How'd it go today?

You gonna be able to do it? Good sizeable locust seems to be hard to find. It kind of puzzles me that it isn't grown as a cash crop, as quickly as it grows. Maybe it is, but just not around me :shrugs:
 
You gonna be able to do it? Good sizeable locust seems to be hard to find. It kind of puzzles me that it isn't grown as a cash crop, as quickly as it grows. Maybe it is, but just not around me :shrugs:
Quick growing, and quick formation of heartwood color are 2 different things. Otherwise it is quite the opposite of black.
 
Locust's lifespan is ~70 years. I don't know, but a conservative estimate would 40 years to harvest to reduce the odds of heart rot. I think that's pretty quick turnaround for a tree. It wouldn't be ready tomorrow, but sometimes you just gotta wait.
 
When my oak came down, it cracked a maple limb pretty bad, but it kept living. I've been wanting to remove it, but it was threaded between telco wires. Due to the geometry, removing the limb would cause it to thread into the wires more, and the weight could damage them and/or leave a dangerous hanger...

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After looking up polesaws, I decided they were too expensive for one job, and figured I'd make my own. Searched my yard for a suitably long branch, and dug up a half decayed piece of apple(I think). We'll try it! Gather the materials, and bring them to my state of the art fabrication shop(a locust stump I use as a seat out back), and voila! a polesaw!

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Took off a lower limb as proof of concept, and it worked! Got 75% of the way through the target limb, and my stick broke :^( Since I have a fully supplied storehouse of sticks, I found a piece of poplar to repair my new polesaw...

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Can't believe that shit worked. Success!

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Now I can remove the larger branch. A ladder would work, but that's stupid, right? We'll bring the climbing stuff from work, and do it like a pro. Maybe some time next week.
 
Ladder's aren't stupid, people just use them stupidly. Tie the top of the ladder to the tree, set a high tie in with a throw line or use your fancy pole from the top of the ladder while lanyarded to the trunk. Now you are tied in twice with both feet on a secured ladder and both hands free for cutting. Shorten the ladder and come back up to finish your cut as needed.
 
It's low enough I could use a step ladder. I just prefer using my fancy gear. Get more value out of it, and it's more fun. Polesaw's already disassembled. That was a one time thing, and I'm amazed it worked for that single branch. The wood "handle" was in really bad shape. I could rip another one out of a small poplar I cut down and saved, but meh... I don't really need polesaws. If the time comes when it's needed again, I'll build another one. I know the concept works now. It took longer to hunt down a stick than it did to put it together.
 
From what I understand, black locust is considered invasive in many/some parts of the country. Papers have been written and studies done on its viability, especially since it’s so rot resistant. I think the invasive nature paints this tree in a bad light. May be some other issues too that I’m not aware of.
 
It definitely spreads. If you have one, you have a hundred. I consider that a positive if raising as a crop. It isn't suited to nice even rows like pine, but it's self replacing, and only requires periodic thinning. Also grows in poor soils.
 
They grow like spider legs :^D Yea, if you want a grove of straight boards, locust won't do it for you. Not sure how profitable it would be for the big guys to get into it, but I think smaller players could make a solid living growing locust.

They're cool trees. I've grown to like them more and more as the years go on. The flowers smell great in the spring, and they're interesting to look at in an understated way.
 
Flattened and finished a small red oak slab. Nice weather for outdoor work. Gonna order some heavy metal legs and turn it into a bench.
 

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Oak's my favorite wood. Favorite tree also. What kind of legs ya gonna get? I just did a quick search of amazon looking to find decorative park bench style iron legs, but saw some made from iron pipe. Might be cool to use something like that. I like the industrial look also.
 
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