About the wood
Osage
Maclura pomifera
Bow wood of the Osage people and bois d'arc to the French, planted as living fence across the Plains and the East. A slab-width Osage log is a hedgerow or yard tree, yellow today and brown in a year.
- Janka
- 2620 lbf
- Density
- 54.0 lb/ft³
- Origin
- South-central United States (Red River drainage of Oklahoma, Texas and Arkansas); planted as hedge across all 48 contiguous states
- IUCN Red List
- Least Concern
Working & finishing
Hard and dense enough to be difficult, though it has little dulling effect on cutters; slow feeds, sharp carbide and pre-drilled screws. Turns well and takes stains, glues and finishes well. Thin oil or hardwax coats with a full day between them, since the dense surface takes finish slowly. A UV-inhibiting film slows the yellow-to-brown shift but does not stop it. Sap can cause dermatitis; gloves on green wood.
Care
Extremely durable, one of the most decay-resistant woods in North America and immune to termites, so it can live outdoors; epoxy fills and sapwood do not share that rating. Expect the bright yellow to go medium brown in daylight within a year. Little seasonal movement once dry.