Craigslist Locust

[coog]

Saw an ad for 11 free Black Locust trees on the local Craigs (Wichita,KS) The guy said that they were dying, so his father wanted them removed.He said they were out in a field and I could drive right to them.He said he would handle the brush.Needless to say, I burned rubber getting there.There was a guy there already, with his 1/2 ton, sportside almost full...6 or 7 pieces any way.He thought he would be a gentleman and cut the stump at ground level and, well, he discovered the shortcomings of a chainsaw as a digging tool.Told the owner that he couldn't understand what was wrong with his saw, but he would be back...in a week or two! The trees have been dead for years; I have not seen a species other than Red Elm that dries but doesn't rot on the stem, but this stuff is all burnable and hard right now.I dropped and bucked the remaining ten using only my 026, since my 046 is in the shop with an air leak I couldn't find.It did fine, but I did need to touch it up every tank.I brought home one trailer full and probably have 8-10 more to come...maybe 4 cords total.My best Labor Day ever.

 

[Circle B MN]

 

[coog]

I just moved down here two years ago from the Stillwater,MN area.This will be the first Kansas winter burning wood, so it's hard to know how much I'll need.I Mn,I always figured if I had 10 real dry cords and 5 kinda dry cords I'd be fine.I can't see needing near that much here, but the earlier posting about Oklahoma in the 20's and 30's has me wondering.

 

[KsWoodsMan]

Last winter we got by with just under 3 1/2 cords. 1200 Sq ft, October to April with no babies or women in the house using an indoor wood stove. Fireplace Owners trippled that, Fireplace inserts were better but still seen em going through the wood.

Coog : I knew I should have went after some of that Locust. Great score for you. I wont be short on wood so don't let that bother you. But locust beats Mullberry like a Straight Flush beats a Full House.

This winter I am fuguring on having 4 1/2 cords for just us and I hope not to go past that. Ours is in already and curent wood is all sold out. Planning on some being dry by Mid December. Makes Christmas a little more bearable to go all out for the kids while they still have a few more years at home.

Last winter I seen -14* F for a few nights and 0 to -10* wasn't uncommon here during the worst of it. You probably won't see near the snow you are used to. Calm, still evenings like those are when I really like to be out at the wood pile whacking away at frozen wood.

Watch out for some of the people that forgot how to drive on slick stuff. AFTER the first snow/ice storm of the season they start to remember. I guess it takes a 2 hour delay in the ditch to remind them why not to pass the snowplows.

 

[iCreek]

coog - good find this weekend. Do the Black Locust have the thorns? You have to be careful around those things, they will cause your saw to kick back at ya if your not careful. I don't know my locust species well enough to know how many there are, but around here those little suckers are a nuisance, but I hear good burning. We have a few scattered around the place, most farmers just hate them like Thistle.

Doing some research on Locust, looks like it burns nice and Hot....

Credit for the above table to this OSU document "Heating the Home with Wood"
http://pods.dasnr.okstate.edu/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-2503/F-9441web.pdf

 

[husky455rancher]

nice score man, make sure you dont leave it there too long or other people will snap it up on you.

 

[coog]

Made friends with the owner, so I think the wood is safe until I stop by tomorrow.The thorns were gone on all but the biggest and greenest;managed to get at least one buried in my palm.
KSWoodman, I know what you mean about the snow.I had my Arctic Cat with plow during the snow just before Christmas last year.People were just standing at their doors, like they had never seen anything like it before.I must have plowed 60 driveways, all free of charge.No one could believe it It was great.

 

[fastmopar1k]

Hey Coog

I currently live in stillwater. Maybe we know one another. Did you go to school here?

 

[Wood Doctor]

iCreek asked, "Do the Black Locust have the thorns?"
-------------
Yes, the honey locust does not. However, there are several varieties of locust that do not have thorns. I must admit there are few who really know that locust wood is so dense. For a fast growing tree, it simply amazes me. The heartwood is significantly denser than the sapwood.

 

[SWI Don]

Honeylocust very definitely have thorns - tons of very long sharp ones. The last two winters I have cut some that had been girdled. They were mature trees growing in a bottom land timber. They did not have so many thorns but the smaller ones trying to take over dad's pasture most definitely have thorns - usually about as many as can be fit on the trunk.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gleditsia_triacanthos

Now black locust can be found in a thorn-less version. Maybe not so much in the wild but it is available from nurseries that way.

