Osage Orange Splitting

[derbygreg]

Is Osage Orange hard to split? I have a chance to get a large quantity of it. I use the Ryobi electric splitter.

I know it is great wood - ranks up there with Coal as far as BTU's go.

 

[baitzj]

I split quite a bit of it by hand a year or so ago and it wasn't too bad until you hit the knotty pieces.....sure does burn nice regardless of how hard it is to split. I saw you should take it.

Justin

 

[Corey]

A little rougher than oak, not as bad as hedge. Like baitzj said, make sure you cut it to minimize knots, crotches, etc (as with most any other wood). Hedge also tends to grow into some twisted, 'bushy' trees (sometimes with thorns!) - especially if it's in a hedge row, so when you cut a piece, plan ahead and make sure you have some flat, straight ends that will fit in the splitter. Other than that, and a few sparks now and then, it's great wood.

As for the BTU's - hedge has the same as any other wood - about 8600 on a pound-for-pound basis. I've seen coal anywhere from 5,000 to 15,000 depending on its quality. So be careful not to trick yourself - you'll need just as many pounds of hedge to heat with as any other wood - those pounds will just come in a slightly smaller package.



oops - change 'hedge' to elm in the first sentence!

 

[Chettt]

I always thought Osage Orange and hedge were two names for the same tree. Which one is used for fence posts that last 100 years and can't be sawn once dried?

 

[Bugboy]

Osage orange and hedge is the same thing (around here anyway). Posts last a long time. Anything can be cut.

 

[Jags]

Around my part of the country Osage Orange and Hedge are the same thing as well. Osage is not too bad to split, and burns great. I would take it ANYTIME.

 

[Corey]

Oops - I meant to type 'not as bad as elm' in that first sentence. You know elm is terrible wood when my fingers can't even type the word!

 

[T Osborn]

It's been said that a good hedge fence post will outlast two post holes!

 

[derbygreg]

Slyferret and I went and cut a few of these trees or hedges down today.

Lots of work for what appears to be little wood. But, we are not worried, because there are a lot of the Osage trees where we are cutting.

I found some that appears to have been seasoned, it split different than the stuff we just cut.

Put it in the stove and watch out, lots of sparks!

The wood splits easy.

 

[mikeathens]

Sparky and similar heat quality to black locust. I would take this stuff any day.