Osage Orange?

[Toney Robertson]

A gentleman that I know was thinking of clearing a hedgerow of Osage Orange trees and ask me about it's characteristics. I could not help him since I had no experience with the wood. Soooo...

What kind of wood is it?

Is cracking a problem?

How hard is it?

How is it to work with?

Is it orange in color?

Any other information would be appreciated.

TIA

Toney

[Lance Norris]

It is very hard and abrasive. Chainsaw chains will spark when cutting it. It dulls turning tools. It is a yellow-orange that turns a dull orange-brown over time.

[Jozef Kaslikowski]

I have several hundred board feet in a barn. It is extremely hard to saw, the sawmill operator got a rash due to the sap also. It took him a while to get used to cutting it and as a result the first few boards were a bit wavy. It is extremely rot and insect resistant and we use it for fence posts quite often also.

[Matt Hutchinson]

If you don't feel like attempting to make it into lumber, I bet you could sell it to woodturners. (We like it.) I know there would probably be some takers from here at SMC.

Hutch

[Steven J Corpstein]

Back when I was an avid duck hunter, I got into using high end duck calls because they just sounded more natural. It turned out that my neighbor at the time was married to a girl who's Father built VERY high end duck calls (Wendall Carlson).

http://www.carlsoncalls.com/index.html

In fact his duck calls were used by the winners of the World Duck Calling Championship in Stuttgart, Arkansas, five years in a row. Guess what he used for wood? Osage Orange, and these things sold for $200.00 a piece.

[Gary Flory]

Here's a picture of a freshly milled osage orange board. Tough to mill and work.

[Judy Kingery]

Toney,

Think folks have pegged it correctly for you; it can be fun to turn, but yes is extremely hard and will dull your chisels rather quickly. But it turns beautifully, cuts cleanly, and very little sanding with a very sharp bowl gouge. A real pretty bright yellow, but with exposure does become kinda a brownish color. I've not had trouble with it cracking. Has a good weight for throw tops. Hope that helps, Jude

[Mike Cutler]

Tony

Orange Osage, or Orange Osage Bois d' Arc(sp.) is a very dense american hardwood. I believe that it is among the most dense in the US.

The color can very from a chiffon yellow, to a russet brown.

Cracking is not a problem if properly milled and stored.

It is very hard to work with. It takes carbide tips and very sharp tools.

Milled in quartersawn fashion it is spectacular in appearance.

Like almost all woods that are difficult to work with, the end result is worth it. I have quite a few bd/ft of OO in the shop.

[Craig Hemsath]

We were removing a ton of that stuff from a couple of preserves I was working with. We ended up cutting a bunch of felling wedges out of it. They took more abuse than any manufactured one. Lots of fence posts, etc. That stuff won't ever rot.

[James Ashburn]

The very old barns (over 100 years) around here still have their original posts made from Osage Orange, or as we call it, Bodark. It goes by many names but was used by the Osage indians in making bows. Takes abuse very well and is flexible. Bowyers love the stuff, especially when rivved (sp). I have some in my barn too.

[George Sanders]

My uncle has osage orange fence posts that have been in the ground for the last hundred years. I have turned chisel handles with it. I have also used it for miter slot runners on jigs.
Because it is one of the densest woods in N. America (it will burn just below the temperature of coal) it is used for firewood. I heat my garage with it.

[John Keeton]

Called hedgeapple around here, and it can be a real nuisance! Thorny, invasive, and just generally a real pain. I am certain everyone is correct on it's attractiveness for a variety of purposes, but my disdain for it's growing habits on our place keeps me from thinking good things about it!!

[John Shuk]

Supposedly the hedgeapples are great for keeping spiders out of the basement. It is also the only tree alone in its genus. I have some large blanks set aside for either turning or making hand planes if I get the ambition to try. It is bright yellow and mellows to a gorgeous warm glowing brown with time.
A hedgerow is probably not great for lumber but turning blanks are a must and it makes amazing firewood.

