Osage Orange score ?

[Curmudgeon]

I know Osage is like pine to some folks, but here on the gulf coast you NEVER see it.
I go to to a small hardwoods shop once in a while to see what they have and today they had a huge pile of Wenge. I got a wonderful piece, but it was no bargain @ $15/BF. While shopping, I asked one of the guys why they never had any Osage Orange and he said, 'We do. We have had the same ol piece of OO for years and it's never sold" . My response was a quick 'Show me".  So we travel back among the scrap and waist wood and he digs out a 4"x4"x 6+'  post of OO (as he calls it) and says “Is this what your looking for ?”  Yep! ,how much ?."Let me ask the boss" he says, so I follow him into the office, and he calls the big boss up and says he got a guy (sucker ?) that wants to buy that old piece of OO.  $11.50/BF he says. I say  I'll take it, not really knowing if that's a fair price or not. Then, I point out that one edge of one side is a bit banged up and he says how about I figure it up at 6/4 instead of 12/4. That would be fine I say and walk out with a 4X4X6+ (8+ bf?) piece of OO that ended up being rung up as 4.67/BF , making the actual board over 9 BF I think,  and I'm a happy camper. I have never turned any OO, and I can't wait.

[HaMeR]

You'll like it. It turns very nice & sands smooth as a babys bottom. It took friction polish very well also.  ;D

[Hawks Feather]

Like Glen, I really like Osage.  I like not only the way it turns, but also the way it looks when finished. 

Jerry

[BigB]

I HATE hedge.  Put in 5 miles of barbed wire fence using hedge posts every 15 feet, and see if you still like hedge. lol. We cut our own fence posts as well from hedge trees on our farm.  Its some nasty, gnarly, thorny brushy type of tree.  Every time I make a call using hedge, I consider it revenge. ;D

Hedge turns great.  It's a harder wood, and will dull the tools a bit quicker than most woods.  You can turn it different colors with chemicals, put burn lines in it, and burn the wood to make it turn colors.  All of the finishes I have tried work quite well with it.  BLO really makes the grain pop as well.  It's one of my favorite woods to turn.

[Curmudgeon]

I did a bunch of resawing on the hedge yesterday and ended up with an orange shop. Turned one blank so far and I like it a lot. It's hard, but turns well and has a great finish, just like everyone said it would. I have about 40 call blanks, 40 pen blanks (to trade) and about half of the original piece left. Pictures when everything is dry. I turned a mess of barrels and 5 stoppers this weekend. Lost 20% of my body weight in water, but I quicky recoverd Saturday evening with some Miller Light, it's 99% water right !

[Braz]

As has been said, Osage is great stuff. The older the better too. It has more character and more chatoyance. Some of that stuff you would swear is a hologram, the way it changes colors with movement. I love the colors and most of all the way it turns. Nice catch on the wood.

[Curmudgeon]

"chatoyance" !!!!! OMG !!!!!

Should I wear a resparator and gloves ?, fumagate ?, avoid dircect contact ? 
No one ever mentioned "chatoyance" to me ! I feel llike such a newbie !

[Braz]

 ;D ;D ;D ;D