What can I do with Osage Orange (Hedge) wood?

Sawdust Lover · December 04, 2012, 07:49:16 PM

I had a customer come from Kansas to pick up a load of chestut lumber. He brought me 4 osage orange logs. Being here in Virginia I have never seen this type of wood. It looks realy hard like locus. What should I do with it, saw it or burn it?

VictorH · December 04, 2012, 07:55:06 PM

Often when sawed it will fall apart. If it doesn't you will have some unique lumber to use or market to local woodworkers.

Victor

learner · December 04, 2012, 07:57:52 PM

I know it as a Horseapple tree. I found this link. Hope it helps Sawdust Lover
Link=http://www.osageorange.com/

Ironwood · December 04, 2012, 08:13:39 PM

Use it anywhere you would locust, equally as durable (actually I think slightly more), the raging color will drop several hues to a tanish type color. It is a cool wood. I make some great cutting boards. Never had a major issue with splits, although it is a "hedge tree" and would get some wind and does occasionally have voids like locust. I like Osage and have been waiting to see a local farmer baling to stop and ask him about some bigguns he has.

Ironwood

Busy Beaver Lumber · December 04, 2012, 08:14:59 PM

I have some friends and customers that like to use it for and accent color in wood bowls. I personally do not like working with it. Very difficult to turn and is a bear to sand. It has a somewhat open grain that never appears to sand smooth, but there are others that like to work with it. To each their own

learner · December 04, 2012, 08:34:15 PM

Busy Beaver I've been meaning to tell you how much I like your name. Our mill is called the Biz-E-B-Ver Sawmill. ;)

WDH · December 04, 2012, 09:39:14 PM

I sold every piece that I had. Some went to a guy in Seattle, WA that makes martial arts fighting sticks. It is good for duck calls. Some say that it will last in the ground 100 years. You should not have any trouble selling the lumber. Cut a variety of thicknesses to improve the chances that you will have just what someone is looking for. I sold mine for $4/BF, but now I think that was too cheap.

clww · December 04, 2012, 09:50:07 PM

Where did you get chestnut in VA?

Sawdust Lover · December 04, 2012, 09:50:53 PM

Well this is good news! I thought I had a pile of firewood.

Sawdust Lover · December 04, 2012, 09:53:32 PM

CLWW, I take down old cabins and tobacco barns and reclaim the lumber. I have around 6000 bf of clear American chestnut here now. I also reclaim Heart Pine.

clww · December 04, 2012, 09:55:25 PM

I'm going to send you a PM in a few days, then. I'm finishing the inside of our new log cabin. May be good for both of us.

Mad Professor · December 04, 2012, 10:43:00 PM

PM me, I'll buy solid edgings of heartwood for knife/tool handles. 3" wide X 6-8"

Even cut offs are fine if I can get 6-8" of clear on end

Sawdust Lover · December 05, 2012, 09:19:57 PM

Mad Professor, I burn pieces that small. Get in touch with me and I will give it to you.

Tree Feller · December 06, 2012, 08:28:13 AM

I've turned lots of it and built a rocking chair for a customer from it. I paid $11 per bf for 2" kiln-dried stock. It's bright yellow when first milled but will eventually turn a russet-brown color with oxidation and UV exposure. It can be a bit splintery when working it but it's also very hard and durable. I've seen lots of 50+ year old fence posts from it that were still sound and harder than a woodpecker's lips.

Here's a hollow form vessel I turned from it. I used a propane torch to scorch the lower part. The darker area on top is from near the pith.

Kansas · December 06, 2012, 08:43:06 AM

I have yet to cut an osage orange log from here in Kansas that isn't full of cracks and dry rot. Sometimes you can get some good jacket boards off the outside. That is about it. Most of the rest of the log is junk, unless you can market something special out of it. Primitive furniture, a fireplace mantel, something like that. Think primitive. Over the years, it will go to nearly the color of walnut. Its quite amazing to me that something that will make the best and longest lasting fencepost can be so bad inside. You don't have enough logs to do much with, but I did see pictures of a floor in a house. They mixed coffee grounds and epoxy to fill in all the bad spots. I thought it was beautiful.

JohnM · December 06, 2012, 03:16:31 PM

For makers of 'self' bows that is THE wood to use. Not sure what sizes you have but it may be worth a call to Three Rivers Archery (may point you in the right direction at least) and/or a post to the 'leatherwall' at Stickbow.com.

Just some thoughts. Good luck!

JM

okmulch · December 06, 2012, 04:12:46 PM

I sawed a bunch for a guy in Alabama. He used it with walnut and made a floor. I never did see any pictures of it though. :-\

Klicker · December 06, 2012, 04:20:46 PM

Like JohnM said it is the most wanted wood for selfbow makers. But it is hard to get in someplaces. You would be amazed at how well some of the twested and downn right ugly stick can make a great bow. Rod

Sprucegum · December 06, 2012, 06:39:24 PM

I saw some Osage Orange in our local lumber store today. The tag reads $39.95 per board foot!! He had two pieces that looked like rejected fence posts :

:D

Sawdust Lover · December 06, 2012, 08:43:36 PM

Well I'm not sure what to do with it now. I think I will slab 2 logs 10/4 and save the others for some bow makers. Turns out to be a nice gift. I will get some pics of them when I saw them on Saturday.

pineywoods · December 06, 2012, 08:56:15 PM

I use the small chunks to make felling wedges. Better'n plastic..

hackberry jake · December 07, 2012, 05:10:39 AM

I like to find the biggest logs in the tri-county area (to big for my mill) and pay to have a guy slab it with a Lucas

Then haul em home

And air stack em

I have a couple more years before I get to do anything with em. I guess that'll give me time to decide the best usage. Lifetime one of a kind picnic tables? Dining tables? Unique signs? Who knows.

WDH · December 07, 2012, 06:44:22 AM

What I sawed pith cracked real bad.

KnotBB · December 08, 2012, 01:25:51 AM

Wood workers love it because of the color, bow makers love it because it is reputed to be the best bow wood in north America. Lots of it was planted to make future fence post because of the rot resistance, The heart wood's too hard for the bugs to eat. Good for 60 to 80 years in the ground. Bowl turners love it because it has a holographic tendency with a high finish. Where white oak has a Janka harness of 1100+ and walnut just a little less than that, Osage is 2000, locust is 1700 and ebony is 3100. It's hard. It is suitable for guitar fret boards when quarter sawn. It is a wonderful tone wood. Might want to stain it with iron, tea and vinegar to blacken it. It's a pretty good wood for turning but does tend to tear out a little but can be stabilized with super glue.

Try to cut the pith out when you saw and add lots of weight when stickered.

5quarter · December 08, 2012, 02:31:09 AM

I know a bowmaker that uses hedgeapple, but does not want the trunkwood. He will climb a tree to get a particularly shaped live branch. he rives the needed stock from the top side of the curve (tension wood) and makes his bows from that.
around here you will find occasional field rows of hedgeapple along property lines. years ago, it was common to take piles of the overripe fruit and mash it into a slurry. they would pour the slurry into a shallow trench along the propety line and in about 6-7 years have a hedge so dense a dog couldn't get through it. and the more deer browse they had, the thicker they grew.