[Rob Grubbs]

I have several 7' split wedges of this stuff to make bows out of. Like everyone says, it is extremely hard. The stuff I have has been cut for about 15 years. The thing that makes it one of the best bow woods in the world is that it takes tension and compression well. Most woods will take one or the other well, but not both. When strung a pulled a bow is under compression on the belly and tension on the back.

[Jack Ganssle]

It has a fascinating history. The early settlers took advantage of it to form a natural sort of barbed wire. Then, when cheap barbed wire became available, due to its rot resistance it was used as the fenceposts from which to string the wire.

Can't imagine burning it, as here in the East it's somewhat hard to come by, and it's a delight to turn. Wish I had more of the stuff.

[John Keeton]

Jack, take a trip to KY, enjoy some of our bluegrass country, fine whiskey, horse racing...... and then stop by my place, cut all the osage you can haul back!! I wil even treat you to dinner for the effort. Last fall, hired a guy with a backhoe to clear some out of a 10 acres field so we could take the hay a little easier. It is piled up down in a drainage area.

[Richard M. Wolfe]

As Jack said, it has a fascinating history. Thomas Jefferson mentioned it in an address to Congress.

A friend who is in doing woodworking just finished making a countertop from osage orange t6hat was about two feet wide and twelve feet long....I ain't picking it up. :) the density is about 0.77, making it more dense than any widely used commercial wood. Some of it has an orange cast, but what we've dealt with is yellow and by yellow I mean like lemon peel and bananas. Unfortunately with exposure to UV and oxygen the wood will turn brown, but even then it's a pretty golden brown color. The trees are noted for having a lot of cracks but those cracks develop as the tree grows; the wood is stable and not prone to cracking as it dries. It's very hard but as long as you have sharp carbide cutters it works fine and it finishes beautifully.

[Faust M. Ruggiero]

Gents,
Great wood for interesting looking and long lasting wooden plane. If you have any 3" stock, you might think about selling plane blanks to your fellow Creekers. (hint - hint):cool:
fmr

[John Shuk]

I have some 3 inch stock. I might look to milling it up soon.

[Mark Elmer]

Hi all,

In the current issue of Wood Magazine (Issue 186 Oct 2008) there is a car being built out of wood and they are laminating osage orange to form the leaf springs for the suspension.

If you are interested at all in seeing what they are doing on this project you can evesdrop here: http://woodmagazine.com/splinter

[Jim Becker]

It has a fascinating history.

Indeed, much of what's found in the east comes from the trees that Lewis and Clark brought/sent back to Thomas Jefferson...

I don't know that I'd build anything large and "flat" with it, but I love to turn it. The striking bright yellow shavings are a real experience the first time. But like many species, the noteworthy color "browns out" after a bit of oxidation and UV exposure. My bench mallet head is made from Osage Orange and it keeps takein' a lickin'...

[John Shuk]

Indeed, the 3 or 4 places where I have found Osage growing around here are 200 year old homes give or take.
As a kid I always wondered what those gourd like balls were. I remember someone telling me as a kid that they were called "Monkey Balls".

[John Keeton]

Jim, when did the new avatar appear?? Who is that guy?

[Toney Robertson]

Thanks to all for the information.

I will pass it on to the gentleman that has the trees. It will be interesting to see what he does.

Toney

[Doyle Porterfield]

I'm starting to dabble in luthierie. Does anyone have any comments about using orange osage as a tonewood? (tops, backs, sides, necks...?)

[Dave Warner]

I'm starting to dabble in luthierie. Does anyone have any comments about using orange osage as a tonewood? (tops, backs, sides, necks...?)

If you strike Osage Orange it does produce a nice tap tone. Considering its hardness, I've always thought it had the potential to be an interesting choice for a fretboard. Especially as a domestic replacement for what is typically made from exotic species (ie., rosewood, ebony, bocote, etc.).

[Bill White]

Here in the South the standard story is that, when you used it for fence posts, you had to move the fence every 50 years
'cause the posts would outlive the postholes.:rolleyes: