locust

[curtis rosche]

a couple of the trees that got cut down yesterday where locust, the centers of the trees are dark, like apple is. is this just the sap and will go away, what will happen with the color? as soon as i can find some batteries i will get a picture

[Nathan Hawkes]

dark? Most of the(black) locust that I've cut over the years (firewood) has been almost an olive color tan-green, or greenish beige. I haven't cut more than a couple of honey locusts, which don't have the greenish tint, and, strangely enough, have a honey brown color to the wood....
Maybe there is some rot in there. Yes, sometimes locust does rot, but not very often...

[Matt Hutchinson]

I have never turned it, but black locust is really hard.

Hutch

[Bernie Weishapl]

I have had some black locust that was dark brown to almost a black brown color. Curtis when dry it is like turning concrete. It is rock hard and definitely need sharp tools.

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Curtis, you say dark like Apple, that would mean to me a reddish brown color.
If so that would mean Honey Locust, al Black Locust I've cut and turned was a greenish yellow color.
Either one turns fine when still green wood, it does get pretty hard when dry, I'd say black locust is about as hard as it gets with native wood that I've turned
Here's a Honey Locust bowl I made

Oh I forgot, I did one time get a very large Honey Locust, and it was on the bottom end hollow and black, done by ants, and the acid from the ants turned the wood black.

[curtis rosche]

well i have a bunch of honey locust like that, but the center is alot darker, it almost looks like rosewood inside of a pine tree. i will see if i can get my step dad to cut some blanks to sell, it is a great looking wood. there was also a black locust we cut down. one of the trees was hollow, what should be done with that? just burn it?
how come the green wood isnt very wet evenn though it is a fresh cut? how much will this crack?

i have turned black locust, my grandfather saved and dried out a bunch, that is one hard wood.

[Nathan Hawkes]

Curtis, in my experience Locust isn't ever very wet; it'll burn well even when it is relatively green; it doesn't need to season as long as oak does. Also, I milled up a few locust logs a couple years ago. It moves and checks a lot more than I thought it would. Seal the ends for sure. Hard stuff