# Osage Orange



## justinwdemoss (Jun 22, 2010)

Anyone know much about working Osage Orange? A buddy of mine that works as an urban forester in Cincinnati brought me a bunch of shorts for small projects. (They harvest it and bring in a portable sawmill from time to time and cut board feet.) I know the stuff is rock hard, but does anyone have experience with it? The shorts are bright yellow. I mean like a canary mated with a yellow highlighter. Will this color stay? What type of finish can be applied that will help keep the color?


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## Kentuk55 (Sep 21, 2010)

It is a very hard wood. You'll be making plenty of trips to the grinder if you turn it. Not sure about cutting on a tablesaw. I've done a mallet and a morter n pestal. I was just messin around. you can see a pic of the outcome on my projects. I just used some clear wipe on poly as a finish. It is definately yellow in color. That's my 2-cents. Enjoy it


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## araldite (Jan 29, 2009)

I have limited experience with it. As you say, it's very hard. It's also stable and good for making jigs and things for repeated use, cutting boards for example. It also holds up outdoors and won't rot. It will darken however. Over time it will change into a brown orange type color, I guess depending on how much direct sunlight it gets.


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## SouthpawCA (Jul 19, 2009)

I've made a few bowls from Osage Orange. It is VERY hard and the color does change. Initially it starts out with that very bright yellow/orange color, but it turns to a very nice dark brown - I would say a mahogany brown . The grain will continue to show throughout the color change. The orange color will remain where the sun hasn't hit it, but not nearly as intense as when originally cut. I do not use any stain or other color enhancements because I like the final (it's been 2 years now) color or the wood.


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## richgreer (Dec 25, 2009)

It is a very common tree here in Iowa. Farmers used to used to make fence posts out of it that lasted (almost) forever. It is commonly referred to here as "hedge wood". Some say it is the only exotic wood that is native to North America.

I've worked with it quite a bit and I really like it. Yes, it is very hard. I've never personally witnessed it going very dark, but it does darken some with age. I've never turned it but I think I would like to.


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## cabmaker (Sep 16, 2010)

It was one of the woods of choice used by native americans for bowmaking.


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## hObOmOnk (Feb 6, 2007)

I gather lot's of osage orange in Northern Kentucky for my rustic wood-crafting business. Sometimes I trade it to other artisans. I favor oil-based finishes for osage - the color will change with exposure to light.


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## Uncle_Salty (Dec 26, 2009)

Yep: "Osage Orange." "Hedgewood."

Widespread planting by the CCC in the aftermath of the dustbowl in the form of tree rows in an east-west line on section lines throughout the midwest for erosion control caused by wind. Average life of the Osasge Orange tree: 50-70 years.

Very hard, with a yellow green tint. Very rot and insect resistant. It's "fruit," the "Osage Orange," is toxic, and these "hedgeballs" are commonly used in my part of the country to keep crickets from entering/staying in a home. You simply place these balls around your foundation, and it keeps the crickets at bay.

Not sure I would introduce this wood to my kitchen in the form of a cutting board, but sealed bowls would probably be okay.

Due to its hardness and density, Hedge is a SUPERIOR rot resistant hardwood, and is commonly used throughout the midwest for fencepost material. It also is one of the very best, if not, the best woods for wood heating. However, it is not recommended for use with fireplaces without a screen. Pockets inside the wood "pop," sending sparks and embers flying on regular basis. It does burn very hot, and is an excellent choice for woodstoves. One must be very careful, so pay heed: It is strongly advised to mix this wood with other hardwoods when banking a stove. There are more than a few woodstoves that have been cracked open by the intense heat potential of hedge.

It is very hard on all cutting tools and bits, and chainsaw chains are not exception. It being a long grained wood, it does split very well!


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## sbk (Sep 2, 2009)

In parts of the south, we refer to Osage Orange as Bois D'Arc (pronounced as Boat Arc), and the Horse Apple tree. My dad likes to say that this stuff is so rot resistant that you could wear out two post holes with one Bois D'Arc fence post.

I've worked with Bois D'Arc several times, and really like the way it looks and finishes. You might expect tear-out when you plane it if your tools aren't sharp, but that's true for most any wood. I haven't turned any bowls, but I did turn several spindles for a doll bed. The wood worked well…just keep your tools sharp.


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## richgreer (Dec 25, 2009)

Osage Orange Gloat - - I have cross section of an Osage Orange truck that is about 18 inches in diameter and about 4.5 inches thick. Someday I will figure out the "just right" use for this piece. IT IS HEAVY.


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## hObOmOnk (Feb 6, 2007)

even our (USA) national anthem pays respect to this hard wood:

"Osage can you see by the dawns early light…"


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## Dez (Mar 28, 2007)

Is there anyplace that it can be ordered?


