# Honey Locust



## toaddy100 (Mar 23, 2014)

In my never-ending quest to find wonderful looking lumber at affordable prices, I am wondering what sort of experience everyone has had with Honey Locust. I have good experience with maple and other fairly common species (oak, walnut, cherry, ect…), but am looking to expand my horizons a bit. Thanks much!


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## Toolz (Feb 26, 2008)

Hi Todd: Looking to see the responses you get. I have a slab of HL about 2×12x60" or thereabouts that I have been saving with thought of re-sawing into veneer. I has a wild and wicked grain pattern and would look great book matched and combined with walnut. I'm trying to decide if I want to make a bookcase or a coffee table but am also open to suggestions.
Larry


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## mojapitt (Dec 31, 2011)

The little I have had was great. It was hard and smelled sweet when cut. I would love to have more.


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## wapakfred (Jul 29, 2011)

My experience with it has been cutting a few trees down for firewood. Cutting them down s not for the faint of heart, the thorns are quite intimidating. That said, like Monte posted it is extremely hard and dense. But the few pieces I've seen made into lumber was really nice with a very pronounced grain. Take a look at this thread on another forum about using it.


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## JollyGreen67 (Nov 1, 2010)

I don't know about the flat wood LJs, but us round wood turners love honey locust. Wood is hard, even when wet/green, but turns and finishes real nice. Has all kinds of red and creamy streaks.


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## EPJartisan (Nov 4, 2009)

I am in the process of learning all about Honey Locust … BUT I am up to a new point and before i go into experimental phase.. has anyone out there in LJ-land steam bent Honey Locust?  looking for some tips as well.
Thanks.


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## JeffHeath (Dec 30, 2009)

I make handplanes out of honey locust, and I have made several pieces of furniture out of it as well. As stated, it's a hard, dense wood that finishes and works well. I find it attractive. When q-sawn, it makes a fantastic wooden plane.


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## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

Todd, It is a terrible and dangerous wood! You should immediately ship all you can find to me for proper disposal!


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## runswithscissors (Nov 8, 2012)

Have no experience with honey locust, but I know that black locust steam bends well, so maybe the H L . . .?


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## lunn (Jan 30, 2012)

I have a locust fence post in the corner of my yard, type i have no clue. Anyway, my father and i put the old used post in about 1960-61 Still looks the same as when we put it in. I'm hopeing to live long enough to see it rot away. Chances of that, no way! So if you make something with locust it's going to be around for a while.


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## JeffHeath (Dec 30, 2009)

Fence posts are typically made of Black Locust, which is a severe degree harder than Honey Locust. Black Locust also has a natural resistance to decay and rot, and will not rot when buried into the ground. Insects can't bore through it. Also, you need to put your posts in the ground upside down, as the tree grows, or else the post, even though cut, will start growing limbs again. I live out in the country, and you frequently see posts in the ground that have grown into trees again.


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## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

Jeff, I have seen hedge (Osage orange ) posts sprout and grow into big trees as well.


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## toaddy100 (Mar 23, 2014)

Thanks for the input, everyone! I will be investing in a bit as soon as my money stops going toward car repairs. Why do those magically come up whenever you have a little extra? Do they know?

No more X-Files on netflix for me!

Oh, and gfadvm, your shipment will be on its way. I wouldn't want such a terrible entity infesting my shop.

I would kind of love it if I planted a fence which turned into a tree, though.


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## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

If you ever drive Interstate 35 to Wichita, Kansas you will see miles of hedge trees that started out as fence posts.


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## Kentuk55 (Sep 21, 2010)

Hey Todd. I just seen this at a good time. We can both learn something. I actually just had to cut down a Honey Locust tree because it was gonna get into the power lines. They (the power company), dropped it for me, and I'm cleaning it up. I was thinking of trying to "lumber" some up, maybe a 3' section. Any input/s would be appreciated. Also, how bout skining a limb for a cane?? Any ez way to skin it?? Thnx again for any comments.


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## Buckethead (Apr 14, 2013)

I wanna see pictures of the fen posts growing into trees. Nature will not be overruled.


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## EPJartisan (Nov 4, 2009)

So far…..Honey Locust cuts really well… very fibrous (it smells odd… and makes me sneeze something fierce, even with a dust mask on) ... but it steams really really nicely… so far so good! I only have them to 3/8 thickness, but about 25 minutes @ 210 degrees gets the wood nice and flexible. I think my wood is a little too dry to begin with, so it has more spring back than I'd like… oh well… laminations here we come.


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## Dal300 (Aug 4, 2011)

Hey Buckethead! How about this?


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## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

Yep Dallas, I've seen hedge and locust both do this. Amazing.


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## EPJartisan (Nov 4, 2009)

@Dallas… that's bizzarre! Awesome!


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## EPJartisan (Nov 4, 2009)

I have to say that I am amazed at the flexibility of Honey Locust. I picked up a trimming about 1/8" thick and 1" wide and 3 ft long.. I was able to twist 360 degrees and it never broke.. I think this maybe the most flexible wood I have used so far… It steams bends and glues up… SO NICELY!!! ~ just sharing


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## Knothead62 (Apr 17, 2010)

I grew up on a dairy farm in central Ohio. We used locust for fence posts but don't recall any that sprouted and grew into a hedge. I do remember the thorns.


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## richardwootton (Jan 17, 2013)

EP do you have any pics of the honey locust?


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## OldWrangler (Jan 13, 2014)

In Breckenridge Park, the zoo in Austin, they have a several acre exhibit for Longhorn Cattle where they can roam loose but still fenced in. The park is full of Osage Orange (Bois D'arc) trees that were originally a fence on an old homestead in the late 1800's. These trees are over 40' tall and most still have barbed wire all tangled in the upper branches. As the fence posts grew they took the fence with them.

A neighbor dropped a Honey Locust in their yard and gave me some. It worked fine while it was still green but after it dried, it was nearly impossible to cut. It had wonderful grain, pretty color but it will eat up your tools, about like Mesquite and Bois D'Arc does.


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## EPJartisan (Nov 4, 2009)

here's a pic of the piece of wood twisted 360 degrees without any steam bending. The piece has very straight grain, but I am imagining all sorts of applications now, because it steams so well.










My Steam Box with $64 dollar steamer from Rockler.. works amazingly well, though I had to fill it more often than I would like.










My form… the bend is 1" smaller for some springback, but I knew my wood was too dry and so I expected to laminate several boards.



















A little more spring than I had expected










Laminating the boards on the same bending form gave me the perfect spring back to the exact size I needed










Now to make four more of of them.


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## Kentuk55 (Sep 21, 2010)

Ohhhhhh, I see some serious projects coming our way soon…


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