Locust rounds split < 20%mc
- Thread starter gzecc
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I got a cord of standing dead BL logs last year that were almost that dry when I split them. Nice thing about locust is it doesn't have that much water even when it's alive. Second lowest behind white ash, I believe. It was real hard stuff (made some nice sparks from the saw), but still split like butter. I burned it all too soon in the season, but it was nice while it lasted.
onetracker
Minister of Fire
Battenkiller said:
yessir. love splitting locust.
looking forward to 2-year seasoned black and honey locust this season. the HL feels, denser, heavier and i've noticed that it seems to throw out more heat and for longer than BL. its not common around here so i don't get to burn it enough to really be able to track the difference, if any. one test would be to check the moisture content. i'd bet the BL holds less moisture overall.
gzecc said:
There is a lot along the roads in Hamilton used as an ornamental, I got a bunch a couple years ago when they cut some down in my corporate complex so it is mostly planted by landscapers, having said that, there is a wild Honey Locust tree across the street in the woods from where I work and the entire trunk is covered by the scariest thorns you could ever see, unbelievable how dense and long the thorns are, no way to ever harvest that tree for firewood. I will take a pic tomorrow.
Flatbedford
Minister of Fire
That BL is good stuff. I scrounged 5 cords of it this year. Some of it is so old that it looks petrified!
raybonz
Minister of Fire
Flatbedford said:
Now that's what I call serious scrounging!! Hope I find something like that someday!
Ray
wood-fan-atic
Minister of Fire
Flatbedford said:
Same here...at least SOMETHING good came from Irene. I have a few cords of BL for this season as well... i'll save that for Jan/Feb :cheese:
ChrisNJ said:
It can be harvested. I took down a 24" DBH honey locust like that a year ago. The thorns grow out of "nodes" on the tree. So even though it looks like there are thousands of thorns, there are actually only a hundred or so nodes. You touch the node with the nose of your saw and the thorns are cut free.
So this is how you do it. Walk up to the tree and start trimming thorns off with you saw. Get it good and clear around the ground so you can fall the tree. Take the rake that you brought along and rake the thorns out of the way. Now, fall the tree and walk along the trunk trimming and raking thorns out of the way. When you buck the trunk up you will roll the rounds over and trim the thorns off the bottom side. You've now rid the tree of thorns and you can c/s/s as normal. It really doesn't add much work to the whole process, and it's good wood. One word of caution though, the thorns will puncture tires so move them out of the way if you plan to drive there.
krex1010
Minister of Fire
Bl is great stuff, I split some a few weeks ago, the tree was alive and well about two weeks before I split it and the mc was 27% compared to oak that is still at 27% after being split for over a year and cut for two years
gzecc said:
Black locust, count me in. I gots a tandem axle trailer and a bad @$$ Stihl MS441. Tell me where to be and when and I'm all over that.
Srbenda
Burning Hunk
I found a long-down locust on my property, and cut two rounds off of it to test it. It split easily, and though I didn't put a moisture meter on it, it looks and sounds great. Now, I just need to get the rest of it cut into rounds and split.
Now, the black walnut was just about dripping water....
Now, the black walnut was just about dripping water....
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