I'm making a bed for my daughter and she has chosen Honey Locust as the
wood for the bed. Other than the small board I planed down as a test
piece, I've never worked with this wood before.
It appears to look like it will work and finish similar to red oak...Is
that right? Is this an open pore wood? Any tips on finishing or things to
consider when machining/building with it? Is it similar to maple or pine
in strength?
Thanks for you insights!
Jim
Jim asks:
>I'm making a bed for my daughter and she has chosen Honey Locust as the
>wood for the bed. Other than the small board I planed down as a test
>piece, I've never worked with this wood before.
>
>It appears to look like it will work and finish similar to red oak...Is
>that right? Is this an open pore wood? Any tips on finishing or things to
>consider when machining/building with it? Is it similar to maple or pine
>in strength?
Gleditsia triacanthos. It IS ring porous, so almost certainly will need a
filler to get a really smooth finish.
Hard to split, unlike oaks, tools need to be really sharp. Takes glue very
well, finishes to a really nice luster. Otherwise said to be a lot like oak in
workability.
Much stronger than pine. Heavy (0.60 specific gravity...hard maple is 0.56,
very close).
Are you sure it's honey locust, though, and not black locust (post locust,
yellow locust)? That's Robinia pseudoacacia, difficult to work, but finishes
smoothly, glues well, and is hard on tool edges. Heartwood is a greenish-yellow
to a golden brown, specific gravity is 0.66. Stronger and stiffer than white
oak. Bends well.
It is usually more readily available than honey locust in most areas, but may
still be hard to find as lumber. Most get used for crates, pallets, fence
posts.
Charlie Self
"The income tax has made liars out of more Americans than golf."
Will Rogers
Charlie Self wrote:
>
> Jim asks:
>
> >I'm making a bed for my daughter and she has chosen Honey Locust as the
> >wood for the bed. Other than the small board I planed down as a test
> >piece, I've never worked with this wood before.
> >
> >It appears to look like it will work and finish similar to red oak...Is
> >that right? Is this an open pore wood? Any tips on finishing or things to
> >consider when machining/building with it? Is it similar to maple or pine
> >in strength?
>
> Gleditsia triacanthos. It IS ring porous, so almost certainly will need a
> filler to get a really smooth finish.
>
> Hard to split, unlike oaks, tools need to be really sharp. Takes glue very
> well, finishes to a really nice luster. Otherwise said to be a lot like oak in
> workability.
>
> Much stronger than pine. Heavy (0.60 specific gravity...hard maple is 0.56,
> very close).
>
> Are you sure it's honey locust, though, and not black locust (post locust,
> yellow locust)? That's Robinia pseudoacacia, difficult to work, but finishes
> smoothly, glues well, and is hard on tool edges. Heartwood is a greenish-yellow
> to a golden brown, specific gravity is 0.66. Stronger and stiffer than white
> oak. Bends well.
>
> It is usually more readily available than honey locust in most areas, but may
> still be hard to find as lumber. Most get used for crates, pallets, fence
> posts.
>
> Charlie Self
>
> "The income tax has made liars out of more Americans than golf."
> Will Rogers
>
I've got about 450 bf of black locust - picked up inexpensively (no wood
is cheap)
I used some of the less desirable stuff on the top of this mortising
machine
cabinet. Shellaced even knotty boards finished nicely and really play
with
light.
www.wood-workers.com/users/charlieb/MCmortisingCabinet3.html
charlie b
www.wood-workers.com/users/charlieb/MCmortisingCabinet3.html
charlie b states:
>I've got about 450 bf of black locust - picked up inexpensively (no wood
>is cheap)
>I used some of the less desirable stuff on the top of this mortising
>machine
>cabinet. Shellaced even knotty boards finished nicely and really play
>with
>light.
>
>www.wood-workers.com/users/charlieb/MCmortisingCabinet3.html
>
Yeah, that's black locust. You say on the site it may be honey or black locust,
but honey locust is a much more golden color, without the yaller your top
shows. Either one is an unusual wood to see and a great emphasis, IMO.
Charlie Self
"It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know
for sure that just ain't so."
Mark Twain
Jim <[email protected]> schreef
> I'm making a bed for my daughter and she has chosen Honey Locust as the
> wood for the bed.
+ + +
A really lovely wood, with that distinct orangish color.
Really great furniture can be made of this.
In general the greatest difficulty is finding it.
Probably not the easiest wood to work,
although I would rather have this than than red oak,
but worth it, with a reputation for finishing smoothly.
PvR
Jim <[email protected]> schreef
> Thanks for the information Charlie. They told me at the saw mill it was
> honey locust. It has an almost orange look. They also had "plain
> Locust" which has a more grey-green cast to it.
> It is also cheap! Only $.65/ft for a 1x4
+ + +
Yes, orange is the name of the game, here!
