Black Locust or junk wood?

[ReggieT]

You are married to Mrs Marcus Welby? Wow. You are dating yourself. My ex was the opposite and always asked me what pills to take for this or that.

Bending over while working is really hard on the lower back. The problem with bucking is the static position and using a few muscles for the duration, whereas splitting and stacking you are always moving and in different positions, using more muscles. I rarely throw my back out using the splitting maul. But bucking too long with a saw is a problem. I also had to trade my 044 for a 441 to reduce the vibration. Tendonitis is a problem in my left arm. I also want to avoid white finger.

Yep...I don't mind...I've been blessed to trod this tera firma that long 52 yrs. What is white finger...other than the perhaps obvious...lol???

 

[ReggieT]

You are married to Mrs Marcus Welby? Wow. You are dating yourself. My ex was the opposite and always asked me what pills to take for this or that.

Bending over while working is really hard on the lower back. The problem with bucking is the static position and using a few muscles for the duration, whereas splitting and stacking you are always moving and in different positions, using more muscles. I rarely throw my back out using the splitting maul. But bucking too long with a saw is a problem. I also had to trade my 044 for a 441 to reduce the vibration. Tendonitis is a problem in my left arm. I also want to avoid white finger.

Just goggled it...I understand!

 

[windthrown]

White Finger is a medical problem of blood depletion in the fingers. It is caused by vibration, and usually by hand held power tools. The blood runs out the fingers and they turn white. Hence the name. More common in women than men. Common problem with fallers and arborists, jackhammer operators, and the like. Its also creepy as all heck. I knew a women with it once. She wore gloves a lot to hide it.

Oh, I see that you Googled it...

 

[haveawoody]

turnkey4099,

Same for me I like to have 1 sharp chain on the main saw and 4 in the truck, also one long bar a 2 long chains in the truc.
The limb saw has 1 sharp a 2 in the truck.
Stumpy the ground saw has 1 sharp and 1 in the truck.

I cut quite a bit of semi dead Rock elm so on those days I've used all 5 chains and even horsed the last one at the end of the day.
Only other thing for me that eats through chains like it are logs that have been on the ground for years and collected a echo system all onto themselves. LOL

I generally hand file my chains at home but the little 12v sharpener does a wonderful job on site when needed in about 1/4 the time.

 

[Jon E]

I love Black Locust. If I had no other firewood species available at all, I would be perfectly happy. I harvested a couple of cords of it last year that had been laying on the ground in the woods, probably windblown since I've never seen a dead BL tree. That stuff had to have been there for ten, maybe fifteen years or more and it had lost all it's bark and some of the sapwood to rot. The heartwood was just as solid as steel. I just "planted" half a dozen BL poles that had been on the ground for five years, used them for a pole shed for my firewood. Bark peeled right off and they were in perfect condition. I'd like to have a place to cut this stuff but around here, people know what it is and what it's worth for fenceposts and even lumber and won't let it go without a fight (or a lot of money changing hands).

 

[ReggieT]

White Finger is a medical problem of blood depletion in the fingers. It is caused by vibration, and usually by hand held power tools. The blood runs out the fingers and they turn white. Hence the name. More common in women than men. Common problem with fallers and arborists, jackhammer operators, and the like. Its also creepy as all heck. I knew a women with it once. She wore gloves a lot to hide it.

Oh, I see that you Googled it...

Yes, what I saw in the pics was on the creepy side! I guess if she was good looking enough the majority of suitors would overlook her "white mitts" so to speak! lol

 

[ReggieT]

turnkey4099,

Same for me I like to have 1 sharp chain on the main saw and 4 in the truck, also one long bar a 2 long chains in the truc.
The limb saw has 1 sharp a 2 in the truck.
Stumpy the ground saw has 1 sharp and 1 in the truck.

I cut quite a bit of semi dead Rock elm so on those days I've used all 5 chains and even horsed the last one at the end of the day.
Only other thing for me that eats through chains like it are logs that have been on the ground for years and collected a echo system all onto themselves. LOL

I generally hand file my chains at home but the little 12v sharpener does a wonderful job on site when needed in about 1/4 the time.

Great plan there, nothing like being prepared.

I love the part about the "Eco-System" within the logs...hahahahhahahaha
GOOD ONE!

 

[ReggieT]

I love Black Locust. If I had no other firewood species available at all, I would be perfectly happy. I harvested a couple of cords of it last year that had been laying on the ground in the woods, probably windblown since I've never seen a dead BL tree. That stuff had to have been there for ten, maybe fifteen years or more and it had lost all it's bark and some of the sapwood to rot. The heartwood was just as solid as steel. I just "planted" half a dozen BL poles that had been on the ground for five years, used them for a pole shed for my firewood. Bark peeled right off and they were in perfect condition. I'd like to have a place to cut this stuff but around here, people know what it is and what it's worth for fenceposts and even lumber and won't let it go without a fight (or a lot of money changing hands).

Impressive!

 

[ReggieT]

Guys, I've noticed some disparity between the BTU ratings of Black locust vs Honey locust...what has been your experience in which burns hotter and is better firewood?
Waging war with the more than formidable thorns of the Honey Locust, kinda knocks it down my "hot pursuit" list...

 

[haveawoody]

Reg,
Well for me honey locust is a better burning wood, something that gets burning without to much trouble but not quite with the heat output of BL.
BL is a difficult wood to get burning on anything less than a pretty hot fire already so someone that has all BL isn't going to have fun starting fires.
So drumroll... honey locust is a better general firewood.
Not to much better than BL on real cold night though, only 2 trees osage orange, rock elm and 1 shrub/tree buckthorn growing in NA are a step up again in btu from BL.

Buckthorn, mahogany and coal all have a btu of 35, osage and Rock elm are 32.

If you think honey locust thorns are bad wait until you find a bunch of shrub/tree buckthorn, got to be the nastiest thorn beast on the planet and small returns per tree/shrub make for less than fun getting it until your burning it and the stove is red LOL

 

[angelo c]

We call the Osage Orange a Monkey Ball tree in these parts !!!! But I have no idea how that got started !

Same here. Monkey balls or monkey oranges. I never knew they were called osage until i joined AS.

 

[ReggieT]

Reg,
Well for me honey locust is a better burning wood, something that gets burning without to much trouble but not quite with the heat output of BL.
BL is a difficult wood to get burning on anything less than a pretty hot fire already so someone that has all BL isn't going to have fun starting fires.
So drumroll... honey locust is a better general firewood.
Not to much better than BL on real cold night though, only 2 trees osage orange, rock elm and 1 shrub/tree buckthorn growing in NA are a step up again in btu from BL.

Buckthorn, mahogany and coal all have a btu of 35, osage and Rock elm are 32.

If you think honey locust thorns are bad wait until you find a bunch of shrub/tree buckthorn, got to be the nastiest thorn beast on the planet and small returns per tree/shrub make for less than fun getting it until your burning it and the stove is red LOL

GOOD INFO!

 

[ReggieT]

Reg,
This little tool makes very quick work of sharpening chains.
Works on 12v so usable pretty much anywhere and is easy on chains similar to hand sharpening is.
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_21794_21794

Thanks. Hmm...just now looked that tool up...pretty handy looking. Have you heard any reviews or know anything about The Oregon Power Sharp tool?