Honey Locust

[Rockytime]

I know nothing about woods, I just buy blanks. We have a Honey Locust that has finally come to an end of its life and will probably come down this summer. Question is, how good is it for turning? Is it a hard or soft wood? The tree is about 18 inches in diameter and am sure there is no rot in it.

 

[Jim Smith]

While I'm not sure how distinguishing/pretty the blanks would be, Honey Locust is a dense wood that is fairly hard. It is used for furniture and for fence posts because it is a hard wood that is resistant to rot.

Jim Smith

 

[Rockytime]

While I'm not sure how distinguishing/pretty the blanks would be, Honey Locust is a dense wood that is fairly hard. It is used for furniture and for fence posts because it is a hard wood that is resistant to rot.

Jim Smith

Thanks Jim,
Perhaps I'll make some fence posts since we have not used our fireplace for 25 years.

Les

 

[mark james]

I have gotten some locally harvested Honey Locust board cut-offs from a local cabinet shop that does specialty work with local trees and kiln dries them.

Fairly plain wood, but I also would say has some nice features. Dense, so needs sharp tools. Finished nice.

I don't have any pictures, but it is a local wood that I would not put in my fireplace before carefully picking out promising pieces (too much ash, beech, oak and hickory for the fireplace). Not wonderful grain, but still worthwhile.

 

[budnder]

I like the branches for pen blanks - lots of nice dark lines in 'em.

We have a dozen or so Honey Locust and I save the bigger branches (about 1" -
1.5" in diameter) to use for blanks. I find that the "tree ring center" of the branch is often "off center", so if you turn it round on the tree ring center, you loose a 1/3 of the diameter. Also, it seems that one side is typically stained more from the bark more than another, so that needs to be turned off, so also eats into the usable diameter.

Not sure if all Honey Locust varieties would be similar, but that's my experience with the ones we have.

 

[tomtedesco]

I have seen Locust with beautiful coloring and grain and others that look plain and washed out. Just have to see what one you have. I like the way it turns and finishes, have made a few good looking bowls from it.

 

[Edgar]

A trunk that large is definitely worth processing to see what's inside. You should be able to get some nice bowl & spindle blanks from it & there should be a good bit of heartwood. The cintrast between heartwood & sapwood is isn't as dramatic as some woods, but it can still yield some nice figuring. I've gotten some really nice blanks & spindles from the Honey Locust trees we took down at our farm & the largest one was about half that size.

 

[KenV]

The plain old honey locust is a durable wood that makes good tool handles. Works well for socket chistle handles and mallets.

Durable wood for bowls and once dry, stable boxes.

Well worth splitting through the pith and keeping.

 

[Herb G]

Here ya go. A link to honey locust.
Honey Locust Pen Blank - WoodTurningz

 

[TellicoTurning]

We had a Honey Locust in my back yard when we first moved here... about 6 or 8 inches diameter and with 4" thorns up and down the trunk... I cut it and saved the wood (without the thorns) and then spent 3 or 4 years trying to kill the stump.

I turned a couple of goblets from what I had, it's fairly bland wood, but does turn well.

 

[Rockytime]

WOW! Thanks for the encouraging replies. My son-in-law will take the tree down. He used to work for a tree service clearing trees from power lines. I'll save as much as I have room for.

 

[PenPal]

Honey Locust Burl is mind blowing. Grown as street trees in Canberra so every now and again one pops down.

Peter.

 

[Rick_G]

Tree surgeons took down a honey locust at a neighbors a few years ago, I got most of it for firewood (I wasn't turning then). We don't use the fireplace much as we normally heat with natural gas but with the new carbon tax just dumped on us I can see putting in a wood burning stove in the basement. I found some of the honey locust last summer near the center of the pile and turned a few things with it. Here is a small twig pot I did with it. It's about 3" across at the widest point. A small bowl and a pen blank. The pen blank came out of a piece of crotch wood and a different tree.
If you get lucky there can be some nice stuff inside.

 

[D.Oliver]

Here is a slim line I turned from it.