Wood Uses

[Stonewall_Greyfox]

O.K....so now that we're clearing some trees, I'm going to have a supply of various types of hardwoods - and am wondering what to do with these (other than just stack them up in the wood shed).

Saturday saw us cutting down the large Locust in the side yard, which was dangerously close to the house - and overshadowed the boxwoods. I plan to use the larger portions of the trunk to split into fence railes, and some of the smaller scrub pieces to make pins and tines with...but are there other uses for Locusts?

I am familiar with the 1860 U.S. Ordnance Manual, and the subsequent C.S. version, but found the list of Wood Uses to be rather small, and as one would suspect - primarily focused on arms & munitions packaging.

I figured, that perhaps the board could use a compiled list (preferably with sources) of wood types and their uses...and of course, I'm wondering what to do with the beech, sycamore...etc.

Thanks!

Paul B.
Paul B.

[Becky Morgan]

Re: Wood Uses

We-el, here's what little I know, gathered from no better source than a life here in the woods:

Sycamore used to be called "buttonwood" if that's a hint. It's sometimes tossed in with the soft maples, but it's far too soft for a lot of uses. It is, however, very light and good to whittle or make small items with. Buttons, of course, intricate carving on jewelry boxes and the like, even wooden mugs and water dippers can be made of the wood. We had some very old sycamore water buckets around the neighborhood, but they had a bad tendency to dry out and leak; sycamore is fond of streams and depends on water to keep itself plumped up.

Locust is, as you probably know by now, hard as nails. It makes great firewood (don't waste the big pieces on that, of course). The really huge one behind our house died some years ago and we saved a crosscut for a table top. There are fifty-two rings, so it was old for a locust and likely died of old age. Most locusts break off or blow down and have to regreow long before that.
By the way, if you didn't grind up too much of your stump, yours will be back. It's not even uncommon for green locust posts to sprout anew if they're set right side up. If you ever see a very old farm lane lined with locust trees that seem to pop out of an old fence line, they may have.
Posts, fence rails, Ive heard of people making shoe pegs from locust but that's Depression-era--if you want to be mean to yourself and your pocket knife, you can try to whittle it. I have heard of locust flooring in some really old houses around here, but it isn't common, probably because the wood is so hard to cut. The one house I knew that had it washed away in 1990. Its locust boards were cut at the sawmill in 1838 rather than by hand.

Beech takes a pretty finish, but I don't have enough experience with it to say whether it would be any good for furniture and such. It's also possible it could depend on your variety.

Boxelder seldom gets tall and thick enough to do much with. The light, nontoxic wood has the same advantages and drawbacks as sycamore because they're in the same general class of soft maples. If you're looking for a stick to cook with, boxelder will do the job nicely and the tree won't mind much; like locust, they break and resprout often. (It is disconcerting, considering their great size, to realize that sycamores also drop and regenerate limbs easily.)

[Hank Trent]

Re: Wood Uses

Here's one period source: Resources of the Southern Fields and Forests, 1863. Search using the search box at the left, just above where it says "write review" to search within this book only, for whatever wood you're interested in, and it will give some examples of use. It's not limited to just timber usage, so you'll have to wade through dyes, medicines, etc.

As far as secondary sources, are you familiar with A Reverence for Wood by Eric Sloane, or any of his similar books? They tend to mix up everything as being vaguely "in the old timey days," but they do give lots of good information on traditional uses of different woods.

Hank Trent
hanktrent@gmail.com

[Arthur Stone]

Re: Wood Uses

Paul,

I've been doing tree work for 35 years and what I've learned is that Sycamore makes great butcher Blocks. If you go to a butcher shop the block is probably a big chunk of Sycamore. London Plain or American Sycamore, I think both can be used. Honey Locust, rail fence or fire wood. It's hard as hell and not carving friendly. Beech, Is dense! I've heard of barrels being made of beech and old Timmie shoe parts also. Out east here Box elder trees get big and wide! Not real tall, maybe 50' but they have a nice red grain in them. Once made a nice table top out of one.


Hope this helps,

[erik]

Re: Wood Uses

Always consider the Military applications of this wood.
The Fort Thompson reconstruction in New Madrid MO needs countless wood appliances. There is a need for stakes, gabions, fascines, scantling for profile traces, chevaux de frise and palisades. Depending on distance, what can your timber produce? A tree is like a buffalo, every part is useful.

Erik Simundson,
The guy who will trace this work.

[Hardtack Herring]

Re: Wood Uses

Paul,

Maple and Ash were used to make drums.

The wood used were free of defects and are very hard to find today.

We have been looking for wood to make drums for years.

We were very lucky this summer and were able to pick up about 13 pretty clear boards from a local tree service.

Hopefully in the near future we will have several completed drums.

Currently we have one test drum shell that we made by steaming and bending the wood. Its pretty cool!

[Vuhginyuh]

Re: Wood Uses

Paul,

In the fall of 1954, Hurricane Hazel blew down several Live Oak in the yard and my grandfather had chairs made from the fallen timber. I inherited the house and furnishings a couple of years ago and I have two “hurricane” rocking chairs in the den. There are two corner chairs at my parent's and my younger brother and sister each get one. My older brother has an arm chair.

My aunt and uncle constantly berate my father for letting my chairs stay with the house. They want 'em badly. So next month, and after 56 years, a certified arborist is going to trim the surviving trees...and my dear father is having chairs made for his brother and sister from those lovely ancient limbs.

Create some family history and have something worthwhile and permanent made with the wood. It gives the kids something else to fight over.

edit: Sorry folks for this being as far off topic as anything I've seen lately.

How about some "Treenware" - hard hardwood household implements. Dough boards, trenchers, bowls, mallets, darning eggs, fids, mashers, engine turned candle holders. Anything long enough for quants (barge or punt poles)? Is there any sacrificial Lignum Vitae on the property?

[Virginia Mescher]

Re: Wood Uses

This is Virginia's spouse posting.

Unfortunately I can't find my wood technology textbook from college which could have described many uses for different wood species.

However, if you do google searches for the individual species, some websites tell what the wood can be used for.

Michael Mescher

[ajhamler]

Re: Wood Uses

Paul...

One of the best books I know of on wood is "Understanding Wood," by Bruce Hoadley. He covers, literally, every aspect of wood, including best uses for various species and methods of drying fresh-cut lumber, which might be useful for you. It's filled with so much information that it's considered by most serious woodworkers to be the "bible" of wood.

Someone also asked about beech and, yes, it's an excellent furniture wood.

A.J.

[yeoman]

Re: Wood Uses

Sir and ma'am, the book Hank pointed out may be old but is a great primary period source, well worth a look see.
"Resources of the Southern Fields and Forests, Medical, Economical, and Agricultural. Being also a Medical Botany of the Confederate States; with Practical Information of Trees, Plants and Shrubs", by Francis Peyre Porcher.

This link puts the whole book on one scroll page.

http://docsouth.unc.edu/imls/porcher/porcher.html