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Thread: Mesquite blanks

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Location
    Traverse City, MI
    Posts
    28

    Mesquite blanks

    We are driving to NM and AZ next week and I would love to return with a couple of green hunks of mesquite for bowl turning. Barring something green, if mesquite air or kiln dries well in larger pieces without checking too badly I could also go there. Can anyone point me in the right direction? Santa Fe followed by Bisbee to Tucson and then north is the basic route since it would be best find something along the way. Thanks

  2. #2
    Quote Originally Posted by Dietrich Floeter View Post
    We are driving to NM and AZ next week ...
    Can't speak about availability in AZ, but more familiar with TX & NM. A lot depends on your route and how you want to use the material.

    It will be tough to find 'lumber-sized' Mesquite along a line from Amarillo-Santa Fe-Albuquerque. In this desert & high plains area, lots of it, but 95% of mesquite will be 2"-4" firewood. You might find sizes suitable for pens, small bowls, pepper mills, etc, at nearby Rockler/Woodcraft stores (or cheaper at firewood suppliers) - - but I see none advertised at lumber yards. And so, this might require a fairly dedicated search? Or luck?

    If you want true lumber, for larger boxes and furniture, I'd think you will be better served by a detour into the TX Hill Country. Relative to your assumed line of travel, the closest source I am aware of is in Santa Anna TX. Others are 4-6hrs south of there, in Austin to San Antonio area; mesquite there can be 16"-24"dia. (On my last pass thru Santa Anna, the sawyer had a yard full of 24" mesquite logs; making gorgeous flooring.)

    Can you carry a chain saw? If you see a suitable specimen in a field (you WILL), you can knock on a door or 2 and ask to cut some. Most cattlemen view it as a weed, and if you don't make a mess, it saves them on root-plowing. I routinely pass thru the Abilene area (I-20), and have been tempted. I'll emphasize the 'ask' part of this; varmint guns have a long reach.

    ...Safe travels!

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Oct 2013
    Location
    Northwest Indiana
    Posts
    957
    Used to be a guy on another lumber forum that posted mesquite & Tx Ebony pretty regularly--but i'm realizing that i've not seen anything of him since pre-covid. I may have some contact info--but it's probably 5 years plus since i bought from him. Bit of a long shot, and if i recall he was pretty far south. Hill country is sweet--stop in Luckenback if you do go through!!
    We're thinking Winslow, AZ, 4 Corners and a few other spot--but flying into Las Vegas or Phoenix and then doing a 4-7 day tour. Driving all the way would add to how much could come back--but on SW Air i could easily stuff a second "free bag" with 70 pounds of heaven!! Enjoy the journey!!
    earl

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Location
    Traverse City, MI
    Posts
    28
    Thanks for the feedback. I am packing a hearty pruning saw that has cut through some 12-16" trees before, it just takes a little time. I will keep my eyes open.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Location
    N. Central Texas
    Posts
    116
    There are plenty of big mesquite trees between Ft Worth and Abilene, as mentioned above "weeds". Getting nice boards isn't easy because they don't grow straight, and the pith center is usually a spider web of cracks. A firewood cutter would be a good option. There is a big fire in that area now so it's not a good option this month.

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