Honey Locust

[Kathy Marshall]

I just roughed out a plate from honey locust and I'm wondering how stable it is. This summer I cored some bowls from black locust and finished them green, they didn't move much and I'm hoping the honey locust will be similar.

Thanks!

[wes murphy]

I turned a small honey locust bowl about 6 months and it now an oval, but it still looks good.

[Reed Gray]

It seems fairly stable to me, with little movement. Hard, open grained, and beautiful colors that sell really well. The wild version has thorns that are 8 to 12 inches long. The domesticated hybrid has few thorns, and can be 24 inch diameter. Great for vessels and hollow forms.

robo hippy

[Ryan Baker]

All of the honey locust I have turned has been very stable.

[William Bachtel]

It is very stable, but remember if it is cut in the summer it will have more sap or water in it, hence more movement. Cut in the winter less sap or water, because the sap is in the ground, in the spring the sap run starts so the tree can get its food source. When the leaves are on a tree it draws more water or sap, hence more sap run. Wind and sun also make for more water in a tree, because it wicks the water from the trees leaves, then it needs to replaces the lost water. Platters are hard to make from green or wet wood, because they are wider and thinner, making them dry faster and moving more, also hard to flatten the bottom after it moves. Sometimes I leave a not so dry piece in the chuck for a few days to help hold the bottom from moving. Put oil on the chuck jaws so no black marks appear. Hope this helps.

[Reed Gray]

Black metal stains can be removed with concentrated lemon juice. Takes a few seconds if you do it right when it comes off the lathe, or a few minutes if you wait a few days. It also cuts most of the stain from black walnut.

robo hippy