# Extra large honey locust



## greg4269ub (Sep 1, 2009)

I was able to snag these honey locust logs a few days ago. I got 3 pieces a large double crotch (48"x32"x24") a single crotch (11'x48"x34") and a straight section (9'x39"x34") the crotch started at 14' but my skid loader couldn't lift it so it got trimmed. The crotch sections will likely get slabbed out for table tops I was wondering if it was worth while to quarter saw the straight section? These are the first honey locust I have milled since owning my mill. Is there anything to look for when sawing this species? 

Btw the stump was rotten so we couldn't get an exact age on the tree. The tree guys estimated its age 125-150 as you can see in the pix the bark is much different looking than a smaller locust. I never would have guessed the species without seeing the upper branches with less mature bark. They had the canopy removed when I first saw it. It was an impressive tree to say the least. The double crotch in the pix was 30-40' off the ground an supported branches that spanned 8 or 10 parking stalls.

Sent from my DROID X2 using Woodworking Talk

Check out my website treecyclehardwoods.com for your next lumber purchase.


----------



## djg (Dec 24, 2009)

Nice logs. I didn't know they got that big. I don't know what QS would look like either, but I do like the grain in flat sawn lumber. I had a few pieces, but they got buggy in the sapwood, so I had to pitch them. Hope to see them opened up.


----------



## greg4269ub (Sep 1, 2009)

I will post some pix as they are opened. They are to big for my band mill so ima have to bolt the 50" bar on the chain saw and break them down first. It should be fun.

Sent from my DROID X2 using Woodworking Talk

Check out my website treecyclehardwoods.com for your next lumber purchase.


----------



## bentwood (Jan 26, 2012)

That's quite a find. It will be interesting to see what it looks like sawn. I don't see any stickers. Were there thorns on the upper limbs? Every honey locust I've seen had so many thorns on the trunk a cat couldn't climb on it.


----------



## HomeBody (Nov 24, 2010)

bentwood said:


> Every honey locust I've seen had so many thorns on the trunk a cat couldn't climb on it.


+1^ Gary


----------



## greg4269ub (Sep 1, 2009)

Black locust is loaded with thorns. Generally 2-4" in length. I have never seen a honey locust with them there are some small branches that were removed fr the trunk.

Sent from my DROID X2 using Woodworking Talk

Check out my website treecyclehardwoods.com for your next lumber purchase.


----------



## del schisler (Nov 5, 2009)

greg4269ub said:


> Black locust is loaded with thorns. Generally 2-4" in length. I have never seen a honey locust with them there are some small branches that were removed fr the trunk.
> 
> Sent from my DROID X2 using Woodworking Talk
> 
> Check out my website treecyclehardwoods.com for your next lumber purchase.


Their is a thronless honey locust also. Here is the bark of that one


----------



## del schisler (Nov 5, 2009)

greg4269ub said:


> I was able to snag these honey locust logs a few days ago. I got 3 pieces a large double crotch (48"x32"x24") a single crotch (11'x48"x34") and a straight section (9'x39"x34") the crotch started at 14' but my skid loader couldn't lift it so it got trimmed. The crotch sections will likely get slabbed out for table tops I was wondering if it was worth while to quarter saw the straight section? These are the first honey locust I have milled since owning my mill. Is there anything to look for when sawing this species?
> 
> Btw the stump was rotten so we couldn't get an exact age on the tree. The tree guys estimated its age 125-150 as you can see in the pix the bark is much different looking than a smaller locust. I never would have guessed the species without seeing the upper branches with less mature bark. They had the canopy removed when I first saw it. It was an impressive tree to say the least. The double crotch in the pix was 30-40' off the ground an supported branches that spanned 8 or 10 parking stalls.
> 
> ...


it look's like maple to me but i could be wrong. here is a honey locust picture of the bark . I guess all trees don't always grow up to look alike ? nice wood


----------



## greg4269ub (Sep 1, 2009)

The upper branches looked more like your samples Del. The shape of the upper portion of the tree was a classic honey locust shape without the canopy. No thorns on this one. I have a 5" dia small one in my yard with no thorns. I am in WI what part of the country are you guys located that you see honey locust with thorns? I travel all over the SE part of the state here and can't recall ever seeing a HL with them.

