Anyone had any experiance with Locust tree?
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How does Locust turn?
- Thread starter Paul Rains
- Start date
A little more specific please
there are several types of locust.
I have turned honey locust and loved it. turned nice, the heavy grain can bounce your tool a little but not too bad.
there are several types of locust.
I have turned honey locust and loved it. turned nice, the heavy grain can bounce your tool a little but not too bad.
john lucas
AAW Forum Expert
I've turned lots of black locust and some honey locust. I find it fine as long as you keep your tools sharp. It is harder than some woods.
Black locust will dull tools quicker than a lot of woods, but cedar can be worse. I've made a few smaller bowls and a lot of pepper grinder bases from a ~40 foot tall black locust tree I had to cut down in our front yard. With a little patience and sanding it's a very striking yellow/gold wood.
I've done some honey locust and it finishes really well.
to keep me from having to look it up
how do you tell difference in black and honey locust, I am figuring wood is yellowish on honey, maybe grayish on black??
how do you tell difference in black and honey locust, I am figuring wood is yellowish on honey, maybe grayish on black??
John Jordan
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Black locust is green/yellow to sort of tan-can get fairly dark tan/brown. Honey locust is pale pink orange to strongly salmon pink/orange, often with rust colors throughout. The color is very stable and does not change much if at all as it ages. Both are very nice woods, honey locust is one of my favorites and I have just turned two pieces. Very stable wood from green to dry which makes it very suitable for green turning. I'll post some photos.
John
John
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Just like John's 
I am going to turn mine just like John Jordan's.
Yeah, right, "man those are beautiful". I have forgotten what a locust tree look liked, that baby has some serious bark on it, has anyone done any Natural Edge bowls with this, I would imagine it would be tough to keep that much bark on it. By the way looks like I have honey locust. Doesn't seem to have cracked much, cut into 4 ft logs about 2 weeks ago.
John, I appreciate your work, I got to see you in Lexington some time back, I tried to turn one of them there hollow bowls out of Ash, dang near beat me half to death before it rattled out of the chuck, maybe later with softer wood....LOL
I am going to turn mine just like John Jordan's.
Yeah, right, "man those are beautiful". I have forgotten what a locust tree look liked, that baby has some serious bark on it, has anyone done any Natural Edge bowls with this, I would imagine it would be tough to keep that much bark on it. By the way looks like I have honey locust. Doesn't seem to have cracked much, cut into 4 ft logs about 2 weeks ago.John, I appreciate your work, I got to see you in Lexington some time back, I tried to turn one of them there hollow bowls out of Ash, dang near beat me half to death before it rattled out of the chuck, maybe later with softer wood....LOL