My parents are about to have five or so osage orange/bodark trees taken down in the back yard of their retirement house. I wanted to see if anyone had any interest in getting any of the large pieces for wood turning, pen making or anything else. If nobody is interested we will have the tree service haul it away. Expecting to take the trees down in 2-3 weeks and wanted to see if there was any interest. The house is in The Colony off of 121. The pieces would need to be carted out from the back yard to the front drive so it would be some work to get anything big out without help.
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Definitely, Shawn…please keep us posted. If your parents are having a hard time getting rid of the wood, posting to Craig’s List can sometimes help. Also the Dallas Area Wood-turners club (DAW) will often send out notifications to their membership, who like to scavenge greenwood wherever they can…they may be a (slightly) more respectable crowd than C/L. :–)
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The tree service has yet to do the cutting. We are still working out what exactly is to be cut or trimmed up. The trees are in the backyard where it is impossible to get a truck or big shredder. Will likely have the small stuff chipped up and placed along the back corner of the property where the storm drain runoff is eroding the backyard towards the creek. Figured the large limb and trunk pieces would be of interest.
I also have a tree fort with plastic slide and climbing wall and a kids playhouse that needs to be taken down before the big tree can be removed. Lots of decent condition pressure treated lumber available if anyone wants to come help take it apart. Luckily they used screws instead of nails on most of it so it should come apart fairly easy. Probably two or three pickup truck loads of lumber of assorted dimensions and lengths. Will get a few photos of it tomorrow afternoon when I get home. I only wished I had a big tree fort like this when I was a kid…
Oooh, yes! Little crappy chips and scraps are fine/better. It’s is good for natural dyeing fibers
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I wouldn’t be at all surprised if @talkers wanted some.
Osage (Bois d’Arc) is prime bow wood. If any of the trees is fairly straight for about 6 feet and you can cut a piece that long it would get scarfed up by anyone that makes bows. Probably should dip the ends so that it won’t check and split as it dries.
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What is the diameter of the trunks? I am in the Golden Triangle Woodturners.
Also, how long are the trunks until they branch out.
We call yours FOG wood. Found on Ground.
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At one time Dallas used Bois d’arc blocks to pave
steers with. A writer from Kansas was visiting Dallas
and he looked out of his hotel rooms after a rain and saw
the blocks glistening gold in the late afternoon sunlight
That image became the yellow brivk road in in the eOZ books
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Willing to help out clearing it out for some wood.
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add me to the list of helpers
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My dad will be marking the trees this weekend and I will have a better idea of the size trees that will be up for grabs. I think the biggest tree that will be coming down is the one the tree house is built around that will need to be disassembled first. That is one of my projects for this weekend. Thankfully they used screws instead of nails on most of it so I should be able to deconstruct it. Lots of lumber will be salvaged out of it in the process. Still trying to figure out when dad is going to have the tree service out to do most of the cutting. Will try to have the straight trunk sections kept as intact as possible for longer length lumber to be obtained.
I had wanted to try building a farmhouse trestle table from the trees in the back yard but I lack the time and space to build something like that at the moment. I will probably hang onto a few pieces for future projects but most will be up for grabs.
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Man I’d love some but no way to cut it up. But yah this is like, a bowyer’s wet dream. That stuff is highly sought after.
I believe that it is suggested to cut it roughly to shape before it dries, the olde it gess
the harder it gets. That is why it was used for plows in early time
Jeff, I’d like some of the Osage, too. If you go to help cut it I’d like to tag along and help. Just let me know. I have a pickup, but no trailer.
If he sends me some info I can plan a trip out.
The trailer is empty and I have a couple of chainsaws.
Glad to have ya along.
Jeff Whitcomb
2100 Bowling Green
Denton, TX 76201
800-969-9368
cell-903-203-9463
“The only good sense is one of humor, without it all the others are worthless.” JCW
[email protected]
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I live in Flower Mound, am interested in some wood, and am happy to help. Just message me for my contact details.
Thanks,
Scott Blevins (scottb4713)
I was trying to get my dad to get things marked this weekend but he did not get it done. He is retired and does things at his own slow pace. I am hoping to have it marked where people who want some can maybe come out this coming Friday afternoon or anytime on Sunday and harvest whatever they can haul away. I currently don’t have a chainsaw but I do have a battery powered reciprocating saw for helping trim things up. Saturday I will not be available.
Can you give me some diameter dimensions. I have lots of chainsaws and Colonel D Dan wants to join me. I would love to harvest some for Makerspace but anything under 16" is not viable for me. Sunday would work for me.
Shawn,
Will the trees be felled?
The trees have not been cut down yet. The largest is maybe 14-16 inches but most are 6-12 inches in diameter. I will put pressure on my dad to get out there and get them marked before the week is over.