Sent from my DROID X2 using Woodworking Talk

Check out my website treecyclehardwoods.com for your next lumber purchase.


----------



## del schisler (Nov 5, 2009)

greg4269ub said:


> The upper branches looked more like your samples Del. The shape of the upper portion of the tree was a classic honey locust shape without the canopy. No thorns on this one. I have a 5" dia small one in my yard with no thorns. I am in WI what part of the country are you guys located that you see honey locust with thorns? I travel all over the SE part of the state here and can't recall ever seeing a HL with them.
> 
> Sent from my DROID X2 using Woodworking Talk
> 
> Check out my website treecyclehardwoods.com for your next lumber purchase.


I used to live in illinois yrs ago and would see them in the timber with thorns. Than i have cut lot's of them with out thorns for fire wood. It will burn green and no sap run and it will burn up to a fine ash. Good heat also.


----------



## bentwood (Jan 26, 2012)

I suppuse it would be expected to have thorns in Texas where most everything will either bite,sting,stick,poison,scratch or chase and trample you. Females have been known to do all if you make them mad.:laughing:
Black Locust is localy harvested for ground contact lumber and posts but Honey is usualy passed over because it isn't as rot resistint.


----------



## TexasTimbers (Oct 17, 2006)

greg4269ub said:


> Black locust is loaded with thorns. Generally 2-4" in length. I have never seen a honey locust with them there are some small branches that were removed fr the trunk.


Greg, Honeylocust can be every bit as thorny as black. Don't believe any book, forum member, or myth that tells you otherwise. I guess you'll want me to take pictures on my next outing to prove it. I guess I'll have to because this myth seems to be well-entrenched. . . . 



.


----------



## djg (Dec 24, 2009)

Just curious because I'm getting confused, easy to do - I known, can black locus be completely thornless? The dozen or so trees I cut up for firewood and lumber didn't have a single thorn. I don't even remember any being in the canopy, because I stacked all the brush on a burn pile. I think I would have remembered getting stuck.


----------



## greg4269ub (Sep 1, 2009)

I believe you I have just never seen one with em  I haven't cut this one up yet hope to get at it this weekend with some pics of course. 

Sent from my DROID X2 using Woodworking Talk

Check out my website treecyclehardwoods.com for your next lumber purchase.


----------



## woodtick greg (Sep 12, 2011)

greg4269ub said:


> I believe you I have just never seen one with em  I haven't cut this one up yet hope to get at it this weekend with some pics of course.
> 
> Sent from my DROID X2 using Woodworking Talk
> 
> Check out my website treecyclehardwoods.com for your next lumber purchase.


Looking forward to seeing whats inside !


----------



## jim douglas (Feb 8, 2010)

I just pulled some quarter sawn black locust out of the kiln & planed it because I was curious. Beautiful wood it's worth quartersawing.
jim


----------



## greg4269ub (Sep 1, 2009)

I was able to find someone to buy these from me already. He wants them slabbed at 10/4 only a couple of pieces will end up quarter sawn.

Sent from my DROID X2 using Woodworking Talk

Check out my website treecyclehardwoods.com for your next lumber purchase.


----------



## greg4269ub (Sep 1, 2009)

I will be milling these logs tomorrow. I was wondering how much hl will move during drying. My customer needs the slabs to finish down to 2 1/2" the plan is to mill at 3 1/4 to allow for movement is this to much to little or just right?


----------



## ETWW (Mar 27, 2011)

I've never worked with Honeylocust but according to the Wood Movement Calculator, it is pretty stable stuff. The radial shrinkage from FSP to oven dry is almost nil. If it doesn't shrink much, it won't warp much either.

I believe you could mill the slabs 2.75" thick and easily get a finished 2.50" thickness from them. At the most, I would only go to 3" or you waste a lot of wood.


----------



## greg4269ub (Sep 1, 2009)

Awesome thanks for the info. Do you happen to have a link to that site?


----------



## ETWW (Mar 27, 2011)

greg4269ub said:


> Awesome thanks for the info. Do you happen to have a link to that site?


Here you go... http://www.woodworkerssource.com/movement.php

There are always some variables associated with wood movement but the calculator will at least give you an estimate. I wouldn't design furniture using those numbers as absolute, though.


