Might be Man, what came up on a Google?? John

Google, hmmm...

"The wood is extremely hard, resistant to rot and long lasting, making it prized for fence posts and small watercraft. As a young man, Abraham Lincoln spent a lot of time splitting rails and fence posts from black locust logs. Flavonoids in the heartwood allow the wood to last over 100 years in soil.[2] In the Netherlands and some other parts of Europe, black locust is the most rot-resistant local tree, and projects have started to limit the use of tropical wood by promoting this tree and creating plantations. It is one of the heaviest and hardest woods in North America."

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_locust

My yard used to be part of a farm. When we moved in 18 years ago, I figured the old, weatherbeaten fence posts up by the road would soon just fall down. No need to cut them down. Well, they look the same now as they did 18 years ago.

OK, I'll take a ride to the sawmill - see if they have any 4/4".

That sounds good,like white oak or chesnut but its hard to tell how it might check/split in the sun. J.

Tom,

What does the wood look like/cost? I would use a domestic product that compares to ipe especially if it cost less. Also what part of the country are you in?

Al

I went up to the saw mill (Sussex County, NJ).

They have locust logs, but I would have to order and then they would cut (no boards in stock). At that point, the lumber would have to be air-dried (OK, but takes time), or I pay for the kiln.

The lumber is cheap - 1.25/bf (green) + .40/bf for Kiln- definitely a "no-frills" sawmill. I've bought other air dried hardwoods there before.

I couldn't really tell looking at some 4"x4"s but the sawyer said Locust looks like a cross between white oak and poplar. He also said most Locust orders are for 4x4 and 6x6. He did not remember anybody ever ordering 5/4" decking. He thought it would check (like John Hyatt said).

Ordered my 4/4" garapa (facia) from East Teak (Jeffrey Rogers). Will have to glue up 1x4's and 1x6's to get the 1x8

Thanks for the info Tom. Figures it would check, if it was good for decking it would be all ready be selling like hotcakes at that price.

Al

One major reason black locust isn't used more in construction, etc, is that boards of any size and length are hard to come by. The trees tend to be twisty, stubby and often rot from the inside out.

But...but. You can occasionally get black locust in nice sizes. Just tonight, someone on eBay was auctioning a couple of black locust boards that were each 18" wide by 48" long.

The wood itself has a golden-yellowish cast, and the grain can often take on a ribbony appearance. I've got some of it stashed in the garage - if I think of it I'll take some photos. I love the stuff.

Another great North American hardwood is hedge, aka osage orange (Maclura pomifera). Gorgeous, golden stuff.
Jason