Burning osage orange wood (Hedgeapple)

Oh I hate the thought of this wood being burned. My dad turns it on his lathe (doesn't have any trouble with his tools either). He just loves it, and the bowls are gorgeous. Some of his stuff is on Etsy, but most is in local galleries. Here's the link:
robertsloan.etsy.com
He'd love that I linked to it here lol. We have some growing on our property for him, but their just little guys right now. We keep the apples for seed whenever we find them. Whenever someone local is cutting one down, we go get the wood for him to turn. My little girl (11) uses the inner bark to make dye for fabric, and I use it for homemade paper (coloring and pulp) it has a lovely orange color. I believe that American Indians used it for dye as well.

I didn't know that it burned so hot, that's good to know. When we have smaller pieces I may save that for kindling. I have a lot of the turned dust from my dad, as I save EVERYTHING. I had planned to use that either for paper or for kindling or homemade incense. It may be too hot for that though.

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Impacting The Earth Little, My Children Much
My blog: Http://yourimpactmatters.com

We use it for posts too. Also for cooking either on the smoker or in underground pits.

Oh i have to agree. But i dont' know your circumstances. this wood is used for dyes, bows, fence posts etc. i would bet there are people interested in this wood. I believe the native americans used the thorns from the tree for their needles as well.

but maybe you need to burn the wood for heat and all this disucssion of the value of the wood is not helping any ?

this is the best tree for natural fencing and if pruned right is horse high, bull strong and pig tight - so they say.

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Our website promoting the use of Missouri Herbs. www.MissouriHerbs.com

If you dont want your hedge posts to split so bad when they dry cure them in a pond for a year It sets the latex in the sap .
Burning hedge does require watching what your doing but its great for heating.

I have been cuttiong hedege post all week long. Several post about 14 in dia, about 10 foot long. Should be worth aboutr $25.00 . Any one looking for seed please PM me and I will see what we can come up with. And yes it is about all I burn.
Jim

I remember the first time I burned Hedge..the chimney reminded me of a locomotive stack...with sparks coming out of it..lol. After that, I learned how to burn hedge..a little dab will do ya.

I heard of an old man once that wanted his casket made of Bois 'd Arc. He said he wanted to, "Slide into hell roaring and popping"

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"Agriculture is our wisest pursuit, because it will in the end contribute most to real wealth, good morals, and happiness."
Thomas Jefferson to George Washington 1787

I really enjoyed this thread reading about all the folks who think the wood is so valuable from what is called a "trash tree" around here. The reason I burned so much during the years I did was because I could get it free from farmers having it dozed out of their pastures.

Oh, for the record, Osage Orange is not the same as Ironwood.

The "living fencerow" idea was promoted by the good ole USDA, the culprit of many an invasive plant.

Also, the apples, when cut into wedges, are excellent insect repellents. We used to keep them around in the basement up north.

I also realize that wood that is here just cheap and easily available is not so cheap nor available in the Midwest. We are up to our ears in oaks and cedar and poplar -- all high dollar woods up North. I have a friend who has made good side money just pulling his 24-foot trailer up at a local rough cut sawmill and buying cedar, loading it and taking it to Ohio to sell.

The old part of my house is all made of sawmilled oak that came from the place when it was cleared. Oak studs and joists and all.

Where you at, jamesdel? I just bought posts for $8 each.

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Jim Steele
Sweetpea Farms
"To avoid criticism, say nothing, do nothing, be nothing." -- Robert Gates

My parents are having an auction in May. In the auction there is a pile of hedge posts which will be sold then. Must be 300 good posts. Probably 50 to 60 years old and never been in the ground. Y'all come!

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When I die, I want to go peacefully in my sleep....like my Grandfather. Not screaming and yelling like the other people in the car he was driving.

Uh, how far is Munchkinland from Tennessee?

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Jim Steele
Sweetpea Farms
"To avoid criticism, say nothing, do nothing, be nothing." -- Robert Gates

Another vote to use it for fence posts. Does burn hot.

Way up in north central Mo. Close to the Iowa line. Dont Look like I will make it to auction this week though just sold out . Corners avg. $22.00 Braces $15.00 and lines went for $6.00. remeamber one mans junk !!!
I love it ,
Jim

LOL!!! Central Kansas....30 miles or so north of Wichita.

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When I die, I want to go peacefully in my sleep....like my Grandfather. Not screaming and yelling like the other people in the car he was driving.

Vashti, I said don't try to turn a seasoned piece of Osage Orange.

This bit from his web site says he is turning it before is's seasoned, a world of difference I assure you

"Sometimes as wood turns, and often as it dries after turning a split may
occur naturally. I leave these splits as they form, and consider them a natural beauty element to my pieces."

Wow!! Thank you all for the replies. I guess I didn't make myself real clear. These trees are all over the place, as a wind storm uprooted them years ago. I'm trying to clean the place up, as the previous owner just left it as is. Cutting them up is like cutting concrete! I have saved a few staight pieces for posts, but most of the branches grow extremely crooked. I think I now have enough firewood for next year!

Suitcase Sally

Osage orange was valuable as a trade item because of its strength, etc. Even in places where the tree didn't grow naturally, it was known, valued and *named.*

I just bought small trees for a friend at $14 a pop. Not native here, although I have seen some in old pastures here and there.

I had heard that nothing nowadays eats those funky green fruits; it is guessed that it is a plant that survived from earlier times when there was something to eat them.

On the other hand I've heard that squirrels will shred the fruit to get at the seeds inside and that they are edible by humans as well, but are labor-intensive to aquire.

I would expect those, if they were green to weight 300lbs. or more.

I cut up one hedge tree that at the base was close to 4'. I had 2 years worth of firewood in that one tree. There are a few more of those around here. I had to get rid of that one because of the driveway.

Dont know what it weighed but it sure squated the rear end of a 15 MF tractor !!! Went to the auction just to see waht post were going for. It was really strange there were some that were 7 FT and straight as a string brought $12.00 each then there were some just like em only brought $2.00 . Icouldnt see a nickles worth of diffirence.
I hate cutting the realy big ones for the simple fact of how old they are but man is there a lot of firewood in one.
Sage the state of missouri nursey sell them I dont know for how much but you could check there.
Jim