Note : As elsewhere, the dimensions given below are Length x Width x Depth of the blank. Theoretically these numbers indicate the dimensions of the largest bowl, box/goblet or spindle that might be turned from that piece if no flaws are encountered. The approximate weight (in pounds) as well as obvious physical features (checks, etc) are also indicated. Note also that most of these are rough cut. I do not have the time or equipment to routinely surface the cut sides - although sometimes I think that the grain is interesting enough that I will take it to the jointer before I take the photo.
The weights were measured at the time that the blocks were photographed and sealed. Some drying will occur and the weights are likely to be less by the time that they are delivered. The descriptions accompanying the photos describe all obvious physical flaws or character features, the good and the bad, such as pith cracks, checks, flame figure, birdseye features, etc. I do a lot of turning and when describing these blanks, I look at them as if they were going on my lathe.
Please be aware - as with most of the wood on this website (other than the pen blanks), these Mesquite blanks are fresh and green, or only partially air-dried. Unless otherwise noted, they have NOT been kiln-dried and any turning must consider greenwood turning procedures. That said - one of the beauties of Mesquite is its stability - being one of the most stable woods in the world with minimal to no warping and checking due to drying.
I occasionally cut nicely figured Mesquite into pen blanks. Those pictured here are typical although my photography leaves something to be desired. The colors are the strong reddish brown of Mesquite heartwood with traces of the bright yellow Mesquite sapwood on some of the blanks. The wood is hard and can be sanded and finished to a beautiful, sensually smooth surface. These have been fully-dried in my kiln.
Mesquite Pen Blanks
$2.00 each, no minimum.
Note - the active links below are an aid to quick navigation on this page. Just click on the Mesquite size range that interests you:
This is a very nice small-size end-grain block of Texas Honey Mesquite. It is primarily the rich reddish-brown of Mesquite heartwood, with a small section of yellow-brown sapwood on a portion of one edge. There is also a single small patch of "include bark" adjacent to the sapwood (bottom photo). It looks as if all of the sapwood and included bark will turn off as the block is rounded.
This is a very nice small-size block of Texas Honey Mesquite. It is primarily the rich reddish-brown of Mesquite heartwood, with a small section of light brown sapwood on one corner of the lower end. There are also two small patches of "include bark" on two edges and one small "string" of included bark (?) on another edge. It looks as if that little bit of sapwood and all of the "included bark" elements will turn off as the block is rounded.
I see no cracks, check or other structural flaws. Note - I do not know where that strong red color on one edge comes from - I do not see it on the dry or water-dampened surface of the blank. Apparently some photographic artifact.
This is a very nice small-size block of Texas Honey Mesquite. It is primarily the rich reddish-brown of Mesquite heartwood, with a very small section of light brown sapwood on one corner and edge of the lower end. There is also one small patch of "include bark" on one edge opposite the sapwood. That little bit of included bark and most of the sapwood will turn off as the block is rounded.
Another very nice small-size block of Texas Honey Mesquite. It is about 70% reddish-brown Mesquite heartwood and 30% golden yellow sapwood with a bit of bark on one edge. A lot of the sapwood will turn off as the block is rounded, but a portion will likely remain as a tapering stripe on the outside of the finished cylindrical form.
Another very nice small-size block of Texas Honey Mesquite. It is about 70% reddish-brown Mesquite heartwood and 30% golden yellow sapwood with a bit of bark on one edge. A lot of the sapwood will turn off as the block is rounded, but a portion will likely remain as a tapering stripe on the outside of the finished cylindrical form.
This is a very nice end-grain "stick" of well-figured Texas Honey Mesquite. It is a combination of rich, reddish-brown of Mesquite heartwood and creamy-yellow sapwood on the other side.
There is little bit of bark and one short, tight crack on two edges, but these will turn off immediately as the block is rounded. I see no other cracks, checks or significant flaws.
This is a very nice end-grain "stick" of Texas Honey Mesquite. It is a combination of rich, reddish-brown of Mesquite heartwood on one side (top photo) and creamy yellow sapwood and dark brown bark on the other side (bottom photo).
This is another nice end-grain block of Texas Honey Mesquite. The basic color is the rich reddish brown typical of our Texas Mesquite. I see no cracks or other flaws.
This is a very nice end-grain "stick" of Texas Honey Mesquite. It is a combination of rich, reddish-brown of Mesquite heartwood on one side (top photo) and creamy yellow sapwood on a portion of the other side (both photos).
This is a very nice small end-grain "stick" of Texas Honey Mesquite. It is primarily rich, reddish-brown of Mesquite heartwood on one side (top photo) and a small patch of creamy yellow sapwood on a portion of one side (bottom photo).
This is a very nice end-grain block of burly Texas Honey Mesquite. It is primarily the rich reddish brown typical of our Texas Honey Mesquite heartwood but includes a small patch of darker-red spalt staining on the back side (bottom photo). It has a moderate but attractive burly character that includes a complex and swirling grain pattern, several areas of small burl buds and light chatoyance.
The only "flaw" that I see is a small, gappy patch of included bark on one end. That small, crack-like gap will need to be considered in the turning design - I would reinforce the gap and adjacent bark with thin CA glue and, if necessary, fill any remaining gap with epoxy or thicker CA glue once the block is roughed to round. I see no other cracks, checks or structural/cosmetic flaws. Note - that light gray patch on the side of the annotated face is not in the wood - it is a surface smudge from my not-so-clean jointer table!
This is another nice end-grain block of Texas Honey Mesquite. It is also primarily the rich reddish brown typical of our Texas Honey Mesquite heartwood but includes three patches of darker-red spalt staining, two of which are associated with minor cracks (both photos). While being cut from a very burly tree, this block contains only a light burly character - an attractive swirling grain pattern and one small and indistinct burl bud.
It was cut well away from the pith of the log but the tail ends of three, pith-related radial cracks are present. One is prominent and open, but is restricted to one edge (left edge, bottom photo) where it will turn off completely as the block is roughed to round. The other two are very thin and tight cracks barely visible on the left side of the bottom photo. I would simply reinforce them with thin CA glue before turning. I see no other cracks, checks or structural/cosmetic flaws.
This is another very nice end-grain block of burly Texas Honey Mesquite. It is primarily the rich reddish brown typical of our Texas Honey Mesquite heartwood but with a small section of yellow sapwood and even smaller patch dark brown bark on one end. It has a moderate but attractive burly character that includes a complex and swirling grain pattern, two areas of small to very large burl buds, strong grain-crossing rays and light chatoyance.
I see no cracks, checks or other significant flaws.
This is another very nice end-grain block of burly Texas Honey Mesquite. It is also primarily the rich reddish brown typical of our Texas Honey Mesquite heartwood with a very small patch of yellow sapwood on one end (bottom photo). It has an attractive burly character that includes a complex and swirling grain pattern, a number of small to very large burl buds, strong grain-crossing rays and light chatoyance.
I see no cracks, checks or other significant flaws. There are two small areas of included bark that may need attention with CA glue when turning.