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## crank49 (Apr 7, 2010)

Dez: Woodcrafter sells Osage Orange in their local store, and I supposed they ship it. I don't really know about the shipping as I drive right by the store on the way to work.
Around my part of Tennessee, south central, this tree is called Bo Doc; obviously a red neck pronunciation of Bois D'Arc or horse apple or hedge apple tree. I have several on my farm. Kids sometimes call the big yellow fruits from this tree "milk balls". Pick one up and break it open and you see why. A sticky white sap will ooze out.
I never knew there was a wood working use for this tree untill recently. The wood is very slick when sanded. The limbs and twigs are fantastic fire starters because the wood is full of oil and resin. My dad used it to make drawer runners for repair of antique furniture. Works like UHMWPE in that application. The only way I was ever able to cut it with a chainsaw was to mix kerosene in the chain oiler. That would cut the resin and allow the chain to cut through the wood with out gumming up.


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## Dez (Mar 28, 2007)

crank49, Thanks for the answer and info! I would be using it for small stuff for those very reasons.


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## JarednCols (Dec 23, 2015)

justin, did you ever make anything with the osage orange wood?


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## Finn (May 26, 2010)

I have used 3/8" Bois d' arc As an inlay because of it's great color.


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## RogerM (Oct 31, 2011)

I have made stools, candlesticks, bowls, grill cleaners and cutting boards with it. It is used in the midwest for fenceposts as it is extremely durable against the elements. for finishing, I have had a lot of success using aniline dyes on it. Also, it is highly prized by custom bow (as in bow and arrows) makers.


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## david82282 (Dec 18, 2015)

If the pieces are big enough, it's an ideal wood for guitar back and sides, tonally similar to Brazilian Rosewood.


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## JJDiesel (Apr 11, 2014)

Does it have a tendency to warp or twist?


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## hhhopks (Nov 22, 2011)

Hedge is dirt cheap as firewood. Osage Orange is sold as exotic lumber!

I have used it for turnings. I know the lumber is also one of the favorite material used for traditional bow (archery) construction and the blanks command a premium price.


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## muddywaters (Dec 30, 2015)

I work with it all the time, but where I am we call it hedge and it is generally just used for fence posts. It is used for fence posts because it is hard as a rock and resists rotting in the elements for decades. In fact it is so hard, once dried, it is prefered working it green because once dried it will not willingly accept a nail. It will burn up bandsaw, table saw, and miter saw blades alike if pushed to fast and dulls a lathe chisel to. When turning it I exclusively use my carbide tipped chisels. It will just roll the edge on my HSS ones. I use it for tool handles mostly. Files, chisels, and knives all love a good hedge handle. I know from experience it turns down to a dandy carvers mallet. It's orange color and redish grain is not pleasing to many but I myself find it handsome. Good luck to you.


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## kaerlighedsbamsen (Sep 16, 2013)

Have you tryed searching this site for it? Lots of projects: http://lumberjocks.com/projects/tag/osage+orange


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## paratrooper34 (Apr 27, 2010)

I found all that is said about Osage Orange above to be true. I am currently working on a bow saw made from it and it is some tough wood. I plan on posting the project when it is complete to document working with it.


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## Skatergirl46 (Oct 6, 2016)

I recently made my first project with Osage Orange, a solid head mallet. It is very hard but I loved working with it. It gets the nicest feeling surface when sanded. I just bought more.


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## Kirk650 (May 8, 2016)

I have access to some huge "BoDock" trees and have made quite a few small things. It turns wonderfully when green, but let it dry before you do the final turning. I made a lot of wooden mallets of various sizes, and use one for chisel work. Bench dogs from the wood have been useful and indestructible. Wooden tops are very pretty.

I may be wrong…not sure yet…but it may be best to cut Osage Orange from the trees in the fall, when the sap isn't running. Freshly cut wood in the Spring will drip with sap. And limb cross sections will split badly, so seal the ends on whatever you cut.

As for the wonderful yellow color, I've found that keeping it out of sunlight slows the darkening.


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## Underdog (Oct 29, 2012)

Osage Orange, Bois d'Arc, Bodark, Hedge, Hedge Apple is a member of the breadfruit family which also includes Mulberry. One reason it's so hard is that it contains a lot of silica. Anyone who has ever worked it will notice tools are quickly dulled by it. I suppose high silica content is also the reason it's so rot resistant.
It's a wonderful, beautiful wood that has an amazing chatoyance when freshly finished, and mellows to a rich dark brown when aged.
I just made a natural edge bowl out of it. You can see in it my gallery. I found a negative rake scraper worked better than even a freshly sharpened bowl gouge…


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