So what do you know about Bodock Trees? - Woodworking Talk

slatron25 · 06-10-2009, 08:06 PM

May have the chance to get a few (like I need more wood). I did a little searching and it seems to be similar to or is Osage orange.

HFC Homes · 06-10-2009, 08:25 PM

I searched it and its hedge, never heard it called bodock. Its hard on blades and hard to work.

Gary Beasley · 06-10-2009, 08:29 PM

Sound like the less educated version of bois d'arc, AKA osage orange.

**TexasTimbers** · 06-10-2009, 09:13 PM

Yeah it's pronounced "bow-dark" but spelled Bois d' Arc which is the phrase the French explorers gave the wood when they noticed native Americans used it for their bows. It translates to "bow wood".

If you can get some medium sized straight trees go for it. They get too big and they get hollow. You can still get plenty of wood out of hollow ones usually though because they are not usually completely hollow.

slatron25 · 06-10-2009, 09:22 PM

Thanks all, I just copy and pasted the name from craigslist, I didn't write it.

prana360 · 06-11-2009, 02:38 PM

Bodock and Oasge Orange are the same tree. As someone else said they are very hard on saws. I am in the tree care industry and have cut many of these down or trimmed them and they will eat up a chainsaw in no time. You will usually dull at least one if not two chains on a small sized tree (20' tallish). On the other hand I also do wood turning and Osage turns beautifully and does not harm my turning tools much at all. For what its worth...my two cents.

**TexasTimbers** · 06-11-2009, 03:04 PM

Welcome prana.

I hear a lot of people say Osage is hard on their chains. I think they must be cutting standing dead ones because live or fresh-felled bodark isn't the hardest wood I cut. Pecan is quite a bit harder on my saws and blades than bodark.

If it starts getting into 18 to 24 months and older since it was felled then yeah it's hard as a rock, but so is Hickory/Pecan, some Elms, Persimmon, even Mulberry is quite hard (Bodark is in the mulberry family BTW). Heck lots of species as hard and harder to cut than bodark from my experience.