This is another end-grain block of burly Texas Honey Mesquite. It is also primarily the rich reddish brown typical of our Texas Honey Mesquite heartwood, but this time the sapwood is located along one edge and a portion of one side (bottom photo). The sapwood also has a small area of wane on one corner.
One end exhibits an attractive burly character that includes a complex grain pattern, small to very large burl buds, strong grain-crossing rays and light chatoyance.
I see no cracks, checks or other significant flaws. There are several small and one large elongated areas of included bark that may need attention with CA glue when turning.
This is another nice, lightly-burled end-grain block of burly Texas Honey Mesquite. It is entirely the rich reddish brown color typical of our Texas Honey Mesquite heartwood.
I see no cracks or checks, but there is one 2-1/2" long, thin section of included bark on one end (bottom photo). The center of this inclusion is open and some attention with epoxy or other infill material will likely be required before turning.
This is a very nice, 2x2 end-grain block of Texas Honey Mesquite. It is the rich reddish brown typical of our Texas Mesquite, but with a small patch of sapwood on one corner (lower left corner, top photo). That sapwood should turn off immediately as the blank is rounded. The grain pattern is strong and attractive.
There is a small, linear bark inclusion on one edge and a very small area of dark-stained wood on one corner, both of which should turn off as the blank is rounded. I see no cracks, checks or other significant flaws.
This is another nice end-grain block of burly Texas Honey Mesquite. It is entirely the rich reddish brown color typical of our Texas Honey Mesquite heartwood. The grain pattern is strong, lightly-burled on one face (top photo) and quite attractive.
I see no significant cracks or checks, but there is one ~2" long and ~3/4" deep, thin section of included bark on one end (bottom photo). The center of this inclusion is open and some attention with epoxy or other infill material will likely be required before turning. The wood on one side of the bark inclusion is also stained a darker gray-black. I addition, there is a hint of one or more very thin ring-type cracks in the opposite end (the faint, darker lines on the right side of the end-grain face, top photo). I would reinforce these with thin CA glue before turning.
This is another nice end-grain block of burly Texas Honey Mesquite. It is the rich reddish brown typical of our Texas Mesquite, but with a small patch of sapwood on one corner (upper left corner, top photo). The grain pattern is strong, heavily-burled in one half and quite attractive.
The pith is gone from this block but the tail end of one (ok, one and a half!) pith-related radial crack on one corner and adjacent edge (bottom photo). The larger is at most, 1-1/2" long and 1" deep, and confined to that edge of the block. Most of these one and one-half cracks will turn off as the blank is roughed to round - I would just reinforce them with thin CA glue before turning. There are also 5 very small "bits" of included bark on the various faces. I would also reinforce these with thin CA before turning.
This is a very nice, 2x2 end-grain block of Texas Honey Mesquite. It is the rich reddish brown typical of our Texas Mesquite, but with a small patch of sapwood on one corner (upper left corner, bottom photo). That sapwood should turn off immediately as the blank is rounded. The grain pattern is strong and attractive.
I see no cracks, checks or other significant flaws.
This is another very nice, 2x2 end-grain block of Texas Honey Mesquite. It is also the rich reddish brown typical of our Texas Mesquite, but with a small patch of sapwood on one corner (upper left corner, bottom photo). That sapwood should turn off immediately as the blank is rounded. The grain pattern is strong and attractive and includes some burly character in one half.
I see no cracks, checks or other significant flaws.
This is a small end-grain block of Texas Honey Mesquite. It is the rich reddish brown typical of our Texas Mesquite, but with a small patch of sapwood and wane (due missing bark) on one corner (upper left corner, top photo). The grain pattern is strong and quite attractive.
Again, the pith is gone from this block but the tail ends of several small, stained, echelon-overlapping pith-related radial cracks are present on one side (left side, top photo). The depth of the small features is not evident but, being the small and tightly-closed "tail-ends" of radial cracks and defined primarily by the stains, they are likely very shallow and most should turn off as the blank is roughed to round. I would just reinforce them with thin CA glue before turning. There is also a small crack and adjacent small area of decay related to that crack on one corner (lower right corner, top photo). That area should turn off completely as the block is rounded. I see no other cracks, checks or significant flaws.
This is a very nice and long, not-quite-square (actually rectangular) end-grain block of moderately burly Mesquite. It is primarily the rich, reddish-brown of Mesquite heartwood but with a small patch of sapwood on one corner. The grain is strong and attractive - being linear on two sides and complex to highly-figured on the other two. There are also several small to large burl buds that are most apparent on one face (annotated face, top photo) but several of which can be traced at depth on the adjacent sides (left side, top photo).
This block was cut well away from the pith of the log, but the tail ends of two prominent radial cracks are present on one edge (bottom photo). Located entirely on that edge, these cracks should turn off completely as the block is roughed to round. I see no other cracks, checks or other significant flaws.
This is a very interesting end-grain block of Texas Honey Mesquite. It is primarily the rich, reddish-brown of Mesquite heartwood, but includes two patches of yellow sapwood on one edge, along with remnants of bark. All of that sapwood and bark will turn off as the block is rounded. Two faces of this block are also mildly burly, including at least two burl buds. Those burly features should look very nice in the finished turning.
I see no significant cracks or other structural flaws, but there is one long, reddish-brown stripe on one end of one side (left side, top photo) that appears to be the spalt-stained extreme tail-end of an old radial crack, the main portion of which lay outside this block. As a crack, it is extremely tight with almost no detectable gap. Where visible on the end-grain face (that tiny brown line on the bottom of the end-grain face, bottom photo), it extends into the block 3/8". Offset from the center of the side, most if not all will turn off. I would just reinforce it with thin CA glue to reduce the chances of tear-out.
This is a very nice end-grain block of Texas Honey Mesquite with a strong and attractive linear grain pattern. It is primarily the rich, reddish-brown of Mesquite heartwood, but includes a long strip of darker-brown (spalted?) sapwood along one edge. All of that sapwood will turn off as the block is rounded.
There is one long, dark-stained crack present on two faces and the common edge (bottom photo). This is clearly the tail-end of an old radial crack, the main portion of which lay outside this block. As the tail-end of the crack I do not expect it to extend far into the heart of the block (less than 1/2" perhaps?). Located on the edge, I expect all of the crack will turn off.
I see no other cracks, checks or other significant flaws. Note - those dark gray patches on two sides are not in the wood - they are surface smudges from my not-so-clean jointer table!
Mesquite Lot M-441
2-3/8"x 2-3/8"x 14-1/2"
3-1/2 lbs.
This is another interesting end-grain block of Texas Honey Mesquite. It is primarily the rich, reddish-brown of Mesquite heartwood, but includes a strip of darker-brown (spalted?) sapwood on one edge along with a few remnants of bark. All of that sapwood and bark will likely turn off as the block is rounded.
I see no cracks or other structural flaws, but there are several small bark inclusions on either side of the sapwood area. These could be interesting features in the final turning, but I recommend reinforcing them with thin CA glue to reduce the chances of tear-out.
