Hi All, Don't know about making a lute from Osage Orange, but 20ish years ago, I read about a guy who made a lap dulcimer from it. He did it for the yellow color of the wood. Think he noted it gave a bright tone. Beyond that I don't think he commented on the wood. He mentioned nothing about rushing to make many more from it. If I recall correctly from my Kansas days, something over 40 years ago, it's terribly hard, heavy, dense, tough stuff-- just barely floats, hard on tools. The only tool I ever tried to work it with was a hatchet while attempting to gather fire wood during a camping trip. This, to no avail. Fortunately, I found plenty of other wood that yielded to my hatchet and saw. Many years ago, farmers all over planted the trees as hedge rows along the edges of fields-- thus the common name of the green fruit they drop, "hedge apples." Totally inedible by anything. They exude a sticky white juice/sap that is difficult to get off your hands, too. I've heard ranchers in Texas call it Bois d' Arc, pronouncing it "BOW-dark." I think I also remember reading somewhere plains (and possibly other) Indians used it for bows. About two miles from where I live, there's about a quarter mile of it along a fence. I've been waiting quite a few years for the farmer to clear it so I can try to talk him out of some of it. No luck yet. Cheers, Steve
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