----------



## greg4269ub (Sep 1, 2009)

I didnt get much done on the hl this weekend. Caught some dirt in a rotten spot cutting the first slab. After putting on a freshly sharpened chain the chain tensioner bolt broke. Dang murphy and his law!!


----------



## greg4269ub (Sep 1, 2009)

Btw thanks for the link etww that is a cool site


----------



## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

Nice Slab Greg. Do you do your milling with a chain saw? If so what kind of CSM?


----------



## greg4269ub (Sep 1, 2009)

Yes this one as well as those fbe were milled with my husky 395xp it has a 50" bar on it.


----------



## aardvark (Sep 29, 2011)

Coulda used that when I cut that 5ft oak hollow slab. 
I did it with a 14" ... HA!.


----------



## ETWW (Mar 27, 2011)

greg4269ub said:


> Btw thanks for the link etww that is a cool site


You are welcome and thanks for sharing the milling pics. That's some pretty lumber.


----------



## greg4269ub (Sep 1, 2009)

Dom i think i miss answered your question before. I have the csm as well as a band mill. I use the chainsaw on big logs and the band mill for logs 28" and smaller. The csm is new to me so i have been posting more pix lately from what i used it on.


----------



## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

greg4269ub said:


> Dom i think i miss answered your question before. I have the csm as well as a band mill. I use the chainsaw on big logs and the band mill for logs 28" and smaller. The csm is new to me so i have been posting more pix lately from what i used it on.


Oh that's cool. I would think it would be the other way around. How large can you cut on the band mill?


----------



## greg4269ub (Sep 1, 2009)

I can cut 24" slabs on the bandmill. I have had logs as large as 30" on there but that is to big. If they are any bigger than 26-28" i cut off one side with the chainsaw then start breaking it down with the mill.


----------



## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

Cool. Sounds like you've got a pretty good system going on there.


----------



## greg4269ub (Sep 1, 2009)

Got one of these logs done yesterday. The crotch was less than i had hoped for. There was an ant colony living in there as well. It must have been a long time in the making cause there was dirt 3 slabs deep and the ant damage was present until the last slab. I got seven 3.25" thick slabs from this one. Up next is the butt log that one will be part slabs and part boards.


----------



## greg4269ub (Sep 1, 2009)

Here are a couple more pix


----------



## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

Nice stack. We're the ants still active or no?


----------



## greg4269ub (Sep 1, 2009)

It was in the low 40's when we were sawin movin kinda slow but very much alive.


----------



## MidGAOutdoor (Apr 7, 2011)

nice wood


----------



## hobbyer (Jul 2, 2013)

in the western washington region there is a wood carver that uses honey locust to make fairly large pieces that are very intricate and beautiful. I'd bet he would want some of your figured wood.
lathe turnings have great color if they are spalted at all. i will check your webpage.


----------



## greg4269ub (Sep 1, 2009)

These pieces went to western washington not sure what they were made into. My website is devoid of products at the moment. I took everything down. A few weeks back and haven't gotten anything back up yet.


----------



## Tennessee Tim (Dec 15, 2010)

I was wondering about your site this evening when I was there....can't wait to see those updated pics. Keep up the good work.


----------



## WillemJM (Aug 18, 2011)

Great for turning wet, very flexible and does not tend to crack.


----------



## greg4269ub (Sep 1, 2009)

I have only turned stoppers from HL. I like how it turns i should get around to a bowl some day here...


----------



## hobbyer (Jul 2, 2013)

*turning and carving HL*

my next door neighbors HL tree had been dead for decades, but standing. It wasn't very big around - maybe 6 - 8". there was a lot of rot and spalting in it. they cut it down and i asked for the wood, but didn't receive it for about 3 months. meanwhile it laid on the ground.

I turned several pieces on the lathe with good results. One piece i turned to a shape resembling a chess pawn about 6" high and then carved it into a hollow spiral pattern. it is really beautiful wood with the black spalting and golden colors.

I wish there was a source here locally.


----------



## greg4269ub (Sep 1, 2009)

Where is local for you? I am in Wi the trees are pretty common in these parts. I have a fair amount of HL in my inventory currently


----------