This is a very attractive end-grain block of burly Texas Honey Mesquite. It is almost entirely the rich reddish brown typical of our Texas Honey Mesquite heartwood. The grain pattern is moderately figured and includes a variety of burly features including a strong swirling grain pattern, burl buds both on end and in cross-section and a light chatoyance.
I see no cracks, checks or other structural flaws. There is one small patch of spalted sapwood and an associated, partially open bark inclusion on one edge (middle and bottom photos). Being on the edge, both of these features should turn off as the blank is rounded.
This is another attractive end-grain block of burly Texas Honey Mesquite. It is primarily the rich reddish brown typical of our Texas Honey Mesquite heartwood. A large area of sapwood and wane due the absence of bark is present on one side and edge (middle and bottom photos). The heartwood adjacent to the sapwood is moderately figured and includes a strong swirling grain pattern, burl buds and a light chatoyance.
I see no cracks, checks or other structural flaws. There are three small, partially open bark inclusion associated with the sapwood and one open bughole in the sapwood (middle and bottom photos). The area of wane, two of the included bark features and the open bughole are located on edges - most if not all will turn off as the blank is rounded.
This is another attractive end-grain block of lightly burled Texas Honey Mesquite. It is entirely the rich reddish brown typical of our Texas Honey Mesquite heartwood that is nicely figured.
I see no cracks, checks or other structural flaws. The stripe thru the top of the annotated face appears to be spalt-staining related to the tail-end of an old radial crack. That crack must have ended just outside this block since there is absolutely on other sign of a crack. There is one open bughole on one face (barely visible on the left side, top photo). Probing suggests that it is a bit over 1/2" deep and some portion will likely remain after the block is rounded. Some type of fill material might be appropriate here.
This is a very nice, 2x2 end-grain block of Texas Honey Mesquite. It is the rich reddish brown typical of our Texas Mesquite. There is a small patch of sapwood on one edge, but this will turn off immediately as the blank is rounded. The grain pattern is strong and attractive.
I see no cracks, checks or other significant flaws.
This is another very pretty and essentially perfect end-grain block of Texas Honey Mesquite. It is also primarily the rich reddish brown typical of our Texas Mesquite, but with a variably thin to thick slab of golden-yellow sapwood along most of the back side. The grain pattern is strong and linear.
I see no cracks, checks or other significant flaws.
This is a very nice medium-size end-grain block of Texas Honey Mesquite. It is composed primarily of the rich reddish-brown of Mesquite heartwood with a small strip of the golden yellow sapwood along part of one edge. All of that sapwood will turn off as the block is rounded.
There are two small open beetle holes in the sapwood, but these will also turn off as the block is rougher to round. I see absolutely no cracks or other structural flaws.
This is another nice, medium-size end-grain block of Texas Honey Mesquite. It is also composed primarily of the rich reddish-brown of Mesquite heartwood, but with a wide section of golden yellow sapwood on one side and a smaller strip of darker brown bark along part of one edge (bottom photo). A lot of that sapwood and most, if not all, of the bark will turn off as the block is rounded.
There are no visible cracks or other structural flaws, but there are two long but thin and tight checks in one end-grain face (faintly visible on the bottom photo). The larger is less than 1/4" deep where it intersects the adjacent side. I consider these to be minor since drying checks in Mesquite are of very little consequence. I see no other flaws.
This is another very pretty end-grain block of Texas Honey Mesquite. It is primarily the rich reddish brown typical of our Texas Mesquite heartwood, with a strong and attractive grain pattern. There is a small patch of sapwood on one side and edge (bottom photo). Most if not all of that sapwood will turn off as the blank is turned.
I see no cracks, checks or other significant flaws. There is however the remains of an old juvenile branch is embedded within the heartwood at one end. This is marked by two distinctive dark brown knots, one in the end-grain face and one in the adjacent side on the bottom photo. This is an interesting eye-catching feature but I do not consider it to be a flaw.
This is another very nice end-grain block of Texas Honey Mesquite. It is primarily the rich reddish brown typical of our Texas Mesquite heartwood, with a strong and attractive grain pattern that includes some areas of ripple. There is a fairly thick patch of sapwood on one side and adjacent edge (bottom photo). Most of that sapwood will turn off as the blank is turned.
I see no cracks, checks or other significant flaws, but there are several frass-filled beetle holes in the sapwood. Most of these will also turn off as the blank is roughed to round, but, depending on the finished diameter of the turning, some portions may remain.
This is another very nice end-grain block of Texas Honey Mesquite. It is primarily the rich reddish brown typical of our Texas Mesquite heartwood, with a strong and attractive grain pattern that includes some areas of ripple. There is a fairly thick patch of sapwood and a smaller, overlying patch of dark brown bark on one side (bottom photo). Most of that sapwood and bark will turn off as the blank is turned.
I see no cracks, checks or other significant flaws, but there are several frass-filled beetle holes in the sapwood. Most of these will also turn off as the blank is roughed to round, but, depending on the finished diameter of the turning, some portions may remain.
This is an attractive end-grain block of moderately burly Texas Honey Mesquite. The basic color is the rich reddish brown typical of our Texas Mesquite, but there is some gray staining at the lower end related to some old iron in the wood nearby (no - not in this block - I found and removed it the hard way - with my saw blade!!).
I see no significant cracks or other structural flaws. The is one long dark line extending for most of the length of one face (upper face, bottom photo) that looks like it would be a crack. If it is, it is the extreme tail-end of an old crack because it is extremely tight - I cannot detect any opening. There are two tiny cracks in that knot on the closer end of that same face (bottom photo) but if necessary, these can be easily filled before turning.
This is an interesting and attractive end-grain block of moderately burly Texas Honey Mesquite. The basic color is the rich reddish brown typical of our Texas Mesquite, but there is some gray staining at the lower end related to some old iron in the wood nearby (no - not in this block - I found and removed it the hard way - with my saw blade!!).
I see no cracks or other structural flaws. There is one prominent borer hole in the top end (middle and bottom photos). It appears as two holes because it cuts across the edge between two adjacent sides of the block. Being located on that edge most will turn off as the blank is rounded, but with a maximum depth of 1/2", all may not be removed without reducing the potential 2-1/4" diameter of the finished turning.
This is a very attractive end-grain block of burly Texas Honey Mesquite. It is primarily the rich reddish brown typical of our Texas Honey Mesquite. It has a moderately complex and attractive grain pattern that includes several areas of flame-type figure, curly grain, burl buds and even some light chatoyance - very nice!
I see no cracks or other structural or cosmetic flaws. The only apparent blemish is a small patch of bark on one side (bottom photo) - the result of my cutting thru the bark within a shallow depression in the surface of the log.
This is another attractive Texas Honey Mesquite spindle blank. It is primarily the rich reddish-brown Mesquite heartwood with a strong and attractive grain pattern. It was cut from close to the side of the log and there is a small patch of sapwood on one end.
