Strasberry Posted July 21, 2015 Report Share Posted July 21, 2015 Has anyone used Black locust for coffee tables or end tables? Thinking of making a bedroom set out of the locust. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strasberry Posted July 21, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 21, 2015 I have used it for a small table top. It can be difficult to work because it is so hard. My planer knives weren't super sharp so I got a lot of chip out. But other than that I see no reason not to use it. It can be hard to find, though. A friend of mine gave me about 500' of it, so I have lots to play with! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stobes21 Posted July 21, 2015 Report Share Posted July 21, 2015 I've used it for a big outdoor table and a few smaller items. It is quite hard and somewhat prone to tear out. The outdoor oil I used on it peeled/flaked off within a couple of months (GF I think). But i have had no problems with an oil finish on a heavy mallet I made that stays in my shop. The look is somewhat unique. Quite yellow, especially with an oil finish. Reminds me a lot of teak. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strasberry Posted July 21, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 21, 2015 A friends grandfather cut down a couple trees many years ago and this has been sitting in a barn for about 15 years. Hope it's not too dry to use. From what I've seen with the couple pieces I've played with, the tear out could be a issue and it is very hard. Hadn't thought about what kind of finish to use. Knowing your oil flaked off means I will need to do some testing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted July 21, 2015 Report Share Posted July 21, 2015 A friend of mine gave me about 500' of it, so I have lots to play with!Now there is a real friend! Black locust is supposed to outlast stone for outdoor projects, at least according to legend. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheFatBaron Posted July 22, 2015 Report Share Posted July 22, 2015 I've used it for wooden weapons, and a cage for my raspberries. It's hard, but not as bad as hickory or jatoba or the other really hard stuff. I don't think it's any more prone to tearout than most other woods, except for the fact that the tree itself tends to be knotty and gnarly, so you get a lot of grain direction changes. I've never found it to be totally unmanagable, though. Also, it ages to a very pretty amber color. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enclosed spaces Posted July 23, 2015 Report Share Posted July 23, 2015 Sometimes used for fence posts because of it's rot resistance. Love this stuff when 1/4 sawn. Beautiful grain highlights and not as prone to tear out as flat sawn. Would love to find some more of this for my own use, but it's a rare tree around this area and hard to find. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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