I got assaulted by numerous Osage trees today, trying to get a few fence posts out of them. Selling fence posts is the only way to make any coin on Osage, the firewood is just a bonus by product. Usually second/third growth Osage grows much straighter. Maybe someday I will get into a mess of those…
Cutting line posts @ 8’, braces @ 9’ & corners @ 10’. I just try to find a decent section that is the required length & has a straight/flat side for the wire & wont require any or little modification to the hole on the buttend. I have seen people quarter split larger posts to create a pie shaped post but that requires more effort than I am willing to put in & most folks around here want round posts.
Western live oak has a good bit more BTU's than Osage and even eucalyptus has more BTU's than Osage. If you have either of those you are set. Heck even manzanita is basically the same BTUs. All of these, are mega heaters, along with shagbark hickory. There's no Osage around my area, but apparently there's some in the far southern parts of Wisconsin, bordering Illinois and Iowa.
The neighbor that I occasionally help with tree work is also a fence builder and I seen him come home this evening with a fresh load of Osage posts. He goes to the east, maybe south east part of the state to get them.
Tasty looking bunch of firewood you got there Hinerman. Had you not identified it, I would say "Nice load of mulberry you captured ". They look kinda similar, except mulberry has a wider cambium layer, no? Both great firewood for sure.
They are very similar at that age/size. Had a score that i was convinced was osage as was a lot of the FHC when i posted pics. Turned out to be mulberry. Osage very rare around here and mulberry on the scarce side.
I have had semi chisel chain bounce off dry hedge before. I had to push really hard to get it to bite!!! I ended up grabbing a saw with full chisel.
I've burned a lot of hedge...never once enjoyed making firewood out of it. It's wicked heavy, sucks to split, the sap is as bad or worse than pine pitch, grows crooked as a snake, dulls your chains really fast, and has thorns. It pops and sparks like the the 4th of July when you burn it. But is was worth it to haul less wood out of the woods .75 miles an ATV cart at a time. I'd take black locust over hedge any day. Burns almost as good for a lot less aggravation.
Im with ya! Of course ive never scored hedge. I guess ill take BL over any other wood for that matter!
