The tree, not the lake.

I needed an oddly shaped, rot resistant block of wood for a boat project. Apparently if you need teak boards, the internet has lots of options. A block, non-existent. Cedar and cypress are rot resistant but not very strong.

Was going to cut down a small tree on my place but then a buddy said he had a stump he needed gone. Neon saw dust.



Sometimes you come across things in nature that you wish you could preserve it all. I always feel that way when killing an exceptional duck and thinking of getting it mounted.



Went in needing a block of tough lumber but was amazed.



Does anyone have a recommendation on how to keep it from cracking when exposed to long-term sun and water? My thought was soak it in a bucket of linseed oil and turpentine?



I know there's some wood workers here, Anyone have anything they've made from it, they can share?

I have several pieces of bois d'arc that I have been saving for some project down the road. I also have a guitar with the neck made from 100 yr old bois d'arc fencepost. it's a very heavy neck for a guitar but we made it work! I don't have a picture with me right now to share but I will try to get one soon.

Incredibly hard wood. I guarantee that was some tough chainsawing

I have made few duck calls barrels from blocks. Let me say I am not a wood worker total hobby and trial and error guy, what I have found to best slow down the change is an oil based marine grade varnish. Let me say its also about use, light exposure and exposure to elements. I have couple calls now that they are dark brown but some of the first ones I made that I didn't like and didn't use look like I cut them yesterday with some small changes.

the band aint bad either


PS - nice wood

Osage orange!

A couple of years ago, Steven Rinella and Meateater made a line turkey pot calls, and they used Bois D'arc for the strikers.

LINE 1 Limited Edition Turkey Call | MeatEater x Phelps

This is what I use on my sailboat.

Pettit 1-Spar Captains Varnish

Pettit 1-Spar Captains Varnish Quart - Household Varnishes - Amazon.com

I usually have to dilute it by half and apply several thin coats, especially in a humid environment.

How many chains did you go thru?

oklaunion said:

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How many chains did you go thru?

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I messed up and only brought one. First 3/4 was easy. Once dull, it turned into a PITA.

How many years do you think you can get, before having to redo it?

CS78 said:

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How many years do you think you can get, before having to redo it?

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If it is going to be in the sun 100% of the time then count on a light sand and varnish once a year. If it has intermittent exposure then maybe you can stretch it to 2 or 3.

I put on around 7 really thin coats.

Mine is in the shade and has lasted 3 years so far without any issues.

it will probably crack somewhat no matter what. But one of its strengths is its impermeability to water. Depending on the application of the piece, i would look at a wax emulsion or sealer for it. At least maybe for the first year or two while it does a majority of its moisture loss. There are various products such as Ipe Seal, or Anchor Seal. The end grain will be your surfaces that are more prone to shrinkage/cracking.

agrams said:

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it will probably crack somewhat no matter what. But one of its strengths is its impermeability to water. Depending on the application of the piece, i would look at a wax emulsion or sealer for it. At least maybe for the first year or two while it does a majority of its moisture loss. There are various products such as Ipe Seal, or Anchor Seal. The end grain will be your surfaces that are more prone to shrinkage/cracking.

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Thanks. I have bees wax, linseed oil, and turpentine already. Would a mix of those work well or get the anchor seal?

yeah, dipping in wax is a common method for woodturners to preserve green cut blocks of wood from drying too fast/unevenly and causing cracking. I think the challenge for bois d'arc will be it wont soak up the wax very easily. I would suggest you heat/dip the piece in melted wax if you want it to soak in as much as possible. The wax emulsions are thinner and can soak in a little better.

Tumble Weed said:

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CS78 said:

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How many years do you think you can get, before having to redo it?

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If it is going to be in the sun 100% of the time then count on a light sand and varnish once a year. If it has intermittent exposure then maybe you can stretch it to 2 or 3.

I put on around 7 really thin coats.

Mine is in the shade and has lasted 3 years so far without any issues.

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Drove by our old ranchito near Belton a while back, and 4 Bois 'd arc posts we put as corners for a fence were still solid 50 years later. Probably would bend a staple trying to put on a wire to this day.

I have a couple of pieces that I'll be sending to my stock carver to turn into gun stocks. I'm debating about what kind of stock to have made--either a .22 with very little wood in the stock or a thumper that would appreciate the extra weight. That said, I weighed 3 different stocks last week carved in the exact same pattern--the Ash came in 2 lb 6 oz, walnut 2 lb 11 oz, and mesquite was still under 3 lb. I doubt OO will be that much heavier than mesquite.

Pop made 33 fiddles and made one from Bois D'Arc . It was tiresome to play because of it's weight and not long after he made it the neck cracked in the scroll through the D and G string peg holes making it pretty much useless. His claim to fame was the Hee Haw fiddle player Jana Jae bought 2 from him ......a regular 4 string and a 5 string with a fifth C string added so a combination violin/viola. Gene Watson's fiddle player also bought a 5 string from him.