I see no cracks or other major flaws but there are two small borer holes on one side (left side, top photo). One, located close to one edge, is very shallow and will turn off completely as the blank is rounding. Probing of the second, located close to the center of the block, reveals a ~3/8" depth.
This is a very nice medium-size 2-1/4 inch-square block of Texas Honey Mesquite. It is composed primarily of the rich reddish-brown of Mesquite heartwood, but includes s fairly large strip of the golden yellow sapwood along one edge. Most of this sapwood will turn off as the block is rounded, but an interesting stripe of golden-yellow is likely to decorate one side of a finished cylindrical form.
I see no cracks or other structural flaws. (No - that black stripe on the left side in the bottom photo is not a crack.)
This is another very pretty end-grain block of Texas Honey Mesquite. It is essentially the rich reddish brown typical of our Texas Mesquite, with a strong and attractive grain pattern. There are two small patchs of sapwood, one on a corner at each end. These will turn off immediately as the block is roughed to round.
This is another very pretty end-grain block of Texas Honey Mesquite. It is entirely the rich reddish brown typical of our Texas Mesquite, with a strong linear grain pattern.
I see no cracks, checks or other significant flaws.
This is another pretty end-grain block of Texas Honey Mesquite. It is primarily the rich reddish brown typical of our Texas Mesquite, with a strong linear grain pattern. There is a thick strip of sapwood on one edge - most of which will turn off as the block is rounded. There is also a thin strip of bark on the outside of the sapwood - all of which will turn off.
There are two small cracks on one end, the larger of which is approximately 2-1/2-inch long and extends approximately 3/8th-inch into the blank. I would reinforce this with CA glue before turning. I see no other cracks, checks or significant flaws.
This is another very nice end-grain block of Texas Honey Mesquite. The basic color is the rich reddish brown typical of our Texas Mesquite. There is a zone of several spalt-stained stripes along one edge - most of which will turn off as the block is rounded (left side, both photos).
This is another nice end-grain block of Texas Honey Mesquite. The basic color is the rich reddish brown typical of our Texas Mesquite. There is a zone of spalt-staining on a portion of two sides and the intermediate edge (bottom photo). Much of that spalting will turn off as the block is rounded.
This delicate goblet was recently turned from some of the same Texas Honey Mesquite listed on this site. Additional examples of Mesquite turnings are presented on our companion website Prairie's End Woodshop.
Mesquite Lot 232
2-1/2"x 2-1/2"x 12-1/2"
2-1/4 lbs.
This is another nice end-grain block of Texas Honey Mesquite. It is 100% Mesquite heartwood with no sapwood. It was cut from close to the end of an old log and there are some thin and tight, minor checks that I did not see and trim off before annotating, photographing and listing (the larger is visible on the end-grain face of the bottom photo). There is also another very thin and tight radial crack in the opposite end (end-grain face, top photo). I would treat these with CA glue and turn-away. If you chose to trim them off, the remaining length will be about 10-1/2 inches. The price reflects those flaws.
This is a nice plain-sawn block of Texas Honey Mesquite that would be suitable for small work such as knife handles, segmented turning material, resawing for boxes or pen blanks, etc. The grain is strong and very attractive and there is a lot of very nice Mesquite wood here.
There is an area of sapwood and bark on one end of the back side. I see no cracks or obvious flaws.
This is another interesting end-grain Mesquite block. The grain is linear but strong with several small burl buds.
There are several flaws in this piece, including two tight but fairly deep (>1"?) radial cracks across the back side (lower photo), an elongate barky gap or sap pocket on one side (not visible on the photos) and a single small, shallow remnant of a bug hole on the lower corner of the face (upper photo). I see no other obvious faults.
This is a pretty and essentially perfect end-grain block of Texas Honey Mesquite suitable for a pepper mill or two. It is entirely the rich reddish brown typical of our Texas Mesquite, with a strong linear grain pattern.
There are two small and tight checks in one end-grain face (one is barely visible in the bottom photo). These are the tail ends of some minor checks, most of which were cut off when I trimmed this block. I see no other cracks, checks or significant flaws.
This is a very pretty 3x3" block of Texas Honey Mesquite. It is almost entirely the rich reddish-brown of Mesquite heartwood with only a small spot of sapwood on one back corner. The grain is strong and lightly figured.
I see no cracks, checks or other significant flaws.
This is a very pretty 3x3" block of burly Texas Honey Mesquite. It is primarily the rich reddish-brown of Mesquite heartwood, but with a large patch of sapwood and wane (absence of bark) on one back corner. The burly pattern is very niceg and includes burl buds, curly grain, prominent grain-crossing rays and strong chatoyance on three sides.
I see no cracks, checks or other significant flaws.
This is another very pretty 3x3" block of burly Texas Honey Mesquite. It is also primarily the rich reddish-brown of Mesquite heartwood, but with a large patch of sapwood and wane (absence of bark) on the backside and on one back corner. Most of that sapwood will turn off as the block is roughed to round. The burly pattern is strong and includes burl buds, prominent grain-crossing rays and strong chatoyance.
I see no cracks, checks or other significant flaws. There are several small, thin bark inclusions and one small, shallow open borer hole. These may require some attention with CA glue.
This is an attractive but challenging 3x3" block of Texas Honey Mesquite. It is entirely the rich reddish-brown of Mesquite heartwood with a strong, linear grain pattern and an area of small burls and strong, grain-crossing rays.
The block was cut well away from the pith but the tail-ends of several pith-related radial and ring cracks are present. The two larger cracks are each restricted to an edge at opposite ends of the blank and most, if not all of these will turn off as the blank is rounded. Two other thin, tight and apparently shallow, black-stained cracks lie in the central portion of the back side (bottom photo) and will not turn off at the full 3" diameter. The price of this block reflects these flaws. I see no cracks, checks or other significant flaws.
This is another very pretty 3x3" block of burly Texas Honey Mesquite. It is also primarily the rich reddish-brown of Mesquite heartwood, but with a small portion of sapwood and bark on one edge. It looks as if all of that sapwood and bark will turn off as the block is roughed to round. The burly pattern includes a complex swirling grain and a number of burl buds.
I see no cracks, checks or other significant flaws.
This is another very pretty 3x3" block of burly Texas Honey Mesquite. It is entirely the rich reddish-brown of Mesquite heartwood. The burly pattern includes a complex swirling grain, a number of burl buds, prominent grain-crossing rays and a moderately strong level of chatoyance.
Unfortunately, along with all this wood beauty come two significant cracks. The obvious one is an open radial crack across the one corner of one end (bottom photo). A more subtle crack is a very thin and tight, ring-type crack at the opposite end (both top and bottom photos). Both cracks are manageable if you like the other qualities of this block - the larger radial crack can be reinforced and filled with a nicely colored epoxy and the thin ring crack should be readily reinforcable with thin CA glue. The price of this block reflects the presence of these flaws. I see no other cracks, checks or significant flaws.
