Trade Names
Acacia
Latin Names
Robinia pseudoacacia
Origin
Eastern North America
Range
Today, Locust is one of the most cultivated tree species in the world. Located in Europe in the 17th century and then distributed quickly throughout said continent, it can nowadays be found – among others – in China, former Sovjet Republics and Kashmir as well. It is not so much appreciated because of its wood production but rather for its use in the initial population of problematic habitats. Due to its similarity to Acacia, Locust is often traded as Acacia.
Uses
Very popular wood for turning. As veneer and solid wood, Locust is used as furniture wood for the production of serial furniture in rustic and country styles. However, due to its small diameters and because it is prone to defects in the wood, Locust cannot be used for serial furniture production. Very popular wood for construction and for exteriors because of its durability and resistance to dry rot.
Properties
Gets mostly heavily steamed in order to achieve the dark color shown on the opposite page. The original color can be seen on page 67 of this book.
Machining
Despite of its hardness, Locust can be easily worked, however, nailing presents a problem.
Seasoning
When kiln-dried, Locust tends to surface checking. Due to its hardness and the frequent occurrence of tightly wracked stems, warping can easily occur so that drying has to be considered problematic.
Finishing
rface treatments are relatively unproblematic, coating is difficult, whereas oils and waxes work well. Treatments with lacquer present no problems.
Jointing
Gluing is problem-free.