.  Even the ones without the thorns will tear you up, that bark can be like jagged metal.  Here's a beauty I did awhile back

Left Coast Chris

Out here there are many black locusts in the old mining towns.  They seem to make it in the dry summers.  The will live 100 years many times but the older ones have rot or dead limbs then the rot gets into the trunk and they split or fall.   The Honey Locusts Ive seen are growing near water and get larger than the black locusts.  I sawed a honey locust and was very impressed how the thorns can puncture boots and tires.......ouch.
Home built cantilever head, 24 HP honda mill, Case 580D, MF 135 and one Squirel Dog Jack Russel Mix -- Crickett

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