This is another very nice 3x3" block of Texas Honey Mesquite! It is almost entirely the rich reddish-brown of Mesquite heartwood, but there is an area of darker red spalt staining on one corner (bottom photo). The grain is primarily a strong and attractive linear pattern, but is beautifully complex on one face (the annotated face, top photo).
The pith of the log from which this block was cut crosses one corner and is marked with several short but prominently spalt-stained radial cracks (bottom photo). That pith and most of the cracks will turn off as the block is roughed to round, but the tail ends of at least two cracks will remain. I would reinforce these cracks with CA glue before turning. I see no cracks, checks or other structural flaws.
This is a beautiful, long 3x3" block of Texas Honey Mesquite. It is almost entirely the rich reddish-brown of Mesquite heartwood. A tiny bit of sapwood and a larger spot of included bark are present along one edge. Both of these features will turn off as the block is roughed to round.
I see no cracks, checks or other structural flaws.
This is another beautiful, 3x3" block of Texas Honey Mesquite! It is almost entirely the rich reddish-brown of Mesquite heartwood with a strong and attractive linear grain pattern. There is a large but very shallow patch of sapwood on the edge of one side (bottom photo). As shallow as it appears to be, that entire sapwood patch should turn of as the block is roughed to round.
I see no cracks, checks or other significant flaws.
This is another beautiful, 3x3" block of Texas Honey Mesquite! It is almost entirely the rich reddish-brown of Mesquite heartwood with a strong and attractive linear grain pattern. There is a small wedge of sapwood and two smaller lenses of included bark on the edge of one side. Both of those features should turn of as the block is roughed to round.
While the pith was cut completely out of this block, the tail-ends of two pith-related radial cracks cross one edge at a high angle. Those are confined to that edge and will turn off completely as the block is roughed to round. I see no other cracks, checks or significant flaws.
This is another very pretty 3x3" block of moderately burly Texas Honey Mesquite. The grain is strong and linear overall and includes that one very large burl bud on the annotated face and some light burl elsewhere. It is primarily the rich reddish-brown of Mesquite heartwood but includes two shallow patches of grayish-brown sapwood on one edge and the adjacent sides. All of that sapwood will turn off as the block is roughed to round.
I see no cracks, checks or other significant flaws.
This is a very pretty 3x3" block of Texas Honey Mesquite. It is almost entirely the rich reddish-brown of Mesquite heartwood. The grain is strong and linear overall and includes some light burl on two faces.
I see no cracks, checks or other significant flaws.
This is a near-perfect, very large and attractive block of Texas Honey Mesquite. I consider it to be suitable for a large vase or urn, or to be resawn for smaller Mesquite projects. It is primarily the rich reddish-brown of Mesquite heartwood with bright golden-yellow sapwood and dark brown bark along one edge. All of the bark and most, if not all, of the sapwood will turn off as the block is rounded.
I make almost no excuses regarding beauty or structural integrity of this block. The only significant flaw is the presence of one old, lightly-stained pith-related radial crack on one end (end-grain face, top photo). Note, the pith lies well outside the limits of this block. The crack is approximately 5" long in the lower half of the annotated face and extends diagonally inward approximately 2" where exposed on the end-grain face. Radial cracks such as these are classic growth features that occur due to wind stress on the limbs as the tree grows and are generally stable in the harvested wood. Most of this crack is tight and tails-out upward and inward. I would just reinforce it with thin CA glue before turning and, if necessary, fill any remaining open portions. Depending on how this block is oriented for turning (placing the cracked portion at the intended base), this old radial crack could likely turn off completely.
I see no other significant cracks, checks or obvious flaws.
This is another large block of Texas Honey Mesquite, possibly suitable for a good-sized vase or urn, or to be resawn for smaller Mesquite projects. It is also primarily the rich reddish-brown of Mesquite heartwood strip of bright golden-yellow sapwood along one edge. All of that sapwood will turn off as the block is rounded.
The only significant flaw in this block is the presence of a fresh, non-stained radial stress crack on one end (top and bottom photos) - the result of careless sawing when the tree was harvested. This crack is approximately 2-1/2" long in the lower half of the annotated face and extends diagonally and irregularly inward approximately 4" where exposed on the end-grain face. Most of this crack is tight and tails-out upward and inward. Again, I would reinforce it with thin CA glue before turning and, if necessary, fill any remaining open portions. Depending on how this block is oriented for turning (placing the cracked portion at the designed base), this crack could likely turn off completely. Note, the price below reflects the presence of this flaw.
I see no other significant cracks, checks or obvious flaws. There is a small (1-3/8" long), slightly-gappy bark inclusion on one side (upper face, middle photo). It is close to the edge of the block and is likely to turn off as the block is rounded. Those "ridges" on one cut face (left side, top photo) are just shallow chainsaw cut marks.
This is another attractive, large end-grain block of Texas Honey Mesquite. It is essentially all the rich reddish brown Texas Mesquite heartwood. One small patch of sapwood on one corner will turn off immediately as the block is rounded.
A medium-size secondary branch passes thru the lower portion of this block, with the pith of that limb being visible as knots on one end (end-grain face, top photo) and one side (top side, bottom photo). A prominent, partially-open pocket of included bark present on the end-grain face (top photo) is associated with that secondary limb and represents the crotch between the limb and the main trunk of the tree when the branch was actively growing. Probing suggests that the open portion of the bark-lined pocket just over 1" deep. I would use a decorative epoxy blend to fill the pocket and reinforce the bark, before mounting and turning the blank.
There do not appear to be any significant cracks within this blank. There are two very small and tight radial cracks within the pith of that enclosed, secondary branch (so tiny that they are not visible on the photos). I would simply reinforce them with thin CA glue before turning. There are also several very tight and likely very shallow checks on one end-grain face (end-grain face, bottom photo, but also too small to be visible on the photo). I consider these to be minor since drying checks in Mesquite are of very little consequence. I see no other cracks, checks or significant flaws.
This is another very beautiful 3x3" block of Texas Honey Mesquite from a very burly tree! It is entirely Mesquite heartwood with a very complex and attractive grain pattern that includes large areas of grain-crossing rays, curly grain, several burl buds and some fairly strong chatoyance - very nice!
I see no cracks, checks or other structural flaws. The only visible "flaws" are two gappy areas of dark brown "included" bark and a pair of shallow borer holes. One of the included bark features is located directly on an edge (middle photo); the second, a smaller one, is on an end-grain face (bottom photo). That larger bark feature on the edge should turn off completely as the blank is roughed to round. The borer holes are fairly shallow (1/8 to 1/4") and also located close to an edge where they will likely turn off as the blank is rounded.
The basic color is the rich reddish-brown of Texas Honey Mesquite. There is some dark gray-black staining on one corner and adjacent faces at the lower end of the blank. This is likely due to old iron nails imbedded in the nearby wood (not within this blank - I know because I found them the hard way - with my saw!)