Don

Ed - you may have misspoken looking at your post.

 

[coog]

Fastmopar, more likely I know your folks; Class of '79

 

[turnkey4099]

Honeylocust very definitely have thorns - tons of very long sharp ones.

<snip>

Don

Ed - you may have misspoken looking at your post.

Most assuredly they have thorns. Long, wicked ones. They were even used as nails back when or so I have heard.

Harry K

 

[Wet1]

Congrats on the nice score coog!

 

[Wood Doctor]

Most assuredly they have thorns. Long, wicked ones. They were even used as nails back when or so I have heard.

Harry K

Well, Harry, you learn something every day. I was always told by nursery people that the black locust has the thorns and the honey locust does not. So there must be varieties of both. I have a thornless honey locust growing in my front yard that's approaching 24" across at the trunk. It produces no thorns and scarcely any banana-shaped pods.

If there is now a thornless variety of black locust, then that's even more interesting. I wonder if all the thornless varieties do not produce the banana-shaped pods?

Regardless, I have made some interesting mallet heads with tough, dense locust in addition to warming my house with it. Here's my favorite:

Note that it has a walnut handle:

 

[coog]

Order in the court! Very nice job on the mallet.I'll try to save a piece for that.
I've planted several Sunburst Honey Locusts in the past.Fast growing, no thorns and no seed pods.They get quite large.

 

[SWI Don]

It must just be the wild ones out in the pastures and woods that have them in spades. My brother had a black locust in his front yard that I got in on trimming a couple of times and it did not have thorns to speak of.

Those are sure nice mallets / gavels. Cool!

Don

 

[Wood Doctor]

It must just be the wild ones out in the pastures and woods that have them in spades. My brother had a black locust in his front yard that I got in on trimming a couple of times and it did not have thorns to speak of.

Those are sure nice mallets / gavels. Cool!

Don

You might also like a carver's mallet. Take a look at this one:

Note that the head is locust but the handle is made out of mulberry, just for a little contrast.

It was a real challenge to join the two with a 7/8" dia. wedged tenon.

 

[sawinredneck]

Nice find coog! Nothing wrong with Locust.
If you have an airtight look for some fence row clearing and get some Hedge (Osage Orange) for some real heat! Unless you live inside Wichita, they banned the burning and sales of it due to fires caused by lack of knowledge.
Head out East an hour and you will get into some of the nicest Oak around. Ussually not very big, but nice and straight with a beautiful smell. I like to smoke with it.
Walnut can be found locally, just not lots of it. Mostly Silver Maple, it's so-so to burn.
Just a few pointers about wood local to you.
I think we are due for a nasty winter, and as cool as this summer has been, I am lear about what it's going to be like! It may snow a foot on Halloween! We did get one inch of ice that day a several years ago.

 

[coog]

Thanks.The locust is mostly split and ready for stacking.I bought a place south of Sedan when we came down here.Big trees.I've got two types of Hickory,Post Oak,Blackjack,White,Red and Bur Oak, Walnut, Sycamore,Birch,Hackberry and, of course,Red Cedar.I am set for future wood, but the dry Locust was great to find close to home.The problem with our place in Sedan is that the forest is so healthy it's hard to find a dead snag for use this year.The woods in Mn are so full of dead Red Oak (wilt) that most of it rots, and there is next to no regeneration because of the Buckthorn infestation and the high deer population.I find myself scanning the roadside looking for dead trees, kinda like a Turkey Vulture!
Oh, I do live inside Wichita; they want my Hedge they better come wearing Kevlar!

 

[turnkey4099]

Well, Harry, you learn something every day. I was always told by nursery people that the black locust has the thorns and the honey locust does not. So there must be varieties of both. I have a thornless honey locust growing in my front yard that's approaching 24" across at the trunk. It produces no thorns and scarcely any banana-shaped pods.

If there is now a thornless variety of black locust, then that's even more interesting. I wonder if all the thornless varieties do not produce the banana-shaped pods?

Regardless, I have made some interesting mallet heads with tough, dense locust in addition to warming my house with it. Here's my favorite:

Note that it has a walnut handle:

Well shucky darn. Now I have to make a trip out to my pasture to check my honey locust whether it does or doesn't have thorns. I planted a row of what the catalog said was black locust but turned out to be honey locust. Can't say as I have noticed thorned or not but I do have at least one of them putting out the big bean pods.

Harry K