Thread: American yellow hardwood

Hi, looks a lot like Osarge Orange to me, spelling might be wrong, named after the Indians who made bows out of it, many uses even railway sleepers I,m told, it fades in time,

You might be right about OO. I thought it might be that but the pictures I got off the internet of the bark on some is different, but I did find some that look exactly like my pieces. I saw on another forum that this is real hard, therefore going to be hard on the cutting tools. Wanted to make a coffee table for a beginning project after I master some techniques on some pallet wood.

A bit like some of our Aussie hard woods sands a lot better than it cuts, I wonder what finish to use to stop it fading if possible


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orange osage walking stick - Yahoo Video Search ResultsThis guy in this youtube video has made a knob/walking stick out of Osage Orange. In the video, he talks about once the bark is removed, it has to be sealed quickly, or it will crack. He says he uses MinWax, Spar Varnish to treat any "Raw" unfinished wood. I do not know I this wil keep the color from fading.

My two bobs worth....

IF this is Osage Orange (native to Nth America) Maclura pomifera is named after the large green inedible orange-like fruit. It is a favoured wood for turners for its figure from prominent growth rings and its striking colour. It is grown and becomes available in the SE of Australia from time to time, as turning blanks and discs.

It is distinguished by its obvious growth rings and bright yellow colour when freshly sawn. Its hard with high lustre making finishing easy. BUT retaining that beauty of colour is not easy if not impossible from what I've been told. I recall turners over the years applying UV blockers and coatings but the oxidation (UV and / or oxygen induced) changes it from canary yellow to dull brown, a change may be slowed, but is almost impossible to prevent. Here is one reference to the wood that discusses this change.

".... This color shift is mostly due to exposure to ultraviolet light in natural sunlight. Items made from American Osage Orange stand a much better chance of staying brightly colored if kept out of any direct sun exposure. However, even the best efforts at preventing color change will probably fail over time, so while color change in American Osage Orange may be slowed it may not be possible to prevent it..."

https://www.woodturningpens.com/american-osage-orange/

Osage belongs to the mulberry (Moraceae) family. Mulberry wood is also a pretty yellow

PS: There is a unusual related species that grows in the East Coast rainforests of Australia. Its not a tree but a scrambling large vine, called Cockspur Thorn / Vine (Cockspur Thorn (Maclura cochinchinensis). Even so, it produces a thick twisted woody stem with a bright yellow heartwood. It also has horrific thorns. Its woody heartwood is bright yellow and from my experience retains the colour better (ie longer) than Osage but is more prone to splitting during drying.

Euge

Originally Posted by Ian Artlett

A bit like some of our Aussie hard woods sands a lot better than it cuts, I wonder what finish to use to stop it fading if possible

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May be worth experimenting with different finishes Ian? But I believe many other turners have done such experimenting over the years.
So it may be worth asking this Question in the Timber section or Wood Turning section of the forum.

Cheers, Euge

Originally Posted by MGraham

Hi. I live in Arkansas and I saw a tree lightning struck and was informed that it would be cut down and disposed of. I failed to get a picture of the tree while it still stood, but one of the branches was broken, revealing a beautiful yellow hardwood. I was too late to salvage much of it, but my friend told me they left some large pieces and I could have them. I took my son to pick them up. This hardwood is exceptionally dense and heavy.

Minor point, but FWIW no native hardwoods in the US are exceptionally dense and heavy, compared to trees found elsewhere in the world. I belong to a saw milling website where North American sawmillers complain about tackling Osage Orange (OO). By comparison most of the aussie trees I have milled when green are at least as hard as OO when it is dry.

Thanks for the feedback. I got this 4 foot long log and some large branch pieces. It was exceptionally heavy and I put the log in the back yard. I realized later the thing was too heavy to haul to a mill by myself, (I had help getting it here). I did show pictures of it to a cabinet maker a he confirmed it was OO for sure. He suggested that I stand it end and take a chainsaw to it. I did so this morning an I worked on it for a half an hour until the humidity had me drenched. I cut a small burl off of it. Show some pictures of the project later. Of course, drying and processing this will be the next challenge.

I thought I'd post some more pictures. Looked like I was going to be unable to get this whole piece to the mill because of the weight. It took my son helping me to get it into the truck and he is not available very often. My friend who had been a cabinet maker suggested I stand it up on end and take a chain saw to it. I decided that I would quarter saw it.

Boy, was it hot and humid. I had to get up early, get dressed, and get set up over a three day period and be done by 0930 each morning. At 64 years old, these tasks aren't as easy as when I was younger. Anyone know if I need some kind of sealant while it sits in the yard until I get it to a mill.