Anyone Turn Black Locust?

[Jeff Gilfor]

I LOVE black locust. It isn't the easiest wood to turn, but boy is it beautiful when finished! You can send me all the stuff ya'all don't want. I'll be happy to take it off your hands.

[Tom Collins]

Jeff or anyone else, if you are near Northwest Ohio you are welcome to some of my stash. I have about 2 pickup loads of various diameters at home and still have about an 18 foot log to cut up that is probably in the neighborhood of 20" diameter at the base.

TomC

[Ron Rutter]

I was under the impression the black locust & Acacia were one & the same. It may be hard but it is beautiful to turn & finish. Ron.

[robert baccus]

If you read my post again it does not infer that BL is a recent invader but has managed to get here from the tropics probably millions of years ago. Botonist recognize the species from the various climate zones usually exhibit certain similar growth patterns which evolved there. Most do not change due to temperature but many have gone south as well as north in time and thrived.

[Leo Van Der Loo]

I was under the impression the black locust & Acacia were one & the same. It may be hard but it is beautiful to turn & finish. Ron.

Black Locust is not a true Acacia species, therefore called Robinia pseudoacacia.

[Nathan Hawkes]

As others have already mentioned, black locust has some characteristics that make it a challenge. It is worth it in my opinion though. I ONLY turn it green to final thickness. Black locust is one of my veryfavorite trees. That almost disturbinglysweet aroma, the nitrogen fixing bacteria on the roots, pretty grain, and amazing rot resistance make it one of the most useful tress to have around. If it weren't for those pesky thorns......

[Scott Lux]

I'm another Black Locust fan. Heck, I made my deck out of it. I don't usually put a finish on BL pieces. I find just sanding to 600 or 800 to be finish enough. It is extremely durable as other have stated. But no one has mentioned that it fluoresces under UV!!!

I've made pens, bracelets, and small bowls out of it.

[robert baccus]

That's cool yeah. Our native Sumac fluoresces as well--anyother woods do that. BL and other hard, hard woods will buff out and wax out like metal does and is usually prettier than with a finish. I think any wood turns well green. Been peeling some persimmon here.

[robert baccus]

Not a misnomer--just science. I studied and practiced forestry most of my life. Studied some in the tropics. Look at a Catalpa next to a Oak tree. Notice the very open, airy, sunny shape of the crown. Also the huge thin leaves and large, showey flowers and fruit. It is a very soft wood yet very resistant to rot. Last notice the "drip tips" on the leaves. These are all due to the tropics being too wet (rot) and most of the trees in the tropics have these identical characteristics. The fossile record backs up this accepted Taxonomy theory. Lets go peel some--can't be any better than this Persimmon. A true ebony, 90% + of the genus grows in the tropics only.

[Roger Chandler]

What a treasure trove of useful info about the black locust.......thanks to each of you who shared on this thread!

[William Bachtel]

Just turned a Black Locust Burl, it was hard as nails, but it turned and sanded good. It is a Natural Edge Bowl. Was Air Dried for 4 years in someones garage. Like I said it was hard. No photo piece is sold.

[ken gibbs]

Years ago my grandfather was teaching me to turn on his old lathe. I mounted a piece of black locust on the lathe one day when he had gone someplace and started turning a spindle. I smoked several chisels before granddad caught up with me. He just turned me over his knee right there in the shop. I had to stand on an old cracker crate to get to the lathe. I recently reacquired his old turning chisels that were all hand made from old barn chisels and bastard files. I had to remount the shanks on new handles, but that old high carbon steel still takes a great edge. I used one this afternoon on a spindle. These chisels were very old in 1952 when I first used them so they may be over 100 years old. I remember that black locust and how tough it was.

[steve johnson]

It has beautiful reddish and white rays. It is hard but stable and worth the effort to get to the beauty. Also, it does irritate my nose.

[John Thorson]

I agree with your experience, Leo. My brother gave me a log (six ten inch diameter bowls worth) for my birthday and it went OK using a standard rough turned green, sealed and air dried and then second turning when dried bowl method. It is a dense hard wood but turned OK with patience. I also agree that this is not a wood that is visually striking enough that I would search it out.

[Bob Bergstrom]

It is also one of the hottest burning woods. A fellow turner said he has melted two grids in his fire place burning too much at once. He now only burns one in each bundle. Lots of BTUs.