Toxic Wood? (bois darc, Horse apples???)
MXtexas
I'm not to sure of the spelling, but the tree grows what is called "Horse
Apples". Is the wood toxic or cause a rash or other allergic reaction(s)?
I have only reciently started workin with it and got something like poison
ivy/oak, but is really differant, but it still is "unpleasent" (actually
sucks). There was no ivy's growing in the area the tree was cut down.
And just in case your wondering, it's kinda like cutting "soft" concrete.
Thanks for any info.
Dave R
Bois d' Arc (or bodark, Osage Orange, hedge wood, Naranjo Chino, Yellow
Wood, or Maclura pomifera) seems to irritate me a little. I wear a dust
mask and goggles when sanding it or doing anything else that generates
dust. Other people seem to have no problem with it.
A strong yellow dye used to be made from the root bark and the tree bark
has been used to tan leather. So, the tree does have active chemicals in
it.
The wood does turn color after drying. See
http://userpages.nkn.net/prairietrail/torso.html
(My version of the nude cheerleader <grin>)
John Paquay
In article <19970802061...@ladder02.news.aol.com>, mxt...@aol.com
says...
>
>I'm not to sure of the spelling, but the tree grows what is called "Horse
>Apples". Is the wood toxic or cause a rash or other allergic reaction(s)?
>I have only reciently started workin with it and got something like poison
>ivy/oak, but is really differant, but it still is "unpleasent" (actually
>sucks). There was no ivy's growing in the area the tree was cut down.
>And just in case your wondering, it's kinda like cutting "soft" concrete.
>Thanks for any info.
Around here we call them 'hedge apples', but then we call the wood
'hedge', too... (I try not to work with anything that's been in close
proximity to horse apples -- well, except for the horse...). I believe
the tree is in the mulberry family, and those apples are full of
resins, so I suspect that there are indeed some chemicals in the wood
that one might be sensitive to. Never noticed a problem with it
personally, but then my tool of choice for working with it is a stick
of dynamite.
--
John Paquay
Dept. of Physics, Purdue University
j...@physics.purdue.edu, j...@belex.mdn.com
http://www.physics.purdue.edu/~jep/cshop.html
--------------------------------------------------------
Terry Paulsen
MXtexas wrote:
>
> I'm not to sure of the spelling, but the tree grows what is called "Horse
> Apples". Is the wood toxic or cause a rash or other allergic reaction(s)?
> I have only reciently started workin with it and got something like poison
> ivy/oak, but is really differant, but it still is "unpleasent" (actually
> sucks). There was no ivy's growing in the area the tree was cut down.
> And just in case your wondering, it's kinda like cutting "soft" concrete.
> Thanks for any info.
I think what you are refering to is Osage Orange. It produces a large
greenish fruit that resembles an orange, and if I remember correctly it
would have thorns. Do not try to eat the fruit itis poisnous. The
osage orange is a species related to the mulberry, and is used for long
bow blanks. I have seen samples of the wood in the past but can not
recall what it looked like. Grows wild in the eastern south west i e
Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas. introduced into midwest as a hedge row plant
in days before barb wire.
Wyndell Ferguson
On 2 Aug 1997 06:16:42 GMT, mxt...@aol.com (MXtexas) wrote:
>I'm not to sure of the spelling, but the tree grows what is called "Horse
>Apples". Is the wood toxic or cause a rash or other allergic reaction(s)?
>I have only reciently started workin with it and got something like poison
>ivy/oak, but is really differant, but it still is "unpleasent" (actually
>sucks). There was no ivy's growing in the area the tree was cut down.
>And just in case your wondering, it's kinda like cutting "soft" concrete.
>Thanks for any info.
You bois darc was obviously green! This is what us E. Texas folks
use for fence posts! Never gotten a rash from it...
Deo Vindice! (God will vindicate! )
Wyndell Ferguson
Cradle of the Confederacy, Camp #692
Don Staples
Wyndell Ferguson wrote:
>
> On 2 Aug 1997 06:16:42 GMT, mxt...@aol.com (MXtexas) wrote:
>
> >I'm not to sure of the spelling, but the tree grows what is called "Horse
> >Apples". Is the wood toxic or cause a rash or other allergic reaction(s)?
> >I have only reciently started workin with it and got something like poison
> >ivy/oak, but is really differant, but it still is "unpleasent" (actually
> >sucks). There was no ivy's growing in the area the tree was cut down.
> >And just in case your wondering, it's kinda like cutting "soft" concrete.
No specific toxins in Bois de arc, you may have run into poison ivy or
oak on the site. There is a white fluid that appearsin the fruit, but
not the wood, that fluid could cause some skin reaction.
How about some other agent you used in the same time period?
--
Ego Stroke: http://www.livingston.net/dstaples/
Robert Galloway
Osage orange, it is. The horse apples thing must be local usage. Here,
horse apples, also known as road apples are what's left in the street
after the parade goes by.
rhg
In article <33e39463...@news.pipeline.com>,
<djf...@Xpipeline.com> wrote:
>If I am correct, I have heard it referred to as Osage Orange.
>I find it valuable for wear surfaces in jigs and fixtures and for
>repairing the worn mouths of wooden planes.
>"Common Sense is So...Uncommon"
> ICQ#1522467
> Remove X to Reply