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Our neighbor, a retired farmer, told me about some acreage approx 45 mins south of us he used to "farm" that had a row of Osage Orange - or as he calls them Hedge Apples. So Sunday afternoon, having nothing of more importance on our schedule, we drove down there and found picture 1 - a nice grove of Osage Orange as promised however, we could not get to them because there were weeds knee deep and at times chest high.
At our ages we simply do better walking on solid firm surfaces...doing our best to avoid broken hips/knees/ankles etc. It appeared to us the farmer had pushed fallen limbs up against the base of the trees so he could work the ground. It's my plan now to return after he's harvested his soy beans and the weeds have died off. For there's what appears to be a lifetime supply of already dead but very sturdy Osage Orange limbs in that pile.
I did, however, manage to pull two sticks out of the weeds and brought them home. The first (pic 2) will need another piece added - which I happen to have - and even though it appears to be thin and weak it is not. Osage Orange is a very hardy wood.
Picture 3 is a much longer piece and I may be able to salvage a cane or two from it. Without a doubt this limb had been laying on the ground covered with weeds for years - quite a bit of the bark has rotted away but its solid, Solid, SOLID.
Picture 4 is an Osage Orange handle already here at the house. When I saw this stick I immediately thought "handle" - please note where I've cut away the top portion exposing the beautiful grain. This is going to take some work but upon completion this will again be speck-tack-you-lurr, no doubt.
And again confirming why I LOVE wood working.
-neb
ps - Isn't God good?!
At our ages we simply do better walking on solid firm surfaces...doing our best to avoid broken hips/knees/ankles etc. It appeared to us the farmer had pushed fallen limbs up against the base of the trees so he could work the ground. It's my plan now to return after he's harvested his soy beans and the weeds have died off. For there's what appears to be a lifetime supply of already dead but very sturdy Osage Orange limbs in that pile.
I did, however, manage to pull two sticks out of the weeds and brought them home. The first (pic 2) will need another piece added - which I happen to have - and even though it appears to be thin and weak it is not. Osage Orange is a very hardy wood.
Picture 3 is a much longer piece and I may be able to salvage a cane or two from it. Without a doubt this limb had been laying on the ground covered with weeds for years - quite a bit of the bark has rotted away but its solid, Solid, SOLID.
Picture 4 is an Osage Orange handle already here at the house. When I saw this stick I immediately thought "handle" - please note where I've cut away the top portion exposing the beautiful grain. This is going to take some work but upon completion this will again be speck-tack-you-lurr, no doubt.
And again confirming why I LOVE wood working.
-neb
ps - Isn't God good?!
