# Osage Orange/Hedge Apple



## Gerald (Aug 21, 2008)

My son showed up last night with a couple of 18" and 15" x 8 ft osage orange logs. Good score for us because usually its hard to find a straight one around here.
These logs came from a cemetery. Ice storm and high winds couple of weeks back up rooted the tree.

Thanks,
Gerald


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## phinds (Mar 25, 2009)

Very nice, you luck guy !


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## Fil-Dill (Aug 2, 2009)

My farm has plenty of that, but your right. Not much of it is straight. How are you liking your mill, so far.


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## Gerald (Aug 21, 2008)

Fil-Dill said:


> My farm has plenty of that, but your right. Not much of it is straight. How are you liking your mill, so far.


I really like my mill. But take that with a grain of salt because I never owned a mill before this one. So nothing to compare to. But it works great and simple design. Should be easy to maintain. Working on a shed design for it now. Hope to build this summer.

I haven't milled any since winter set in. Snow finally melted. I am getting ichy to fire it up though. Maybe this weekend.

How about you, millin any?


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## Fil-Dill (Aug 2, 2009)

Same for me. Love the mill, but never owned one. I have some poles ready for a saw shed and am just starting a solar kiln. The mill has a cant on it and has went thru at least 20" of snow. That was longest than I have seen a snow stay around in MO since I was a kid. Suppose to rain over the weekend, but I hope to finish that cant up and get it stripped. Good luck with your shed.


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## Ibangwood (Feb 25, 2010)

Woo weeee luckky some very hard wood there.


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## TexasTimbers (Oct 17, 2006)

Gerald, those are nice saw logs for Osage. You say those came from a cemetery so I presume one that wasn't totally grown over. Those trees grew out in the open yes? Reason I ask is because there was a thread recently where we discussing whether or not Osage grew straighter when competing for light and I said my experience was that it didn't matter with Osage. Those logs seem to verify that at least in this instance. 

Those pith cracks are common with Osage as I'm sure you know, and those aren't bad actually. If you're lucky they'll run fairly straight to the top or even peter out before they get there. If there were any dead branch voids or half-crotches not visible in the pictures they often make their way to marry with the pith cracks and they just wreak havoc on your milling strategy in those areas. I know how I'd mill them based on that view. How are you going to mill them? 







.


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## Gerald (Aug 21, 2008)

TexasTimbers said:


> Gerald, I know how I'd mill them based on that view. How are you going to mill them?
> 
> .


 
Talk to me TT....

Also this tree was all by itself in the open.


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## Daren (Oct 14, 2006)

Not TT, but...That pith crack wants to be parallel with the deck/blade. Meaning if the logs have taper (and they look like they do) you want to prop the little end up. And roll the log so the crack is also level with the band as it lays. Hopefully you can contain that all too common defect in osage to a few boards by cutting that way. The rest depends on what you need the wood for/what it really looks like once you open it. I mill my osage mostly 4/4, a little 6/4 and a smaller amount of 8/4, just because that suits my needs. (that cut list may not be at all what you need, just throwing it out there)

If this is stuff you already knew I'm not trying to do anything other than help someone else who may read this in the future. For me osage is one of the toughest logs to mill because of that heart/pith check, a nice juicy log (from the outside) can be a little disappointing once opened. Not that a guy can't get plenty of good wood, I am just more of a "wide clear board guy" and that's often hard with osage.


.


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## Gerald (Aug 21, 2008)

Thanks Daren,
Your explanation makes sense. I am happy to get the Osage logs. 
I have a few outdoor items that I would like to build. 

You mention you like wide boards. 
I have read many of your posts and if I remember correctly you like crotches. 
I guess it is safe to say you like wide crotches also. :laughing:


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## Daren (Oct 14, 2006)

:yes:



.


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## TexasTimbers (Oct 17, 2006)

Gerald said:


> Talk to me TT....


See post #9. 

Also, if you want to maximize the figure of any limb grain within the log ( I like to with larger branches where feasible) then clamp the log so that any branches are at 90º or 270º or as close as possible to maximize figure. If you have a bevy of branches put the largest one/s in those two coordinates. If you have an actual Y shaped crotch buck it a foot or so short of the beginning of the Y. Shim all 3 piths on the same plane and saw so that you end up milling Y-shaped flitches. You may have to cross cut the limbs of the Y to get the power head past it. 















.


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## Gerald (Aug 21, 2008)

TexasTimbers said:


> See post #9.
> 
> then clamp the log so that any branches are at 90º or 270º or as close as possible to maximize figure.
> View attachment 21161
> ...


TT-- I am assuming when you say clamp at 90 or 270. This is in reference to the saw blade?


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## TexasTimbers (Oct 17, 2006)

Gerald said:


> TT-- I am assuming when you say clamp at 90 or 270. This is in reference to the saw blade?


I should have been more specific. 90 & 270 if your balde is horizontal (and zero being at the top), which I assumed it is but I shouldn't assume I know. IOW you want the blade to travel down the log so that it dissects the branch knob/s in half. 







.


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## Gerald (Aug 21, 2008)

Yep- Horizontal blade. Got it--Thanks for the info.

Gerald


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## garryswf (Aug 17, 2009)

*Times is a wasten*

Gerald,
What experiance i have had with osage orange is, quit talkin and get to sawin before they dry out to much .


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## PSDkevin (Dec 18, 2010)

Fil...where in MO are you? Im in the Ft Leonard Wood area?


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## Fil-Dill (Aug 2, 2009)

I am between Pilot Grove,MO and I-70. It is about 30 miles west of Columbia.


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## PSDkevin (Dec 18, 2010)

Fil. Tried to PM you so I am not hyjacking this post. Here's the deal. I am in the Ft Wood area. I retired from the Army but stayed on here as a civilian instructor. So with the full time job I don't have tons of time to mill but im thinking about getting one or a CSM. I have access to tons of downed trees and I am a rabid woodworker/amateur guitar maker. Perfect marriage of hobbies. Bottom line id love to see one of these things run in person. Would you be open to allowing me to come up there and watch your mill run. No specific timeframe. Just sometime (when its warmer lol)


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## Fil-Dill (Aug 2, 2009)

You run it and I will stack. The only thing I like better than milling is talking while I do it.:laughing: You let me know when and I will see to it, there are some logs to play around with. I am trying to figure how to send you a PM with an e-mail address and phone number.


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## PSDkevin (Dec 18, 2010)

My email is same username @gmail.com


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## TexasTimbers (Oct 17, 2006)

Kevin, after you get 50 posts you'll be able to send and receive PMs to others who have 50 or more posts. We had to do that after we were getting hammered by spammers that were sending PM's to members in mass and giving away free viruses. 

You're almost there. Fil you got some typing to do yet but it won't take long. 









.


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## PSDkevin (Dec 18, 2010)

Thanks TT. Okay to share my email on here?


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## TexasTimbers (Oct 17, 2006)

Sure. The way you did it is the best. 







.


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## Fil-Dill (Aug 2, 2009)

PSDkevin, I sent you a test e-mail yesterday. Your filter may have scrapped it, if you didn't get it. My e-mail is [email protected]. Gerald, sorry for all the hijacking.


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## Gerald (Aug 21, 2008)

No problems.....


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