This is another very attractive 3x3" block of Texas Honey Mesquite from a very burly tree! It is almost entirely Mesquite heartwood with a highly figured and attractive grain pattern that includes large areas of grain-crossing rays, numerous burl buds and strong chatoyance - very nice!
I see no cracks, checks or other structural flaws. But, as with other blanks from this irregular, burly tree, the larger blanks are not "perfect" - there are two flaws" to consider and work around. These are two large gaps on edges - one is a pocket of sapwood and bark on one edge where most of the bark has fallen out (bottom photo). The other is an open gap on one edge at the top end of the blank, possibly the remains of a borer hole (top and middle photos). Located on edges, most if not all of those gaps will turn off as the blank is rounded.
The basic color is the rich reddish-brown of Texas Honey Mesquite. There are three distinctive patches
of yellow-brown sapwood on one edge (bottom photo).
This is another very attractive 3x3" block of Texas Honey Mesquite from a very burly tree! Again, it is almost entirely Mesquite heartwood with a highly figured and attractive grain pattern that includes grain-crossing rays, a number of burl buds, curly grain and some degree of chatoyance. The basic color is the rich reddish-brown of Texas Honey Mesquite.
While being very attractive, this block will likely prove to be more challenging to turn. The challenge is due to a fairly large area of complex bark inclusions located on one edge (visible on all three photos). The main portion is a gappy pocket of bark flanked on two sides by thin layers of yellow-brown sapwood. It is attached to a more extensive area and elongated strands of enclosed bark with smaller gaps but without the flanking sapwood. It is also adjacent to a large, frass-filled, curving borer hole lower on one side (bottom photo). Located on an edge, the main portion of the bark and sapwood will turn off as the blank is rounded, but some of the lesser barky area and that frass-filled borer hole will likely remain. I would reinforce it all with thin CA glue before turning and be prepared to fill any remaining gaps with colored epoxy or the like after it is roughed-out.
There appear to be no significant cracks, checks or other structural flaws. I say "significant cracks", because there is a short band of three small, tight overlapping cracks on one edge (that darker brown stripe on the lower portion of the left side, middle photo). They are shallow and thin and should turn off as the blank is rounded, so I do not consider them to be significant structural features. I see no other cracks, checks or significant flaws in this blank.
This is another very attractive 3x3" block of Texas Honey Mesquite from a very burly tree! Again, it is almost entirely Mesquite heartwood with a highly figured and attractive grain pattern that includes grain-crossing rays, a number of burl buds, curly grain and a considerable degree of chatoyance. The basic color is the rich reddish-brown of Texas Honey Mesquite. An elongated pocket of golden-yellow sapwood and dark brown bark is present along half of one edge, two smaller open pockets of sapwood (1) and included bark (2) are present at opposite ends and several small and thin "strings" of included bark are present on one face (bottom photo).
This block will likely prove to be challenging to turn. While I see no cracks, checks or other significant flaws in this blank, that pocket of sapwood and bark on one edge (middle and bottom photos) will likely be a challenge to incorporate in a turning. The full depth of the pocket is unknown - my "toothpick probing" shows that it is at least 1-1/4" deep. Most of it will turn off as the blank is rounded, but some of the deeper sapwood and/or bark will likely remain if the full diameter of the blank is required. I would reinforce it all with thin CA glue before turning and be prepared to fill any remaining gaps with colored epoxy or the like after it is roughed-out. At worst, you may wind up trimming the blank down to 8 to 10 inches if this pocket turns out to be too deep. It is still a pretty piece of burly Mesquite.
This is another beautiful 3x3" block of Texas Honey Mesquite from a very burly tree! It is almost entirely Mesquite heartwood with a highly figured and attractive grain pattern. The burly character includes lots of grain-crossing rays, many small to large burl buds, curly grain and strong chatoyance - it is absolutely gorgeous.
I see absolutely no cracks, checks or other structural flaws - it is close to being perfect. The only imperfection I see is one small and thin, slightly-gappy, T-shaped strip of (what appears to be) included bark on one end (visible on the middle and bottom photos). I would reinforce it with thin CA glue before turning.
This is a small 3x3" block of burly Texas Honey Mesquite. Too short for most 3x3" turnings, but I just couldn't throw into the burn pile. Most of the block is the rich reddish-brown of Mesquite heartwood with a highly figured and attractive grain pattern. The lower end includes a large, irregular and somewhat gappy area of black (fire charred?) included bark. A lot of that bark inclusion will turn off, but what remains appears to likely extend an inch or more into the heartwood. Don't know what you might do with it but I would consider making it the hollow globe of a fairly large Christmas ornament (and I may do so if it is here in October-November).
I see absolutely no cracks, checks or other structural flaws.
This is another attractive 3x3 block of Texas Honey Mesquite. It is primarily the rich reddish-brown Mesquite heartwood with a strong and attractive grain pattern. It was cut from close to the side of the log and there are small patches of sapwood on two edges.
I see no cracks or other major flaws but there are two small borer holes within the sapwood on the edges. Probing reveals that they lie at a very low angle; they should turn off immediately as the blank is rounded.
This is a very nice but challenging end-grain block of Texas Honey Mesquite. The overall grain pattern is strong and linear to strongly swirling in areas. The color is the rich reddish brown typical of our Texas Mesquite, with a thin patch of thready, grey-brown Mesquite spalting on one side. Note, the color reproduction in my photos is unreliable. The colors in the top and bottom photos are very close, but those of the center photo are not true - the color here is also the strong reddish brown of Texas Honey Mesquite.
There are areas of cream-colored sapwood on one side and an area of wane (the absence of bark) on the lower end of that same side (top and bottom photos). Most of this will turn off as the block is rounded. There is also a large pocket of included bark and associated edge crack on the opposite side (top end of middle photo). The bark and crack are quite tight with thin open areas that can be reinforced, and filled when necessary, with CA glue or epoxy - and could be quite attractive.
This block was cut from well away from the pith, and I see no pith-related cracks or other structural flaws.
This is another very nice, large and near perfect end-grain block of Texas Honey Mesquite - the contains no really "challenging" features. The overall grain pattern is strong and linear and the color is rich reddish brown typical of our Texas Honey Mesquite. Again, the color reproduction in my photos is unreliable - that darker color of the middle photo is not true - that of the top and bottom photos are very close.
There is one small area of old bark on one corner (visible on the top and middle photos) but no distinctive sapwood (???). That bark will turn off completely as the block is rounded. This block was also cut from well away from the pith and there are no significant pith-related cracks. That long, linear dark line (most visible on the lower photo) is the spalt-stained, "extreme" tail end of a radial crack that was cut off from this block. As can be seen in the end-grain face of that photo, this crack has no depth.
This is an interesting and attractive end-grain block of Texas Honey Mesquite. The primary color is the rich reddish brown typical of our Texas Mesquite heartwood, but there is also a thick strip of light brown sapwood on two sides and the intermediate edge, and a large area of "wane" on that edge, where the bark has popped off (both photos). Much of the sapwood and all of the "wane" will turn off as the block is rounded. There is a nice grain pattern with some burly character and an area of chatoyance below the sapwood. The chatoyance is clearly visible on three sides so it should carry thru and be prominent in the finished piece.
