Burning osage orange wood (Hedgeapple)

[ScottinLaPorte]

I am in the process of clearing out about 20 huge osage orange trees. I have a Brunco wood burning stove, and have burned some of this wood before with no problems. I am concerned about the intense heat that this wood gives off. Is it ok to burn this stuff all the time? I have glass doors on the stove, and don't know if they will hold up to the heat, not to mention the chimmney.

[veme]

I burn some osage a few Winters ago and it really scared me

It burns as hot as coal and spits sparks.

Be careful.


veme

[Jim S.]

We burned it for years. You do need a good wood stove. It will warp and burn out sheet steel or thinwalled stoves. It burns very hot, and you will not have to worry about creosote much. Our stove has no glass, and it is fire brick lined. It did fine.

The way we did it, we started the fire (it lights readily), then once it was burning we closed up the stove tight. Just the smoldering wood is enough to keep you way warm! This way, you avoid the hot, hot flames.

When you open up the stove you must be cautious about sparks, and it is a good idea to have a fire-retarndent rug or a metal spark sheet on the floor in front of it.

If you have a homestead, though, you might consider saving 8-foot lengths of the straighter branches for fence posts. THEY WILL NOT ROT! I have some on my place put in 60 years ago, and they look as good in the ground as they day they were set (I have had to pull a few to refence). A good bow 'd' arc/osage orange fence post fresh cut here fetches $10. They are perfect for wet ground.

[Peacock]

Seriously, if you open the wood stove, wear something you don't mind getting burned by a spark. I have 2 t-shirts with little holes in them obtained just this way!

[Fryegirl]

In a somewhat related question:
We're about to cut down a huge hemlock tree. Is this wood good for burning or for mulch?

[MELOC]

from what i hear, you don't want to inhale fumes from the hemlock.

[turtlehead]

Osage orange makes great fence posts. Like black locust, it doesn't rot. You might want to save it for that use, or sell it, instead of burning it.

[Jaclynne]

It seems a waste to burn Bois d arc. We had some of these trees cut into slabs and built garden beds with them. They still look great 17 yrs later. This wood just doesn't rot.

Halo

[michiganfarmer]

Very interesting. Ive never heard of the wood. It sounds like good stuff all around

[fantasymaker]

Not if you are trying to drive a nail in a dried board! makes oak look likea softwood!

Around here it was once popular for fence rows makes a nearly impentarble thicket No nothing is popular for fence rows but it does make a killer fencepost

[FarmboyBill]

When I moved onto the place with my wife my mom and dad had back in the early 40s, there was an OLD post pile of hedge wood posts, My grandpa said, go head and burn them ill never use them again. Well, they made the blade on the buzz saw spark and dulled the heck out of it, but I got them all cut up. Well, that fall I bought a sheet iron stove (tin). One night I went down to the barn to milk and she a while later started up a fire. When I got up to the house, you couldnt hardly stand to be in it, the stove was cherry red from 2/3s the way up on down. The only water we had was in a cistern outside with a wind up pump, We sat up 1/2 the night watching that stove. But it turned out allright. I just cut up a bunch of locust, and she used the hedge as fire starter.

[CGUARDSMAN]

Burns hot! Which is not a bad thing but i would mix it if you are going to burn it.

[tn_junk]

If there are any of those trees that are straight for 5 feet or so find somebody that makes bows. They will pay a pretty penny for some of them to make bow staves. Makes some of the best long bows in the world.

galump

p.s. Also talk to any old fashioned wood workers. This stuff was also I believed called Iron wood, and used for Plane bodies and tool handles. Just too valuable to burn.

[65284]

Don't try turning a seasoned piece of it in a wood lathe....unless you want some darn near ruined chisels. I thought I was going to turn some bowls out of Osage Orange burls. Wrong, it chipped, nicked and dulled the cutting edges like I was trying to cut metal. I spent several hours getting an good edge back on my chisels. And these were good quality Buck Bros. tools I bought 25 years ago, not cheap Chinese junk.

[paperboy-7]

hi its a shame to burn the oo its great for all kinds of woodworking, handles, wedges fence post will outlast most all post, if i was close i would trade you double firewood for some im sure there is a craftsman around that would trade, just my 2c,, its the most golden color when finished,,,, later nfp

[fixer1958]

I try not to burn anything else. I sell all the junk walnut and locust and keep the hedge.
I use half as much with hedge. The sparks when you open the doors just keeps you on yours toes. Just shut the air off before you load up, and keep in down after it's started good. It will last me 10 hours.
It's hard to find a straight good one 6' or more for corner posts. If they are there they are saved.

[Peacock]

Ooh, garden beds! That's what I'll do next time we cut one of those down!

[tchan]

I would love to have some Osage orange trees. Do have any seedlings that can be dug up and sent? We don't have any here but from all I have read they will grow here if I plant them. I would be willing to pay for them.

[lmnde]

I second that - if you have any apples left over or seeds/seedlings of them on the ground - I would be very much interested in buying some. Pls pm me if you can do. Lmnde

[clovis]

I second the thought on bow makers. Traditional archers love osage for working into recurve and long bows.
Do some research....these might be worth a ton!
A guy I know used to sell seasoned osage, 4" diameter or so, and 5-6 feet long, for $45 each.
clove