My dad has a buddy who used to be a world class wood turner... I have some of his work. I need to take some pics... Maybe when my gut stops hurtin! Just busted my toe and the incision is what reacted... I bit down real hard so as not to cuss, but my repair did it for me
If you want to get serious about planting hedge, there is a good description of how it is done on the second page here http://plants.usda.gov/factsheet/pdf/fs_mapo.pdf
That is hedge. No doubt. I've been known to cut a big hedge from time to time. For the record...that maul didn't want Nuthin to do with that tree. No wonder because it looked like this after I ran it through the hydro splitter.
Hi everyone! Judging by the thread it seems I've most likely got myself some Osage Orange on my hands. Going to put it through a buddy's lathe, and hopefully by the time it's all said and done I'll have ended up with a reliable blacksmith's hammer. Ultimately though I'm probably going to use the piece of elm I picked for the hammer and the bright yellow one I'll save for something else(not firewood! Since it was actually hard to come by a piece of this firewood that didn't have a trillion cracks everywhere). Can't say for sure if it's Osage Orange since there is no definitive consensus from this thread yet, but i can say that tree is still alive, and old as heck! I'll update on the tree's leafs later(I'm sure I'll help identify). I can also confirm that i remember the big green fruits laying all over the place we got the wood from. We got the wood because a buddy wanted to trim a tree in his new house. When the wood was first cut AND STILL NOW after it's first split, it's bright yellow! Then after some time it turns this dark brown color. SUPER DENSE WOOD. Most likely it's full of tannins too which are responsible for the color change. Tanins are also acidic and could mess with the hammer(i read online it could help it rust the same way oak handles do)... I'm leaning towards the Elm for the handle... Though this yellow wood would make for one seriously strong handle! Might even last decades worth of blacksmithing (which is why it's so desirable in my mind). Glad I saved some of this specific firewood! It sure did come in handy for more than just a few hours of heat. By the way this is some of the greatest firewood! It's been drying for 2 years and it was very difficult to find any piece of it that didn't have splits. Very fibrous (great for a handle!) and sometimes easy sometimes impossible to split with an axe. As you can see, even the one I picked for the handle has one big crack running right down the middle from the outside in. Hope you're all having a great day!
U.D. Like your screen name/signature... Welcome to the forum. Lots of freedom loving people here, you should feel at home. Would love to get my hands on some Osage but I don't think it grows around here.
I’ve never burned it yet I have to love it based on what I’ve heard about it so much. Fantastic wood.