Timber Framers Guild Forums General General Forum Questions anyone used black locust for a frame?

our hand has been forced to use black locust for a business sign and don't quite know what to expect from the wood other than it will be a pain in the butt. never seen it used for anything other than whole log or split rail fencing. Any hints, tips, lessons learned, or warnings would be greatly appreciated.
thanks
bloveland

Why will it be a pain in the butt? What size "timbers" boards are you talking about?
Other than it smells funky and throws a splinter that could pierce your palm I like it. Not all trees will yield a saw log-if you get a stick with tension it'll behave like hickory. Big stuff straight grained can be hard to find. I mill a bit of it for wooden boat people, out door decking/green house applications and timber framers. Seems like a good application might be a business sign. Minimal sapwood, relatively low shrink rate, hard and rot resistant once down.

"Pain in the butt" comes from local carpenters who have never had to hand tool it. I have never really touched the stuff so I don't know what to expect.

I agree that Locust is very durable and will last longer than you and I will. I've done a couple frames with it in Bayfield, WI on the south shore of Lake Superior. Also, I have milled thousands of feet of decking for clients here in Southern Wisconsin. Locust is fairly manageable to mill when it is in the green state, but once it dries, which doesn't take very long, it gets pretty hard. I've found the locust that has really dark streaks through it seems to be the least dimensionally stable. Here in Wisconsin I'm getting my hands on some of the locust the CCC planted and it is really nice stuff with out any knots(Very rare).

Be prepared if you are used to pine as it will be a shock when you plunge your mortiser or take your framing chisel to it. Believe it or not if you have really sharp tools it mills pretty nice in the green. Good Luck