Honey Locust

[Nashobahohma]

Anyone ever use Honey Locust to make a selfbow? If so how did it turn out and how was it to work with.  For anyone that doesn't know, honey locust is the one with the 6 inch thorns.

[Pat B]

Honey locust has multi-pointed thorns along the trunk. Black locust has singular thorns on the smaller branches. They both have seed pods, honey locust pods can be 12" long and 1" or more wide. Black locust pods are about 4" long and maybe 1/2" wide.
 Honey locust isn't the best bow wood but if you overbuild the bow it should make a good bow. It probably reacts well to belly tempering.

[mwosborn]

I've tried cutting some honey locust and it twisted and warped so bad as it dried that I could not use it.  BL is much better.

[Pat B]

Black locust and honey locust are not related. Black locust is very hard wood and honey locust is softer.

[Roy from Pa]

I've used black locust too,  pretty wood and makes a nice bow.

[Eric Krewson]

There is something about those thorns that kept me from trying honey locust.

[hunting badger]

I just bought some property in Arkansas and it has a few Honey Locust on it so I was wondering the same thing. I was planning on cutting most of them and seeing if I could get any useable wood from them. I have seen Honey Locust wood before and it is beautiful but I would probably put it in a glass bow. How do you guys think it would do under glass or in a glass riser?

[Mo_coon-catcher]

I’ve made one honey locust bow atm. And it turned out to shoot very well. I made it to pull 30# at 24”. I made the limbs 25” from fade to nock d 1 3/8” wide to mid limb tapering to 5/16” nocks. I forgot to take any full draw pic. But with a 300gr arrow it was consistently in the mid-upper FPS area. And extremely soft and quiet shooting due to being such low density. It has very pretty heart wood if you start with a small diameter tree that gets the heart into the limbs or chase a ring down a bit to thin the sapwood. And it does react very nicely to heat treat. It stiffens up well and makes adds quite a bit of weight. I still have a couple more staves I plan to play with and try out with heavier draw weights. It just hasn’t happened yet.

Kyle

[Pat B]

Honey locust is a good wildlife draw. Deer love the bean pods that fall during hunting season.

[David Flanrey]

What Pat said.
If you don't have a specific reason for cutting them you should reconsider.  Deer love the pods when they start falling.  A good place to catch them feeding.  I have not tried the wood in a selfbow but have used the lams for veneer wood.  It makes a stunning bow limb.

[kennym]

David , if they didn’t have thorns , I’d love em!!!