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Maclura pomifera
Speak of osage orange, bois-d-arc,
hedge apple (and several other names) and you are
talking about the same tree.
The tree is usually short, heavily
branched, and forms a natural hedge; it has thick bark,
high strength (you won't break limbs easily), and thick
milky sap, and THORNS. Long, sharp thorns. The wood is
very similar in color to mulberry (like a light through
a jar of honey) that darkens to a deep golden brown over
time.
The wood is also VERY:
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Hard |
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Heavy |
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Strong |
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Flexible |
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With exceptional durability or
rot resistance |
Formerly, two prime uses for the wood
were as archery wood (bois-d-arc means
"bow-wood") and for the wooden pins that held
the glass insulators on utility pole cross arms. For an
indicator of durability, consider that cross arms were
creosoted and the osage pins were untreated wood -- and
the pins normally outlasted the cross arms.
Last time I got an osage orange log
to the sawmill, it was an old
dead-and-dried-on-the-stump bolt about 16" diameter
by 6 feet long. The sawmill was a 54 inch diameter mill
with 175 hp diesel motor. The motor stalled and sparks
were flying after two boards came off. If you saw
any osage, saw that sucker while it's Fresh Cut!
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