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Bodark Wood For Sale
AKA .. Osage Orange, Bois d'Arc, or Hedgeapple
This is a very common wood in the bottomlands of the nearby Brazos River. It was formerly planted as hedgerows or living fences elsewhere on the prairie and reputed to be: "Horse high, bull strong and hog tight". These same Bodarks later became the durable fence posts that supported the "modern" barbed-wire! Wanting to see how they really worked, we are presently in the process of establishing a Bodark hedgerow around much of our property to replace the present barbed-wire fencing that contains our livestock.
Bodark is a hard wood and results in a beautiful finish. It turns easily on the lathe when green but becomes more of a challenge when it dries.
Note : As elsewhere, the dimensions given below are Length x Width x Depth of the blank. Theoretically these numbers indicate the dimensions of the largest bowl, box/goblet or spindle that might be turned from that piece if no flaws are encountered. The approximate weight (in pounds) as well as obvious physical features (checks, etc) are also indicated. Note also that most of these are rough cut. I do not have the time or equipment to routinely surface the cut sides - although sometimes I think that the grain is interesting enough that I will take it to the jointer before I take the photo.
You can see examples of various bowls and vessels turned from these "exotic" Texas woods on our companion website, www.prairiesend.com.
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Bodark squares
I have cut a number of square block pieces of Texas Bodark (Osage Orange or Bois d'Arc to you non-Texans) in response to inquires from plane makers. These are generally 3 x 4 or 4 x 4 inch pieces on lengths from 12 to 24 inches. They are all heartwood with the classic bright golden yellow color. That yellow heartwood will turn to a strong golden brown with age and sunlight.
These pieces have air-dried at least 2 years. I sell them by the board foot at $15/bf.
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Bodark Lot 100
6-1/2 x 6 x 4"
5-1/2 lbs.
This is a very deep half-log piece of Texas Bodark. The color is the bright golden yellow typical of Bodark heartwood. The sapwood is relatively thin, and since the blank comes from a very old tree, the sapwood is narrow and brownish-tan. That yellow heartwood will turn to a strong golden brown with age and sunlight. The bark was loose so I removed it to reduce the mess and the shipping weight.
The pith has been removed and I see no cracks or checks .
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Bodark Lot 101
6 x 7 x 4-1/2"
6 lbs.
This is another very deep half-log piece of Texas Bodark. The color is the bright golden yellow typical of Bodark heartwood. The sapwood is relatively thin, and since the blank comes from a very old tree, the sapwood is narrow and brownish-tan. That yellow heartwood will turn to a strong golden brown with age and sunlight. The bark was loose so I removed it to reduce the mess and the shipping weight.
The pith has been removed and I see no cracks or checks.
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Bodark Lot 102
6" max. diameter x 2" depth
2 lbs.
This is a nice small and shallow, half-log piece of Texas Bodark that has been roughly trimmed to round and is ready to be mounted on your lathe. It comes from heart of a small crotch and there is a very nice "flame" or "feather" figure on that cut face (upper photo).
The color is the bright golden yellow typical of Bodark heartwood. The sapwood is relatively thin, and since the blank comes from a very old tree, the sapwood is narrow and a brownish-tan color. That yellow heartwood will turn to a strong golden brown with age and sunlight. The bark was loose so I removed most of it to reduce the mess and the shipping weight.
The pith has been removed and I see no cracks or checks.
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Bodark Lot 103
7" max. diameter x 2-1/2" depth
4 lbs.
This is another nice half-log piece of Texas Bodark that has been roughly trimmed to round and is ready to be mounted on your lathe. It comes from the side of a good-size limb and was cut close to the pith. That darkening on one edge of the cut face (upper photo) is darker colored wood around the pith. That bright yellow heartwood will turn to a strong golden brown with age and sunlight. The bark was loose so I removed most of it to reduce the mess and the shipping weight. I see no cracks or checks.
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Bodark Lot 104
7" max. diameter x 3" depth
5-1/2 lbs.
This is another nice half-log piece of Texas Bodark that has been roughly trimmed to round and is ready to be mounted on your lathe. It was initially trimmed to a diameter of approximately 8 inches, but two flaws were recognized and the diameter of the "sweet"portion is approximately 8 inches.
This blank comes from the side of a good-size log and was cut close to the pith. That pith contained several cracks and minor decay, both of which were encountered in the 8-inch diameter cut. The two flaws are apparent on the edges of the cut face (upper photo) - one tangential crack on the left edge and a pocket of decay on the front edge. Note the 7-inch circle marked on the cut face - this is inside those two flaws. I see no other faults with this block.
