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Thread: Black Locust

  1. #1
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    Black Locust

    My wife likes the look of black locust and I'd like to make her something out of it. Problem is I have no idea where to get it. I live just north of Indianapolis and the couple places I've called need to special order it. I found a guy on facebook who listed it and then didn't have any when I got there. Any idea where I might find some?

  2. #2
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    Quote Originally Posted by Joshua Hatcher View Post
    My wife likes the look of black locust and I'd like to make her something out of it. Problem is I have no idea where to get it. I live just north of Indianapolis and the couple places I've called need to special order it. I found a guy on facebook who listed it and then didn't have any when I got there. Any idea where I might find some?
    Are you looking for boards, woodturning blanks, or what? There are a lot of black locust trees in this part of the country and some private sawmills may have some. I haven't sawn any into boards on my sawmill but I have processed a lot into turning blanks - did another batch just a couple of weeks ago. A friend was looking for some to turn and coincidentally there was a black locust tree in an area I was clearing.

    If looking for turning blanks I'm planing to remove a black locust in my yard near the house - it's about 18" at the base. You are welcome to it but it may be a bit of a drive from Indiana!

    if looking for boards one problem might be difficulty finding good logs of a size worth sawing compared to most other species like cherry, walnut, etc. There are lots of smaller trees but many of the older and larger black locust trees around here are dying or dead and not in very good shape. You might try a search with woodfinder.com for sawmills/wood in your area. Black locust range: https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/...D%20OCCURRENCE

    I've turned a few things over the years from black locust. In my experience it's not a very glamorous wood with a lot of figure/character, but it is wonderfully hard, heavy, and fine-grained. That I've had finished to a uniform medium brown with a decent color. It is sometimes difficult to distinguish from osage orange since the end grain looks quite similar after the osage ages a bit. Honey locust has similar properties but a lot more color and character.

    Perhaps a useful tidbit - black locust (and honey locust) glows bright yellow/green under UV light. This shows a block of redheart and black locust under white and UV light.

    UV_3_redheart_locust.jpg

    JKJ

  3. #3
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    So when we were on Facebook looking for marketplace boards for a charcuterie board for thanksgiving she found a guy that had black locust boards. She went online to see what that would look like and she liked it. I don't know if she knew the difference between honey and black locust. She's very good at google so I'm sure she found what she looked for. I'm definitely looking for boards but they don't have to be long ones or wide ones. She's perfectly okay with glued boards.

  4. #4
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    I've thought about black locust for outdoor furniture. The stuff doesn't rot from what I understand and it doesn't have any 'unpleasant' chemicals like pressure treated. Outdoor furniture could probably be designed to use smaller boards.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by Curt Harms View Post
    I've thought about black locust for outdoor furniture. The stuff doesn't rot from what I understand and it doesn't have any 'unpleasant' chemicals like pressure treated. Outdoor furniture could probably be designed to use smaller boards.
    From the Wood Database
    Black locust is rated "very durable"

    From the Wood Database
    Durability of untreated heart wood in direct ground contact, lifetime in years
    Very Durable 25+
    Durable 15-25
    Moderately Durable 10-15
    Non-Durable 5-10
    Perishable less than 5

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by Joshua Hatcher View Post
    So when we were on Facebook looking for marketplace boards for a charcuterie board for thanksgiving she found a guy that had black locust boards. She went online to see what that would look like and she liked it. I don't know if she knew the difference between honey and black locust. She's very good at google so I'm sure she found what she looked for. I'm definitely looking for boards but they don't have to be long ones or wide ones. She's perfectly okay with glued boards.
    I have zero knowledge of what properties are needed for charcuterie boards.

    Black locust in general is more durable than honey locust (when considering rot resistance), perhaps because the pores in honey locust are open while those in black locust are full of tyloses which keeps the water out.

  7. #7
    The oldtimers say a locust fencepost will last longer than the hole it is in.

    It tends to warp when drying, so be sure to check the MC before use.

    Some people have an allergic reaction (dermatitis) from working it.

  8. #8
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    I'll be honest I don't either. I'm relatively new to this craft. I'm not selling this item so it doesn't have to be perfect. Most of my knowledge of woodworking is 20 years old and it wasn't vast to begin with. I want to build things for my family and I want to get closer to the spirit of my father since he's gone now. She picked the locust because she liked the way it looked so now I'm just trying to see how difficult this undertaking will be. I appreciate your help so far!

  9. #9
    I planed down a hickory slab for a 3-4' long charcuterie board, that I got rave reviews about. I left it natural edge. Whatever wood you go with, see if your wife is interested in a natural edge look.

  10. #10
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    No idea where you can get it but if you can black locust does make fantastic outdoor furniture.



    I got the wood for this from a tree that fell in my boss's yard. I never see it available commercially where I live in WNY.

    John

  11. #11
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    I agree with her it's just beautiful. That is one fine bench. Almost looks like it should be sitting in front of a church in a small town. I might have to just figure out if the ones my dad had in his yard are black or honey. Could maybe go that route. They are in Kansas though.

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by Joshua Hatcher View Post
    I agree with her it's just beautiful. That is one fine bench. Almost looks like it should be sitting in front of a church in a small town. I might have to just figure out if the ones my dad had in his yard are black or honey. Could maybe go that route. They are in Kansas though.

    Honey locust is easily identified by the thorns. Honey Locust.jpg

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by John TenEyck View Post
    No idea where you can get it but if you can black locust does make fantastic outdoor furniture.





    I got the wood for this from a tree that fell in my boss's yard. I never see it available commercially where I live in WNY.

    John
    That is a beautiful bench. Asked my sawmill in NE Pennsylvania about black locust and they do not carry it.

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mark Rainey View Post
    That is a beautiful bench. Asked my sawmill in NE Pennsylvania about black locust and they do not carry it.
    Woodfinder.com lists these as having "black locust" in their species listing, closest to my zip code:


    Lumber Logs LLC St. Louis MO
    Eberly Woods Buchanan MI (414 miles)
    Maryland Select Hardwoods - November 2020 Wood Sale La Plata MD
    Hollister's Sawmill, Inc Columbia PA
    Bailey Wood Products, Inc. Kempton PA
    Koffron Hardwoods and Cabinets Tiffin IA
    DOMEX HARDWOODS Philadelphia area PA
    AGINCOURT Hillsborough NJ (599 miles)
    Leon M Fiske Company, Inc. dba Forest Products Associates Greenfield MA
    St. Angelo Hardwoods, Inc. - Genuine Asian Teak Specialist Tiverton RI

    When I search for "sawmill" there are others

  15. #15
    Black locus is an early colonizer of cleared land. It grows in clumps and stands from root spreading almost like a weed. It's a fast growing tree. 6" to 8" trees are common 12" trees aren't rare. When they get really big they start to get rot inside and the ants move in. Most of it goes into firewood, it's prized by people who heat with wood.
    In your area of look for logs from tree companies and contractors who clear land for roads and development. I would also look south of Bloomington lots of small operators logging companies and sawmills that don't show up on Google searches
    I've read Kentucky Coffee tree is similar to black locus
    Last edited by kent wardecke; 11-22-2020 at 10:43 AM.

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