Black locust

[hardy steve]

To me this stuff is hard to tell if it's seasoned.It seems to me it looks seasoned.Bark is off and outside looks dry,but as soon as I cut it looks green as day is long.Some of this stuff has been blown over for 2 years.I know leaving trees full length take longer to dry,but how long for locust ?

 

[darkbyrd]

To me this stuff is hard to tell if it's seasoned.It seems to me it looks seasoned.Bark is off and outside looks dry,but as soon as I cut it looks green as day is long.Some of this stuff has been blown over for 2 years.I know leaving trees full length take longer to dry,but how long for locust ?

Don't know how long it takes to season. But I've burned a lot of black locust, all with the bark off. And it all burned great. Doesn't seem to check (crack) like other woods do, so it's harder to tell if it shrank after losing moisture. I have heard, though, it's good to go even if it's "green," because it is so dense and a naturally low moisture content. It usually looks green-yellow, even if it is dry as a bone. I like to hold a split to my cheek. The colder it feels, the higher the moisture content.


check out the fence post thread for more talk about BL
I don't have Osage Orange, so I have to say, black locust is the best!

 

[jcappe]

Dry time

I don't have a lot of experience with it but in the past I think it dries faster than any oak I've had put up. The last stuff I had was a living tree I worked up and split. Within 6 mo it was ready to burn. Don't know about other peoples experience, just sharing mine.

 

[banshee67]

I know leaving trees full length take longer to dry,but how long for locust ?

you cant season wood in lengths, or even rounds, it needs to be split and stacked.

 

[CTYank]

Black Locust is one of those woods where a moisture meter is really useful. I find it hard to accurately guess how dry it is without the MM. The fibers are so tight, it takes a while to dry IMNSHO.

 

[beagledog]

Locust in my opinion is just downright flammable green or otherwise. There seem to be no ill effects to your flu and no less btu output regardless of whether or not it is seasoned. If you do burn a good bit of it (either black or honey) just make sure you cut your air way back or the extreme heat from it with wide open air vents will have your woodburner glowing in no time. I've burnt green and i've burnt 50 year old fence posts and seen little difference.

 

[owbguy]

I burn it green or dead in rounds in my owb. I also burn it split in my masonry fireplace. My splits are large 28"-32" long and 5"-8" diameter. They season in 6 months. You need to watch for embers, as it will pop like fireworks and throw red hot embers across the room.

For heat, there are few woods that are better.

 

[Preston]

Pop like sweet gum?

 

[haveawoody]

2 year on the ground locust might still be 6+ months to cure.
2 year just off the ground locust a week or two after splitting.

All comes down to condition of the fallen wood and location it landed.

Locust normally 6 months of a nice windy out of the rain place is good cure time.
1 year is ideal cure.

 

[haveawoody]

banshee67,

Next time you get some wood leave a round in your split pile and cure it identical to the split stuff.
Bet you will be shocked at the minimal difference in cure of split and round or same length.

 

[BrokenToys]

I'd have to go with 6-8 months when split (or at least cracked in half)
All kidding aside i dug out some black locust from a co-worker's mulch pile back in mid-june (AND didn't rot) and it's burning in the wood stove now as i type. Left whole the stuff is hard to season unless it's a little branch. Guess that's how they last as fence posts for 20 years :msp_thumbup:

 

[Preston]

That's exactly what I was thinking. Any wood that would last in the ground as a fence post has to be a little quirky.

 

[fields_mj]

you cant season wood in lengths, or even rounds, it needs to be split and stacked.

That's wierd, we've seasoned rounds for over 30 years. It dries out a lot faster when split, and it won't season in log lenths, but when cut to rounds, it does season. If it's green, it will take 2 years. If it was standing dead, it may take as little as 6 months. We've done this with oak, hickory, walnut, cherry, ash, black locust, and about everything else we've come across. If it will fit through the 10x10 door on the wood furnace, it doesn't get split. A 24" long 8" diameter round of black locust makes a great night chunk. Throw in 2 of those, and I'm good for well over 12 hours in the dead of winter.

 

[ken45]

You need to watch for embers, as it will pop like fireworks and throw red hot embers across the room.

Black locust, or honeylocust? AFAIK, it's honeylocust that throws off the fireworks, not black locust. They are two totally different species, not even in the same family.

Ken

 

[Wood Doctor]

Locust is a Mixed Bag

Black locust, or honeylocust? AFAIK, it's honeylocust that throws off the fireworks, not black locust. They are two totally different species, not even in the same family.

Ken

There may actually be a dozen varieties of locust. Like elm, it's a rather amazing species with different properties from one variety to the next. I do know one thing--I try to avoid locust trees with thorns, and some will run all the way down the trunk and reach a length of 2-1/2". These are mean critters.

On the other hand, several other varieties of locust have no thorns at all and they make excellent firewood with amazing density that rivals oak and hickory. They also season faster and have marvelous rot resistance.

 

[darkbyrd]

There may actually be a dozen varieties of locust. Like elm, it's a rather amazing species with different properties from one variety to the next. I do know one thing--I try to avoid locust trees with thorns, and some will run all the way down the trunk and reach a length of 2-1/2". These are mean critters.

That would be honey locust, though some cultivars don't have the thorns. Black locust has thorns on the young growth, but you don't have to deal with it if you're getting it for firewood. I guess unless you're dealing with a live one, then watch the tops! I've never had a live one to cut down, they don't live very long anyway, usually.

 

[Bushmans]

Anyone have a pic of a locust either on the ground or without leaves?
I have only seen, what I called, a black locust and it had thorns like you wouldn't believe. Gret big trees reminiscent of a black walnut. I sure would like to find some. Anything to look for in a woodlot that would indicate you have locust? Mine has predominately hard maple, cherry, ash and elm. I see oak leaves on the ground but haven't found the tree yet. Small Beech and cottonwood as well. Possibly a shag bark hickory but he is only about 6 inches right now. Now that the big guys are logged off he might stand a chance.

 

[Wood Doctor]

That would be honey locust, though some cultivars don't have the thorns. Black locust has thorns on the young growth, but you don't have to deal with it if you're getting it for firewood. I guess unless you're dealing with a live one, then watch the tops! I've never had a live one to cut down, they don't live very long anyway, usually.

Hard to believe, but I could show you a Pic of a locust tree that must be 25 years old that was recently dug up for land clearing. It has a rather smooth bark and dozens of thorns all the way along the trunk and clear down to the root ball. I had never seen anything like that before.

I stayed away from that beast. I'll try to get a Pic for you.

 

[darkbyrd]

Hard to believe, but I could show you a Pic of a locust tree that must be 25 years old that was recently dug up for land clearing. It has a rather smooth bark and dozens of thorns all the way along the trunk and clear down to the root ball. I had never seen anything like that before.

I stayed away from that beast. I'll try to get a Pic for you.

I'd stay away too. But it doesn't sound like the black locust I know and love!

 

[hardy steve]

if I can figure how to load pics again.I have all kinds of black locust down and all size diameters.I sure it is,but Iwill let you seasoned vets check.