PvR
Steve Turner <[email protected]> schreef
> It's very hard, very strong, and very dense. It has a Janka-scale
hardness factor of 2350, which makes it much harder than common furniture
woods such as Red Oak (1290), Beech (1300), Hard Maple (1450), and Hickory
(1820).
+ + +
This is not right? The hardness should be between that of Red Oak on the one
hand and Hickory on the other hand. Actually it should be close to Hard
Maple and Black Locust.
http://www2.fpl.fs.fed.us/TechSheets/hardwood.html
Maybe you are confused with Red Locust (= Jatoba)?
PvR
Woop, you're probably right about the Janka hardness; I had done a quick
google search, picked the first hit:
http://www.pinfoldtimber.com/wood.htm
and I guess I imagined I saw "honey" in front of the word "locust";
sorry 'bout that.
The actual hardness factors notwithstanding, my experience with those
Honey Locust drumsticks tells me that it's very "tough". Hard Maple and
Hickory are both popular woods to make drumsticks from, and with all the
banging they receive on the metal rims and cymbal bells, the shanks can
splinter and the tips will start to break apart. In this arena, the
Honey Locust has held up as well (if not better!) than the Hickory
(though it's heavier), and Maple is the least durable of the three...
Seems like it would be good alternative to Hickory for making tool
handles (and maybe plane totes) if you don't mind the extra weight.
P van Rijckevorsel wrote:
> Steve Turner <[email protected]> schreef
>
>>It's very hard, very strong, and very dense. It has a Janka-scale
>
> hardness factor of 2350, which makes it much harder than common furniture
> woods such as Red Oak (1290), Beech (1300), Hard Maple (1450), and Hickory
> (1820).
>
> + + +
> This is not right? The hardness should be between that of Red Oak on the one
> hand and Hickory on the other hand. Actually it should be close to Hard
> Maple and Black Locust.
> http://www2.fpl.fs.fed.us/TechSheets/hardwood.html
>
> Maybe you are confused with Red Locust (= Jatoba)?
> PvR
>
--
To reply, change the chemical designation to its common name.
In my experience, its pretty "normal" Enough so that I don't really
remember anything special about (Its beena few years since I did a piece in
it). About all I remmeber is that honey locust glows undear a black light.
Check it out - the grain is amazing.....
--JD
"Jim" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I'm making a bed for my daughter and she has chosen Honey Locust as the
> wood for the bed. Other than the small board I planed down as a test
> piece, I've never worked with this wood before.
>
> It appears to look like it will work and finish similar to red oak...Is
> that right? Is this an open pore wood? Any tips on finishing or things
to
> consider when machining/building with it? Is it similar to maple or pine
> in strength?
>
> Thanks for you insights!
> Jim
Jim <[email protected]> wrote
> I'm making a bed for my daughter and she has chosen Honey Locust as the
> wood for the bed. Other than the small board I planed down as a test
> piece, I've never worked with this wood before.
Isn't that what the Ark of the Covenant was made from ? Under the
gold of course....
Wed, Oct 15, 2003, 8:57am (EDT-3) [email protected] (NFrames)
queries:
Isn't that what the Ark of the Covenant was made from ? Under the
gold of course....
No, acacia wood, supposedly.
JOAT
Drink coffee. Do stupid things faster, with more energy.
Life just ain't life without good music. - JOAT
Web Page Update 13 Oct 2003.
Some tunes I like.
http://community-2.webtv.net/Jakofalltrades/SOMETUNESILIKE/
Steve Turner <[email protected]> schreef
> Close then; those woods are related. Acacia and Locust are both legumes,
as is Mesquite (my favorite!). Of course, there are a LOT of different
trees in the legume family...
+ + +
Yes, the Legume family has very many woods, with mass ranging from just
about the lightest wood in existence to just about the heaviest and with
color ranging from just about the lightest wood to just about the darkest.
The Legume family is often subdivided into three subfamilies, with Honey
Locust, Black Locust and Acacia each in a different subfamily. So not that
closely related! ;-)
PvR
T. wrote:
> Wed, Oct 15, 2003, 8:57am (EDT-3) [email protected] (NFrames)
> queries:
> Isn't that what the Ark of the Covenant was made from ? Under the
> gold of course....
>
> No, acacia wood, supposedly.
Close then; those woods are related. Acacia and Locust are both legumes, as is
Mesquite (my favorite!). Of course, there are a LOT of different trees in the
legume family...
--
To reply, change the chemical designation to its common name.
Thanks for the information Charlie. They told me at the saw mill it was
honey locust. It has an almost orange look. They also had "plain
Locust" which has a more grey-green cast to it.
It is also cheap! Only $.65/ft for a 1x4
[email protected] (Charlie Self) wrote in
news:[email protected]:
> Gleditsia triacanthos. It IS ring porous, so almost certainly will
> need a filler to get a really smooth finish.
