Osage Orange Trees as Friend:
Osage Orange, or Maclura pomifera, also referred to as horse apple, hedge apple, and Bois d'Arc, the Osage is easily recognized by its large, green, lumpy fruits. The controversial Osage Orange has a long, valuable history with a potentially useful future for many property owners. Here's what to know about Osage Orange trees.
The Osage Orange originates from southern Oklahoma, western Arkansas, and areas of east Texas. The tree came to grow in all parts of those states, but it was first found near Osage Native American settlements.
The early Native Americans esteemed the tree for its excellent wood, which made superior hunting bows. The tree wood was useful for war clubs, tomahawk handles, rope, and tannin.
Early settlers and pioneers found the wood of the Osage Orange tree incredibly useful as well. The strength of its wood helped create valuable wagon wheel rims and hubs. As the frontier expanded, so too did the knowledge of the famous tree wood. Soon Osage Orange trees were made into railroad ties and telegraph poles.
Finally, prairie settlers in the 1800s discovered Osage Orange trees made the perfect hedge tree. Osage trees could grow into dense, thorny hedges to act as a fence to help keep cattle and other animals at bay. In 1879, Monroe County had an incredible 2,000 miles of Osage Orange hedge rows.
Achgikbi Kitchen Boards:
At Achgikbi, we thoroughly enjoy being able to uncover the natural beauty within each hardwood log. We have developed relationships with nearby arborists and tree services that allow our business to receive local tree logs. Each tree milled in our yard was brought down by a tree service due to issues such as potential hazard, storm damage, disease, death or new construction. Achgikbi does not pay for local trees to be harvested specifically for our use. We understand and value the role trees play in a balanced environment. We believe we have an obligation to be responsible stewards of our local resources.
After milling is completed, all lumber and slabs are meticulously stacked and stickered for air-drying. Milled wood typically spends 9-18 months air drying before we move it to our Nyle L200M kiln for a 3-4 week final drying and heat treatment cycle. To ensure proper drying, we monitor our slabs regularly. Wood is perfectly dried when a single-digit moisture content is achieved; ideally between 6-8% moisture content. Our wood and live edge slabs are then ready to be crafted by or for our clients.
We use Walrus Oil to finish our kitchen boards. They have partnered with the National Forest Foundation 501(c)3 & 1% For The Planet 501(c)3 helping both the environment & keeping woodworking sustainable. We apply a coat of finishing oil & then wood wax just prior to shipping your board. The process is easy & provides a beautiful finish enhancing the wood's grain & just as importantly providing it with a protective coating. Oils are food safe as well as the glues & epoxies used.
- Board's actual dimensions are: 15.00" (l) x 9.00" (w) x 1.375" (d). This is a solid/stout board. Tried to show color variation of board as well as depth of board in pictures.
- Board will be shipped with Care Instructions.
- Board has non-skid feet installed. Can be removed as they are screwed in for moisture adjustment. Board is stable but wood absorbs & dries with moisture content within its environment.
- Board will be shipped USPS unless otherwise selected by you, the Buyer.
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