LOCUST - HONEY AND BLACK There are two native locusts found in the Eastern States—the honey locust (Gleditsia triacanthos) and the black locust (Robinia pseudacacia). The honey locust is not abundant, however; and so, while possessing many desirable qualities in the way of strength and hardness, is little used.
Black locust and osage orange closely compete for the honor of being the heaviest and strongest American woods. In other respects they split even, for osage orange is the tougher, and black locust the stiffer. Both shrink less in seasoning than almost any other wood, either hard or soft—which is also an extremely desirable quality.
Black locust finds by far its largest use in the manufacture of insulator pins and brackets, with a small amount used for mill work, in ship and boat building, and for vehicles. In ship and boat building, black locust is valuable for tree nails, for the ancient method of holding two pieces of wood together by means of a wooden pin or nail has, for some purposes, not been improved upon.
Table 91 Factory Uses of Locust Purpose Per Cent Insulator Pins and Brackets 90 Mill Work 3 Ship and Boat Building. 3 Vehicles 2 Other Uses 2 Total 100 Black locust is also used for patterns, chucks, hubs, turnery, trunnels, and spokes for boat wheels.
Some of the small amount of honey locust manufactured is used in furniture, millwork, balusters, newels, and molding.