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Bodark Lot 105
8" diameter x 6-1/2" high
~10 lbs.
This is a large and tall half-log piece of Texas Bodark from a log with an oval cross-section. I pictured a tall vase form and I may give it a try if no one buys it before I get the time. The color is the bright golden yellow typical of Bodark heartwood. That yellow heartwood will turn to a strong golden brown with age and sunlight.
This blank appears sound but there is one thin, partially-open crack and two faint-trace cracks that extend inward from the bark and appear to be drying cracks. Present on only one side, they appear to be confined to a portion of the bottom that will likely be removed as the blank is roughed-out.
Those four echelon-overlapping linear dark stains on the edge of the cut face (upper photo) represent the terminal ends of pith-related radial cracks. Only very tiny portions remain below the cut face.
The bark was loose so I removed it to reduce the shipping weight.
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Bodark Lot 219
7" max. diameter x 3-/2" depth
5-1/4 lbs.
This is a nice half-log piece of Texas Bodark (Osage Orange or Bois d'Arc to you non-Texans). The colors are the bright golden yellow typical of Bodark heartwood and the white to pale yellow of the sapwood. That yellow heartwood will turn to a strong golden brown with age and sunlight. The bark was loose so I removed most of it to reduce the mess and the shipping weight.
The log was halved close to the pith and a portion remains just below the cut face. But it appears to be tight and sound. There are no cracks or drying checks in this piece.
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Bodark Lot 213
7" max. diameter x 3" depth
5-1/2 lbs.
This is another nice half-log piece of Texas Bodark, the other side of Lot 212. The colors are the bright golden yellow typical of Bodark heartwood and the white to pale yellow of the sapwood. That yellow heartwood will turn to a strong golden brown with age and sunlight. The bark was loose so I removed it to reduce the mess and the shipping weight.
The log was halved thru the pith and some remains just below the cut face, but it appears to be tight and sound. There one thin but tight radial check in one end (bottom photo), but it looks to be shallow. There are also a number of thin, tight and shallow radial checks within the rim of the sapwood. All of these small checks may well be removed when roughing out a bowl form; if not, I would reinforce them with thin CA glue and proceed with confidence.
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Bodark Lot 213 |
$12.00 |
Sale pending
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Bodark Lot 215
9" max. diameter x 4-1/2" depth
12 lbs.
This is another nice, large and deep half-log piece of Texas Bodark suitable for a fairly large bowl. The colors are the bright golden yellow typical of Bodark heartwood and the white to pale yellow of the sapwood. That yellow heartwood will turn to a strong golden brown with age and sunlight. The bark was loose so I removed it to reduce the mess and the shipping weight.
The log was halved thru the pith and some remains just below the cut face, but it appears to be tight and sound. There were no cracks or checks within the heartwood at the time that I cut this piece, but there were a number of thin, tight and shallow radial checks around the rim of the sapwood. All of these small checks may well be removed when roughing out a bowl form; if not, I would reinforce them with thin CA glue and proceed with confidence.
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Bodark Lot 216
11" diameter x 11" high
~44 lbs.
This is a large solid whole-log piece of Texas Bodark. I left it intact so that you could decide what form is present within, from bowls to hollow-forms to pepper mills. The color is the bright golden yellow typical of Bodark heartwood. That yellow heartwood will turn to a strong golden brown with age and sunlight. The bark was loose so I removed it to reduce the shipping weight.
The log appears to be tight and sound. There were no significant cracks or checks at the time that I cut this piece. That rough end in the lower photo is the original but end of the log, well sealed with Anchorseal. I resealed the other cut end immediately after taking these photos.
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Bodark Lot 217
11" diameter x 11" high
~44 lbs.
This is another large solid whole-log piece of Texas Bodark. I left it intact so that you could decide what form is present within, from bowls to hollow-forms to pepper mills. The color is the bright golden yellow typical of Bodark heartwood. That yellow heartwood will turn to a strong golden brown with age and sunlight. The bark was loose so I removed it to reduce the shipping weight.
The log appears to be tight and sound. There were no significant cracks or checks at the time that I cut this piece. Both ends were immediately sealed with Anchorseal after taking these photos.
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This beautiful goblet was recently turned from some of the same Texas Bodark wood listed on this site. Additional examples of Bodark turnings are presented on our companion website Prairie's End Woodshop.
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Listing last updated 13 August 2008
Nothing here that suits your needs?
Then send me an email at: l.stahl@maroon.com
or a telephone call at: 281-392-5336
There is a good chance that I have more, either cut into blocks or in the rough log,
so I may be able to meet your specific requirements.
© 2008, Texas Woodcrafts
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