The wood is hard, heavy and dense, has a specific gravity of .80, and is resistant to rot. Osage orange (Maclura pomifera), is also known as bow-wood, bodark, boduck, horse-apple or bois d’arc. Considered by many to be North America’s most durable hardwood, Osage orange is named after the Osage Indian Tribe and the orange refers to fruit of the tree.

 

t’s a good exterior wood because, once it is properly dried, it doesn’t seem like any insects will attack it; it doesn’t seem susceptible to rot or even sun damage,” says David Stine, a custom furniture maker in Dow, Ill., who works with Osage orange. “It just seems to last forever outdoors. It machines sort of like ash; it’s crisp, and it really holds an edge well. It’s very dense and hard, almost like when you get heart mahogany, and it doesn’t fuzz up or string out like sycamore. It cuts cleanly and doesn’t have much internal stress once it is dry, so it won’t move on you much.”

 

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