[at-l] wood

[Thomas Fort]

Two things here ...

1) the locust trees we have down here have thorns on them that would
kill a small deer!  They can grow 3-4 inches long and 1/4 inch thick.
The entire bark, limbs included, is covered with them.  As you get
closer to the ground, on the trunk, the needles cluster in groups of
10-12.  I wouldn't get close to a locust log!  

2) Nothing makes better fenceposts than the Bois d'arc, pronounced
bodock. Just last week I had to knock down a few that were placed in the
ground 43 yrs ago.  They were as strong as the day cut.  Took a
bulldozer to wreck them!     I nice yellow color, tho!!  



-----Original Message-----
From: at-l-bounces at backcountry.net [mailto:at-l-bounces at backcountry.net]
On Behalf Of Amy Skowronek
Sent: Monday, December 04, 2006 7:49 AM
To: at-l at backcountry.net
Subject: Re: [at-l] Oak tree you're in my way...


On Dec 4, 2006, at 8:24 AM, Felix J wrote:

> Jim Bullard wrote:
>
>> Nope! The best is locust.
>
>
> Locust is too hard to split and is 'stringy'. And, not as plentiful as
> oak. It IS a hot heat, though. Beech is a good, long-burning, high- 
> heat
> wood, too. Generally knotty and on the 'hard-to-split' side, though.

There is no way I'd use locust for firewood, when there are fences to  
be made.  Locust is the *best* fencepost wood.  It lasts for fricking  
ever.  We had some locust corner posts in some outbuildings, and when  
the buildings died after 100 or so years, the posts were still  
solid.  They had softened up a tad right at ground level, but we  
still couldn't chop through them with an ax or cut them with a saw.   
We ended up digging them out.

-amy