There was one prominent crack on two sides and the adjacent edge (top photo). At one time I had plans for this piece myself, so I reinforced and filled (mostly) that crack with black epoxy. It should be tight, but one tail end of the crack needs some additional CA glue. If someone doesn't buy it soon, I may go ahead and turn it myself - that grain will is very nice. I see no cracks or other significant flaws.
This is another nice end-grain block of Texas Honey Mesquite. The primary color is the rich reddish brown typical of our Texas Mesquite heartwood. There is also a thin strip of sapwood on edge (bottom photo). All of that sapwood will turn off as the block is rounded. There is also an area of wane on the opposite edge from the sapwood (left edge, top photo). This wane is the result of "pop-out" of wood adjacent to an old pith-associated ring crack. The heartwood includes a scattering of small burl buds that should look very nice in the finished piece.
I see no cracks or flaws that I consider significant. There is no further evidence of the ring crack that resulted in the "wane" pocket, but there are several (3?) small and likely shallow radial cracks (or checks?) within the pocket of the wane. The one crack/check visible in the end-grain face (top photo) is ~1/2 inch deep below the bottom of the pocket, and most will turn off as the block is roughed to round. I would reinforce all of these small cracks with thin CA glue and not worry about them.
This is another nice end-grain block of Texas Honey Mesquite. The grain is generally linear, but strong and very attractive. There are several prominent, pith-related cracks on one half of the back side (bottom photo). One of these does extend well into the central portion on one side and the others may be of similar depth. These cracks probably make the piece unsuitable for turning, but there is a lot of very nice Mesquite wood here - possibly suitable for small work such as knife handles, segmented turning material, etc.
OK - this one does have some obvious flaws - that is why it is so cheap! The most obvious flaw is the large "pop-out" on one edge (lower photo) - a parting due to an old, now absent ring crack in that area. Centered within that pop-out is a small and thin radial crack that extends the length of the block - end to end. Viewed from the ends, the crack is tight (not open) and extends inward less than 1". The wood adjacent to that crack is darker brown at the pop-out surface but that stain does not appear to penetrate into the wood. I would reinforce the crack with CA glue and turn the piece - it should make an interesting feature in the finished piece. Another small and tight radial crack is present on the bottom portion of the back (lower photo). This is shallow and will turn off during rounding.
The only other flaw is a small, thin but open ring crack in the bottom end that extends approximately 3/4" into the block and 4" up along the face (upper photo). Much of this will turn off during rounding and again - what remains could be readily reinforced, and if necessary filled, with CA glue. I see no other obvious faults.
Mesquite Lot 64
$8.00
Bowl blanks - square and smaller half-log blocks
NOTE - if you are looking for larger Mesquite bowl blanks, don't forget to check our other page "Larger Mesquite Blanks and Other Interesting Pieces"
(http://www.texaswoodcrafts.net/mesquite/bowlblanks.asp)
This is an absolutely beautiful, square block of burly Texas Honey Mesquite. It is entirely the rich reddish-brown of Mesquite heartwood with a complex, highly figured and burly grain pattern. The burly character includes lots of grain-crossing rays, a number of burl buds, curly grain and strong chatoyance - it is absolutely gorgeous and would be suitable for either a conventional bowl or oval hollow-form.
I see absolutely no cracks, checks or other structural flaws - it is close to being perfect. The only flaw I see is a small curved pocket of included bark on the annotated face (top photo). If that side of the blank is the bottom of a bowl, it looks as if that patch of included bark will turn off. Note, those straight, light gray-black lines on the on the backside are just surface stains from my freshly-oiled jointer table!
This is an attractive square block of Texas Honey Mesquite. It consists entirely of the rich reddish-brown of Texas Honey Mesquite heartwood with a strong and attractive grain pattern. A row of small burl buds crosses the annotated face and a narrow strip of sapwood is present on one edge of that same face (top photo). This block would be suitable for either a conventional bowl or oval hollow-form. If I were turning a bowl from this blank, it would be mounted with the annotated face to be the bottom. In that orientation, the sapwood would turn off and the burly buds would (hopefully) be visible on both the inside and outside of the finished bowl.
I see no cracks, checks or significant flaws. Again, those straight, light gray-black lines and smudges are just surface stains from my freshly-oiled jointer table!
This is another beautiful, square block of burly Texas Honey Mesquite. It is primarily the rich reddish-brown of Mesquite heartwood with a complex, highly figured and burly grain pattern. The burly character includes lots of grain-crossing rays, several prominent burl buds, curly grain and strong chatoyance - it is absolutely gorgeous and would be suitable for either a conventional bowl or oval hollow-form. There is a patch of sapwood on one side of the back face (bottom photo). If I were turning a bowl from this blank, it would likely be mounted with that back face to be the bottom. In that orientation, the sapwood would turn off and that complex curly grain pattern and burly buds would be prominently visible on both the inside and outside of the finished bowl.
I see absolutely no cracks, checks or other structural flaws - it is close to being perfect. The only "flaws" that I see are two small pockets of included bark, one on the annotated face and one on the back. Again, those straight, light gray-black lines and smudges are just surface stains from my freshly-oiled jointer table!
This is a beautiful, square block of highly-figured and lightly burled Texas Honey Mesquite. It is entirely the rich reddish-brown of Mesquite heartwood with a complex, highly figured and burly grain pattern. In this block, the burly character is primarily a strong ray pattern that crosses the complex grain and a line of small burl buds.
I see absolutely no cracks, checks or other structural flaws. The only flaws that I see are two old beetle holes on one corner, one open and one frass-filled. Confined to the corner, both will turn off as the blank is roughed to round. Again, those occasional straight, light gray-black lines and smudges are just surface stains from my freshly-oiled jointer table!
This is another very nice square block of burly Texas Honey Mesquite. It is primarily the rich reddish-brown of Mesquite heartwood with a complex, well-figured and burly grain pattern. It does have a small strip of sapwood and bark along one back edge (bottom photo) The burly character includes numerous grain-crossing rays, a number of prominent burl buds, curly grain and strong chatoyance - it is very pretty and would be suitable for either a conventional bowl or oval hollow-form. There is a patch of sapwood on one side of the back face (bottom photo).
I see absolutely no significant cracks or other structural flaws. There is one very thin and tight check in the side close to that "chainsaw-trimmed corner (closest corner, top photo), but it is too minor to ve visible in the photo. In my experience, checks such as these in Mesquite are very shallow (1/8" or less) - I would reinforce with thin CA glue and "turn-away" (bet it will disappear entirely!).
This is another attractive square block of Texas Honey Mesquite. It consists entirely of the rich reddish-brown of Texas Honey Mesquite heartwood with a strong and attractive grain pattern and a bit of burly, complex grain on one side.