Horse with No Name said:

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I have a couple of pieces that I'll be sending to my stock carver to turn into gun stocks. I'm debating about what kind of stock to have made--either a .22 with very little wood in the stock or a thumper that would appreciate the extra weight. That said, I weighed 3 different stocks last week carved in the exact same pattern--the Ash came in 2 lb 6 oz, walnut 2 lb 11 oz, and mesquite was still under 3 lb. I doubt OO will be that much heavier than mesquite.

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Mesquite weighs in at 51 lbs/cu.ft. and 2340 on the hardness scale and Bois D'Arc at 54 lbs/cu.ft. and 2640 on the hardness scale

I did some work with Ipe, which is near 3500 hardness and 65lf/ft^3. Its so hard and dense it doesn't even feel like real wood.

agrams said:

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I did some work with Ipe, which is near 3500 hardness and 65lf/ft^3. Its so hard and dense it doesn't even feel like real wood.

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My dad came across a piece of african ebony with the idea of making his own pegs ......that wood is so heavy it won't float

I once heard a preacher use the expression -- "Tougher than a bois d'arc stump."

Having cut one of those out that had grown into a chain-link fence on some overgrown property I bought, I understand that expression completely.

Tough, tough (and tricky) chaining on that thing. But, I did cut a 2" thick by 18" wide vertical slab about 2' tall that I keep in my office to remind me of the 'fun' I had. Every now and then I try to push my fingernail into it -- not happening.

Bois d'arc always reminds me immediately of the lyrics of Choctaw Bingo

"Ruth Ann and Lynn they wear them cut off britches and those skinny little halters
And they're second cousins to me
Man I don't care I want to get between 'em
With a great big ol' hard ** like a old bois d' arc fence post
You could hang a pipe rail gait from
Do some twisted sisters 'til the cows come home
And we'd be havin' us a time"

Bois d'Arc makes a great duck call. One of my favorite woods to turn.

how does that call look a few years later? I made a pepper grinder from osage and after years of use it's nearly a charcoal color.

Has anybody ever used it to barbecue with?? I've heard someone out of Belleville used to make barbecue with it…

Based on the smell of it when cut, I wouldn't cook with it.

It will definitely darken some, I try and get any customers to send their calls back in during the off-season to re-tune and finish again to make them last longer.

I apply an oil called "sycamore sauce" that another call maker created specifically for call making and it does wonders in penetrating the wood and sealing it nicely. Been a couple years and seems to protect the calls really well

Reel Aggies said:

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Bois d'arc always reminds me immediately of the lyrics of Choctaw Bingo

"Ruth Ann and Lynn they wear them cut off britches and those skinny little halters
And they're second cousins to me
Man I don't care I want to get between 'em
With a great big ol' hard ** like a old bois d' arc fence post
You could hang a pipe rail gait from
Do some twisted sisters 'til the cows come home
And we'd be havin' us a time"

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I think of "Red Bandanna Blues" by Adam Carroll.

" Two tied-dyed brain fried misfits who lived in a shack in the back of the bodark Woods."

wrangler1010 said:

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Has anybody ever used it to barbecue with?? I've heard someone out of Belleville used to make barbecue with it…

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That's all we use to grill over at Kansas deer camp. Makes nice hot coals like mesquite, but maybe less harsh smoke flavor.

B-1 83 said:

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Tumble Weed said:

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CS78 said:

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How many years do you think you can get, before having to redo it?

---

If it is going to be in the sun 100% of the time then count on a light sand and varnish once a year. If it has intermittent exposure then maybe you can stretch it to 2 or 3.

I put on around 7 really thin coats.

Mine is in the shade and has lasted 3 years so far without any issues.

---

Drove by our old ranchito near Belton a while back, and 4 Bois 'd arc posts we put as corners for a fence were still solid 50 years later. Probably would bend a staple trying to put on a wire to this day.

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My dad and granddad put in a fence with Bois 'd arc posts in the early 1960s. It's where I live now and the posts are still there for the most part. When I was about 15 he bought a bunch of cheap staples for me to put up a fence he wanted. I had to manually make sure each staple was perfectly parallel or they would splay out rather than going into the wood.

On our place in missouri, osage orange is everywhere and was planted as hedge rows before barb wire to keep cattle in. We use it mainly for fence posts and I have never seen a hedge/osage orange post rot off ever. They will get so hard you won't be able to drive staples in them as they age you just keep hitting the staple and it mashes flat against the post. I have a knife with an osage handle which become more brown over the years with use and it is also my favorite striker for slate and glass turkey calls.

Have to be careful burning it, it will get so hot it will run you out of your house or damage your stove if you aren't careful and as you have found is a pain in the ass to cut and split. Provides 32.9 million BTU per chord when burned just crazy hot.

OP picture reminded me of this gem

i may have posted before, but one unique thing about Osage is there are no natural consumers of its fruit in any appreciable volume. It is speculated the north American giant ground sloth was a major consumer of it:


This leads to the only natural propagation of seeds being water runoff/gravity. So while the tree grows well in sandy drier areas, we often associate it as a lowland/swampy tree, but that's just because its the only place where the seeds can spread with much success.

Well that and the fights we'd have as kids beaning each other with those horse apples.

Squirrels eat em up around my folks' place in Montgomery.