# Honey Locust



## W.Y. (Jul 2, 2009)

I was in the city today on other business but like I very often do I slip into Windsor Plywood store on my way home . They are much more than just a plywood store. 
I drooled over some of their turning blanks from 4" to 12" in diameter ranging from $10.00 to $90.00 and after getting my fill of eye candy I was about to leave when I spotted this piece of honey locust . It is 3.25" square and 18" long with both ends waxed. They measured and figured the bd ft out to be 1.2 and charged me $15.00
I have no idea where locust grows but it is certainly not a local wood to where I am . 
I thought it would make a few nice little turned boxes or whatever else I can think up that would render itself to end grain turning to show the nice coloring. Either that or one *VERY BIG *pen 
It is a heavy wood . Seeing as it is the first time I have seen locust up close does it turn and sand and finish OK ? 
Am I in for any surprises either good or bad ?


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## danroggensee (Jul 2, 2009)

it makes a beautiful pen to my wife loves it .And it is a great find. Turn great and the finshes is great and easy to do with ca or bol ca.

Dannie


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## W.Y. (Jul 2, 2009)

danroggensee said:


> it makes a beautiful pen to my wife loves it .And it is a great find. Turn great and the finshes is great and easy to do with ca or bol ca.
> 
> Dannie


 
Thanks for the quick response  . I made a typo when I said it was 2.5" square. It is actually 3.25" square  and I have edited my original message to show that.
That was why I was kidding about a *REALLY BIG* pen  :laugh:


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## rjwolfe3 (Jul 2, 2009)

Whatever you make with it should be beautiful, just like all of the other awesome things that you turn.


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## markgum (Jul 2, 2009)

awesome find. Not at all like what I have seen for Honey Locust.  The Honey Locust I have is very plain.  (maybe the wood I got was NOT honey locust ???) 
can't wait to see what you come up with.


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## wolftat (Jul 2, 2009)

It's local to me. We took down a few trees on the property and I woulnd up with some very nice spalted curly locust. It turns extremely well also.


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## thewishman (Jul 2, 2009)

The honey locust produces loads of very fragrant flowers in the spring - which bees like.:wink:  It is widespread in the midwest.


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## DCBluesman (Jul 2, 2009)

You will love working it.  It's quite common out my way.  The tree has been around since the dinosaurs.  It is thought that it's survival is linked to the fact that not even a triceratops would want to mess with it!






FWIW, the thorns also grow up out of the ground from the roots.


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## rjwolfe3 (Jul 2, 2009)

> You will love working it. It's quite common out my way. The tree has been around since the dinosaurs. It is thought that it's survival is linked to the fact that not even a triceratops would want to mess with it!
> 
> 
> 
> ...




Holy Crap those are some big thorns!


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## W.Y. (Jul 3, 2009)

Thanks for the replies about that wood.
Looks like I have a piece of monster wood before it was tamed. 



Well . . . of course I had to try it so went out after supper and made a box out of one end of that piece .
There is enough in that stick of wood to make five this size . This one pays for the wood .
This one had a few nice little birds eye knots on one side.
Here it is from both sides.


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## rjwolfe3 (Jul 3, 2009)

Wow that is stunning, I love the figure in it!


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## DCBluesman (Jul 3, 2009)

That's a beauty, Bill!


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## Texatdurango (Jul 3, 2009)

William O Young said:


> ......
> *I have no idea where locust grows* but it is certainly not a local wood to where I am ...


I do... in my front yard! 

I have a huge tree at the bottom of my property right next to our drive that is full of huge thorns and I have been thinking of cutting it down for years because I've flattened more than one tractor tire around the tree because of those thorns. I knew it wasn't a mesquite because of the leaves and several friends have informed me that it is a honey locust, a close relative to the mesquite. 

I'll be cutting it down when the weather cools down, and am curious to see if what I have looks like what you have. Your vase looks nice!


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## Rollerbob (Jul 3, 2009)

Williwm O, very nice.:wink:  I didn't think you could wait very long to see what it looked like turned.  I like it a lot!! If you need my shipping address.......please advise!!!:biggrin:


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## Rick_G (Jul 3, 2009)

William it grows locally here.  My neighbour had one cut down a few years ago and I got the wood. To bad I wasn't turning then most of it went to heat the house.  Here is one pen I did from some of it recently.  It was cut on about a 45 deg. angle to the grain.


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## KenV (Jul 3, 2009)

It is a nice wood to turn -- It does not have the durability of black locust, but is good for both turning and flat work --- great find for appearance.  That which I have acquired was a much more plain figure without the contrasts - light color like yours.  

Black Locust is also a good wood, but more like Osage Orange in hardness.  I am told it also makes good long lasting fence posts.


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## W.Y. (Jul 3, 2009)

> Black Locust is also a good wood, but more like Osage Orange in hardness. I am told it also makes good long lasting fence posts.


 
A member in my own site is in Tennesee and he also said it is good for fence posts 



> Good looking hunk of wood there Bill. Lots of locust around here. When I was a kid that is what we always used for fence posts because it is so rot resistant.


 

The more I turn of that honey locust the more I like it.

Tried this vase after lunch today and put a tube in it to hold water. Geranium is fresh out of my garden and the vase is fresh off my lathe :wink: 

Took 1.5 hours from start to finish because there was no hurry to get it done. I bet I won't be bringing it home from this Saturdays craft sale. . 
The vase is 6.5" tall and the tube inside is 6" 

I have enough left in that $15.00 stick of wood to turn one more this size or two boxes as shown earlier in this thread


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## rjwolfe3 (Jul 3, 2009)

Wow I love that vase.


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## ronhampton (Jul 3, 2009)

nice work , william!


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## markgum (Jul 3, 2009)

great looking work.


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## Jim15 (Jul 3, 2009)

Awesome vase.


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## louisbry (Jul 4, 2009)

Nice  turning on both pieces.  That honey locust is spectacular.   Did you have any checking on the wood after turning or was the piece dryed.  I usually have to once turn and let it dry a few days to finish turning.


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## W.Y. (Jul 4, 2009)

louisbry said:


> Nice turning on both pieces. That honey locust is spectacular. Did you have any checking on the wood after turning or was the piece dryed. I usually have to once turn and let it dry a few days to finish turning.


 
It was  only 2% moisture in that wood so it should be very stable.
The vase sold this morning at another better than average craft sale.


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## louisbry (Jul 4, 2009)

Congrads on the sale.  Most of the wood I turn is green.


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## TellicoTurning (Jul 4, 2009)

William,
I had one of those things growing on the hill behind my house... 4 inch thorns, so it had to go... I cut it about two years ago, saved the wood and have been trying to kill the stumps ever since... it's the tree that won't die..

Not to hi-jack your thread, but here are two goblets I turned from some of my wood..


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## W.Y. (Jul 4, 2009)

Real nice goblets Chuck.


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## rjwolfe3 (Jul 4, 2009)

Those goblets are cool.


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## artme (Jul 5, 2009)

Certainly a nice timber for tuning and all the pieces displayed certainly do it justice.:star::star::star:


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