>
> Hard to split, unlike oaks, tools need to be really sharp. Takes glue
> very well, finishes to a really nice luster. Otherwise said to be a
> lot like oak in workability.
>
> Much stronger than pine. Heavy (0.60 specific gravity...hard maple is
> 0.56, very close).
>
> Are you sure it's honey locust, though, and not black locust (post
> locust, yellow locust)? That's Robinia pseudoacacia, difficult to
> work, but finishes smoothly, glues well, and is hard on tool edges.
> Heartwood is a greenish-yellow to a golden brown, specific gravity is
> 0.66. Stronger and stiffer than white oak. Bends well.
>
> It is usually more readily available than honey locust in most areas,
> but may still be hard to find as lumber. Most get used for crates,
> pallets, fence posts.
>
> Charlie Self
>
> "The income tax has made liars out of more Americans than golf."
> Will Rogers
Glowing under a black light will seal the deal for my daughter... I'm sure
she will rate that very high on the teenage "kewl" scale!
"jduprie" <[email protected]> wrote in
news:Mdmjb.141726$%h1.141800@sccrnsc02:
> In my experience, its pretty "normal" Enough so that I don't really
> remember anything special about (Its beena few years since I did a
> piece in it). About all I remmeber is that honey locust glows undear a
> black light. Check it out - the grain is amazing.....
>
> --JD
I have a bit of Honey Locust lying around here. I've never made any furniture
from it, but I did use it to turn a couple of pairs of drumsticks! :-)
It's very hard, very strong, and very dense. It has a Janka-scale hardness
factor of 2350, which makes it much harder than common furniture woods such as
Red Oak (1290), Beech (1300), Hard Maple (1450), and Hickory (1820). It's WAY
harder and stronger than pine, and in my estimation it's much tougher than
Maple as well.
Others have called it an open-pored wood, but it doesn't look that way to me,
certainly not like Red Oak. It has a nice tight grain, and to me it looks
kinda like a cross between Maple and Poplar. It has nice figure too, as you
can see to a degree in charlie b's photos. I think it would look good with
almost any oil or film finish, but I don't think I'd risk trying to stain it;
certainly not with a pigment stain. A dye stain maybe, but I wouldn't stain it
at all; IMO it looks great the way it is.
Jim wrote:
> I'm making a bed for my daughter and she has chosen Honey Locust as the
> wood for the bed. Other than the small board I planed down as a test
> piece, I've never worked with this wood before.
>
> It appears to look like it will work and finish similar to red oak...Is
> that right? Is this an open pore wood? Any tips on finishing or things to
> consider when machining/building with it? Is it similar to maple or pine
> in strength?
>
> Thanks for you insights!
> Jim
--
To reply, change the chemical designation to its common name.
Steve Turner responds:
>
>I have a bit of Honey Locust lying around here. I've never made any
>furniture
>from it, but I did use it to turn a couple of pairs of drumsticks! :-)
>
>It's very hard, very strong, and very dense. It has a Janka-scale hardness
>factor of 2350, which makes it much harder than common furniture woods such
>as
>Red Oak (1290), Beech (1300), Hard Maple (1450), and Hickory (1820). It's
>WAY
>harder and stronger than pine, and in my estimation it's much tougher than
>Maple as well.
Sounds like it. Where di you find your Janka scale? Mine misses the locust.
>Others have called it an open-pored wood, but it doesn't look that way to me,
>
>certainly not like Red Oak. It has a nice tight grain, and to me it looks
>kinda like a cross between Maple and Poplar. It has nice figure too, as you
>can see to a degree in charlie b's photos.
Black (post) locust is ring porous. Honey locust is not, AFAIK.
Charlie Self
"It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know
for sure that just ain't so."
Mark Twain
Charlie Self <[email protected]> schreef >
> Black (post) locust is ring porous. Honey locust is not, AFAIK.
+ + +
Honey Locust too, just not as pronounced as Black Locust.
PvR
Lawrence A. Ramsey <[email protected]> schreef
> Farmers used them for years as termite/rot resistant fence post. As I
> recall, locust has a beautiful yellowish tinge to it.
+ + +
Yes, many durable woods are used so.
However if the diameter is sufficient these are better used for nobler
purposes!
Black locust is greenish yellow and is pretty enough, but Honey locust can
be a real beauty and quite orangish.
PvR
Farmers used them for years as termite/rot resistant fence post. As I
recall, locust has a beautiful yellowish tinge to it.
On Thu, 16 Oct 2003 18:09:44 +0200, "P van Rijckevorsel"
<[email protected]> wrote:
>Charlie Self <[email protected]> schreef >
>> Black (post) locust is ring porous. Honey locust is not, AFAIK.
>
>+ + +
>Honey Locust too, just not as pronounced as Black Locust.
>PvR
>
>