Know anything about weesatch?

[Tom Jones III]

I went hunting for wood last weekend, primarily for mesquite. There were trees on the land that locals call weesatch. It looks almost identical to mesquite both in bark and wood, the leaves are very similar as well. Weesatch is a little more thorny than mesquite. It is generally considered a weed, but if left alone it grows into a tree like the mesquite, maybe a little smaller. I've never seen it with seeds like a mesquite. Evidently it spreads like crazy and the local ranchers have a hard time keeping it under control. The only way to kill it is to spray it with a herbicide called remedy mixed with diesel.

I got plenty of mesquite, so I didn't cut any of the weesatch but I wonder if it would be good for turning? According to the search function, it has never been mentioned on this forum and I could not find any mention using google.

[Curtis O. Seebeck]

It is actually spelled Huisach and is also known as Sweet Acacia. Here is a link for more information: http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/ornamentals/natives/acaciafarnesiana.htm

I have turned one piece of it and it didn't do much for me. It is not stable like mesquite and would need to be rough turned, dried, and then re-turned to finish. I made one bowl with it and turned it green to finish. It warped really bad and was not all that exciting, wood wise. Here is a picture of the bowl I made (vase on the left is spalted pecan and the right is mesquite).