Osage Orange

[Jean Holland]

Is anyone familar with Osage Orange and what it might be worth? I will have a small amount available for sale soon and have no idea what it is worth. Any information would be appreciated.

[Bruce Shiverdecker]

Osage Orange is also known as Hedge and has been used as fence posts on farms. It is not an expensive wood. It is hard when dry, the dryer the harded it is. Turns nicely. Color from Bright Yellow to Orange to brown. Was used by the Osage Indians for hunting bows.

If you're selling, don't expect to get much. If buying, don't pay much.

Hope this helps,

Bruce

[Bernie Weishapl]

I bought a osage orange turning block 4 x 6 x 6 for $4.95 + $8 shipping. We called them on the farm Hedge Apples. We used them for fence posts as Bruce said. Once you cut them and let them dry for a while they were hard to drive fence staples in the post. It is some hard stuff. I saw a banjo made out of it and it was absolutely beautiful when finished.

[Mark Cothren]

Sorry - no idea what it's worth as turning stock.

Around here it's called Osage, Hedge, and also sometimes called Bois d'Arc (sp?). That last one is French/Cajun, I reckon, and I'm pretty sure it means "harder than woodpecker lips"....

I like the wood - thinks it is very pretty. But it makes so much dust when finish turning and when sanding that it is a MESS!

I have a couple of staves of Osage that I need to get around to making a bow out of one of these days...

[Andy Hoyt]

Hey Jean - We don't see too much of that stuff up here in the top right hand corner. Would love to wreck a few chunks if it can be worked out.

[Bruce Shiverdecker]

Hey andy, if you want some, I'm sure I can oblige! Got a bunch out in a shed drying out. Been there about a year now.

Bruce

[Andy Hoyt]

Hey andy, if you want some, I'm sure I can oblige! Got a bunch out in a shed drying out. Been there about a year now.

Bruce
Cool! I'll swap ya some of that aromatic cedar and/or spalted hickory I acquired recently. But thinking of your recent kindness at Woodcraft, I guess we better wait until we know what kind of swing you'll end up with.

[Bruce Shiverdecker]

Sounds good to me, especially the spalted hickory. I'm still going to have a 12" swing over the bed. A 70-100 is what's getting ordered for me.

Bruce

[Dennis Peacock]

Got some Osage....Turned some Osage.....really like Osage. Nice stuff, finishes very nicely, but like Mark said, it can be a bit dusty when finish turning or sanding. But it shore-is-purdy stuff!!!!:D

[tod evans]

osage eats chainsaw chains! we still have a 40+ incher on the old family farm in missouri if anybody wants it!

[Lloyd Stahl]

Down here in Texas we call it "Bodark" - obviously a corruption of the French Bos d'Arc. It is a hard wood and a challenge to work when dry. But it is beautiful and worth the effort.

I just cut some yesterday and NO - it is not particularily hard on chainsaws. But my chainsaw experience may be a bit skewed since I routinely cut tough wood such as Mesquite and Huisache (also known as Sweet Acacia to you non-Texans).

I just put a 12" piece on my lathe and roughed out two bowls. They are currently drying. The stuff is tough enough that my inexperienced efforts at coring with my recently-acquired Kelton system resulted on four remounts of the initial bowl blank before I was successful. Like to think it was just due to the difficult wood, but I know I have a bit to learn.

Sounds as if some of you guys (and gals) can get your Bodark in trade for free. But if that falls through, I do have some of it, as well as other Texas woods, for sale on http://www.texaswoodcrafts.net/wood/. I charge a base price of $2/lb, the same as for most of my other wood, since the primary value to me is based on my efforts to harvest it - they are all about the same.

Good luck with that Osage Orange, I think that you will like the finished product.

[tod evans]

lloyd, please clue me in as to what equipment you`re using? i use an older homelight 410 with an oregon chain, cuts oak and elm fine but when i get after that large bodarc i dull the chain in short order....haven`t tried in several years after trashing 3 chains with little progress. thanks, tod

[Dennis Peacock]

osage eats chainsaw chains! we still have a 40+ incher on the old family farm in missouri if anybody wants it!

O-o-o-o-o-ohhhhhhhhhhhh.!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can I have some of it? :D

[tod evans]

the whole darn tree!

[Andy Hoyt]

the whole darn tree!

Ah, nuts. I thought you were talking about a 40" chain.:mad:

[Dennis Peacock]

the whole darn tree!
Woo-Hoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Gotta get me a few more chains and head yor way.....but will be later on. I got's work on the day job until after New Years.

[Mike Ramsey]

i dull the chain in short order....haven`t tried in several years after trashing 3 chains with little progress. thanks, tod
I've cut a lot of Osage recently and it will dull a chain in a hurry & itwill gum up your bar if it's green wood. Had to stop and clean & sharpen the saw quite often...But! It was worth it! Bodark doesn't move much as it dries so a lot of projects can be finish turned when it's green.. It makes great handles for my home made turning tools.

[tod evans]

Ah, nuts. I thought you were talking about a 40" chain.:mad:
only a 36" bar, chains a little over 40" . but you too sir are welcome to have a go at this monster! my brothers and i hacked at it on and off for years and today it`s hard to tell where we tried. the thorns just get longer and the scars gnarl over........i know there is some gate hardware as well as barbwire imbedded in it as it stands at the corner of the old barn lot. but i`m fairly certain everything above head level is clean? it kicked four young lads butts years ago and today i don`t want anything to do with it........but it`s prime for pickin` tod

[Clem Wixted]

I've cut a lot of Osage recently and it will dull a chain in a hurry & itwill gum up your bar if it's green wood. Had to stop and clean & sharpen the saw quite often...But! It was worth it! Bodark doesn't move much as it dries so a lot of projects can be finish turned when it's green.. It makes great handles for my home made turning tools.

Mike,

Nice handles. I cut some OO last summer and I'm heading outside right now to cut some handle stock. Thanks for the reminder and the nice examples.

Clem

[John Hart]

Nice looking tools Mike. My Ugly Stick is gonna be jealous!!

[Lloyd Stahl]

lloyd, please clue me in as to what equipment you`re using? i use an older homelight 410 with an oregon chain, cuts oak and elm fine but when i get after that large bodarc i dull the chain in short order....haven`t tried in several years after trashing 3 chains with little progress. thanks, tod

Tod -
Nothing special. It is the old reliable Stihl, Model 026 with a 16" bar and a Oregon chain with a standard cross-cut grind. I have half a dozen chains that I rotate when I dull enough to require professional sharpening (or they wear and stretch to longer than my bar can handle). Until that stage, I just touch them up by hand and keep on cutting.