Cutting a honey locust for stave (???)

[marahat]

I'm planning on cutting a honey locust tomorrow in an attempt to start a bow stave (or staves). I was just wondering what the major things are that I need to get done in that day, so I don't forget anything. Are these trees true locusts? Something about it makes me think it's a white wood and that I would need to strip the bark. I guess I'll find out. Anyone ever work with this wood? Any suggestions on what I should do to get it started?

[Osagetree]

Not sure but, I've always heard honey locust is no good. You need to find Black locust....

[Pat B]

Honey locust will make a good bow and yes you have to treat it like other whitewoods. It is not a true locust.
  I've never made a honey locust bow but I have seen some. I think treat it similar to hickory or elm. If you can wait a while until the growing season before cutting you will be able to peel the bark off without much difficulty revelaing the back for your bow. By cutting now, while the tree is still dormant you will have problems getting the bark off and may have to chase a ring or add a protective backing if the back is violated in the process.

[marahat]

Ok, that's what I was thinking. Dangit. I don't want to wait. I guess I'll go try to find a straight black locust, we have black locust.

[Osagetree]

I stand corrected. Pat would know.

[marahat]

Don't feel bad, Osage, I had several people say that honey locust was no good as well, or that they hadn't heard of anyone making anything out of it. It was only when I saw that a few people had indeed used it that I looked into it further. And being that we have some really straight ones on our property, I thought I'd give it a shot. But I've yet to make one at all. I may just go with hickory for my first bow. There's so much to remember, I'm just trying to take it step by step. I can't tell which of our black locusts are alive or dead, so I'm going to wait till I see leaves. Then I can just pick a tree and make a stave. Of course, I'll be waiting another six months to a year before I can get started, but I'm ready for it. I think that'll be the best way to test whether I really want to make one or not. One thing that this tree searching has done for me, I found a persimmon thicket of maybe fifty trees on the property today that I didn't know was there. Right on the edge. I always wondered why the deer were traveling through there. I mean, I hunted real close to that area. But now I know why it was so appealing to them. I can't believe that many of those trees remained hidden from me for so long. It took having a reason to walk an extra 20 or thirty yards to find them.

[Pat B]

Persimmon makes a good bow too!

[marahat]

Ooh, dang. I wish you hadn't told me that. I'd prefer to keep as many food sources on the property as possible... How can I identify a male?! LOL. Oh, but here's another question:  Has anyone out there ever grafted a persimmon? I've heard that you can do that and create more fruit bearing trees..

[Pat B]

You will have to wait for them to bare fruit to tell the difference.
 I have done a little grafting years ago. Yes you can make fruit producing trees by grafting. Generally this timre of year is when you do grafting.

[scrub-buster]

You can cut the black locust now.  You will need to remove the bark and sapwood with a drawknife so it doesn't matter if the bark doesn't slip off like it does in the spring.

[marahat]

I was told you can just seal the ends on a black locust and leave the sapwood and bark on it. While it dries. Are you saying you gota get it off after cutting it? As far as the persimmons, I know of several that are producing fruit, and one is getting ate up by kudzu. I'm just not sure which ones aren't producing. I guess it wouldn't hurt to get that one out of the kudzu and try to graft it on to some others. My parents might know which ones are which. They didn't know about that thicket, but there are quite a few more on the property.

[Dan Landis]

I cut a honey locust a year and half ago.  I peeled the bark right away, split it in half and sealed the ends and back and left them sit in a corner of my garage.  When I got them out to rough out a bow they were both twisted so badly that I was only able to salvage two billets that I will try to get a bow out of later this winter.
I don't know if this is typical or not, but if you do decide to cut some, you might want to clamp them so they can't warp and twist on you, IMO.

[scrub-buster]

You don't have to peal it right away.  You can let it season with the bark and sapwood on.  I just thought you were in a hurry to get some staves to make a bow.

[marahat]

Oh ok. Thank you Dan and Scrub*. Both vital bits of info for honey and black locusts, respectively.