It was cut from close to the pith and a series of overlapping pith-related radial cracks are present along one edge (left edge, bottom photo). If the blank is mounted such that that back face is the bottom of the bowl, all of those cracks will turn off completely. I see no other cracks, checks or significant flaws. Again, those light gray-black lines and smudges are just surface stains from my freshly-oiled jointer table!
This is another attractive square block of Texas Honey Mesquite. It is primarily the rich reddish-brown of Texas Honey Mesquite heartwood with a strong and attractive grain pattern. It includes a prominent section of sapwood along one edge (bottom photo). Depending on how it is mounted and the form that is planned (bowl or hollow-form), that sapwood can be included or turned completely off.
I see no cracks, checks or significant flaws. Again, that light gray-black smudge is just a surface stain from my freshly-oiled jointer table!
This is a near-perfect square block of Texas Honey Mesquite. It consists entirely of the rich reddish-brown of Texas Honey Mesquite heartwood with a strong and attractive grain pattern. There are several small and thin, T-shaped dark lines on one side. This side is the outer portion of the original log, close to the sapwood. I am uncertain as to their origin; they may represent very small bark inclusions. They all seem to be sound and should make interesting features in the final turned form.
It would be suitable for either a conventional bowl or a oval hollow-form. I see no cracks, checks or other obvious flaws.
This is another near perfect square block of Texas Honey Mesquite. It consists entirely of the rich reddish-brown of Texas Honey Mesquite heartwood with a strong and attractive grain pattern. A small section of dark, irregular wood on one corner is an area of tear-out and a rough chainsaw-cut surface. This area will turn off as the block is roughed to round.
This block would be suitable for either a conventional bowl or oval hollow-form. I see no cracks or other significant flaws.
This is an attractive square block of Texas Honey Mesquite. It consists entirely of the rich reddish-brown of Texas Honey Mesquite heartwood with a strong and attractive, lightly-burled grain pattern.
The pith of the log passes diagonally through one corner of the block (top and bottom photos). Several small radial cracks and an area resembling a small patch of included bark are associated with the pith. These appear to be confined to that corner and most, if not all, should turn off as the bock is roughed to round.
This block would be suitable for either a conventional bowl or oval hollow-form. I see no other cracks or significant flaws.
This is another near perfect square block of Texas Honey Mesquite. It consists entirely of the rich reddish-brown of Texas Honey Mesquite heartwood with a strong and attractive grain pattern. It would be suitable for either a conventional bowl or oval hollow-form.
That dark feature on one edge of the back (bottom photo) appears to be the remains of a small, imbedded juvenile branch. This block was cut such that this branch is present only on the edge and is not present within the block. This area will turn off as the block is roughed to round.
I see no cracks, checks or other significant flaws.
This is another very nice square block of Texas Honey Mesquite. It is mainly rich reddish-brown Mesquite heartwood but with a thin section of old sapwood and under-bark on one edge of the backside. All of that bark and sapwood will turn off if the bowl is oriented such that the back face is the bottom. This block would be suitable for either a conventional bowl or an oval hollow-form.
This is another very nice square block of Texas Honey Mesquite. It is mainly rich reddish-brown Mesquite heartwood but includes a thick section of sapwood and under-bark on one side and one edge of the backside. All of that sapwood area should turn off if the bowl is oriented such that the back face is the bottom. This block would be suitable for either a conventional bowl or an oval hollow-form.
This is another very nice square block of Texas Honey Mesquite. It is almost entirely the rich reddish-brown Mesquite heartwood but does have a thin section of sapwood along one edge of the top side. The grain pattern is strong and linear but with a light burly character. This block would be suitable for either a conventional bowl or an oval hollow-form.
The pith was cut completely out of this block but the tail end of two radial, pith-related cracks remain along the backside and one back edge. If that back side is planned as the bottom of a bowl or HF, those cracks should turn off completely. I see no other cracks, checks or significant flaws.
It is almost entirely the rich reddish-brown Mesquite heartwood but does have a thin section of sapwood along one edge of the back side. The grain pattern is strong and linear, and includes a light burly character (see that strong Mesquite ray that crosses the annotated face in the top photo!). This block would be suitable for either a conventional bowl or an oval hollow-form. Again, if the blank is mounted such that the bottom face is to be the bottom of the bowl or HF, all of that sapwood will turn off.
This is a very nice and nearly perfect block square of Texas Honey Mesquite. It includes a thick section of the rich reddish-brown of Mesquite heartwood, a fat rim of bright golden-yellow sapwood, and a full, thick and tight section of dark brown Mesquite bark. It would be suitable for either a conventional bowl or a full-bark, natural-edge bowl.
This is another very nice square block of Texas Honey Mesquite. It is mainly rich reddish-brown Mesquite heartwood but with a thin section of golden-yellow sapwood and patches of under-bark on the back. All of that bark and most, if not all of the sapwood will turn off if the bowl is oriented such that the bark/sapwood face is the bottom. This block would be suitable for either a relatively deep conventional bowl or a thick, oval hollow-form.
It was cut from close to the pith of the log and a small portion of a radial crack crosses one edge on the annotated face (top photo). I would just reinforce it with thin CA glue before turning. The tail-end remains of several, very thin checks are present on one end-grain face (left side, bottom photo) but they are so thin and tight as to not be visible on that photo. I fully expect these to turn off as the block is roughed-out. And the last feature of interest is a set of three small knots of round bark inclusions on one side of the annotated face. These appear to be sound but I would reinforce them with thin CA glue before and/or during turning. I see no other cracks, checks or obvious flaws.
This bowl was recently turned from the same burly Texas Honey Mesquite listed below. Additional examples of Mesquite turnings are presented on our companion website Prairie's End Woodshop.
This is another attractive, square block of Texas Honey Mesquite. It is primarily the rich reddish-brown of Mesquite heartwood but includes a thin and narrow strip of yellow-brown sapwood and small patches of brown bark across one back edge (bottom photo). It was cut from a very burly tree but does not include the complex grain and intense burl typical of other blanks from that tree. However, it is attractive with several nice burl buds on the top and a strong, linear grain pattern. It should be suitable for either a conventional bowl or oval hollow-form.
I see absolutely no cracks, checks or other structural flaws - it is close to being perfect. The only flaws that I recognize are the strip of sapwood on the backside (described above) and a small, frass-filled borer hole on one edge - both of which will turn off if that backside is designated for the bottom of the bowl or hollow-form.
Mesquite Lot M-405
6"x 6" x 2-1/2 to 3"
3-3/4 lbs.
This is a very nice smaller half-log bowl blank in Texas Honey Mesquite. The colors also include the rich reddish-brown of Mesquite heartwood, the bright golden yellow of sapwood and the dark brown of fresh bark. With full bark on the backside it would be suitable for a natural edge bowl as well as a conventional bowl.
The pith was cut out of this blank but there are three small and tight radial cracks associated with that absent pith. In general, these extend to a depth of less than 1/2" below the cut face where visible on the end-grain faces and, again, I would just reinforce these with thin CA glue before turning. There is a very light pattern of checking on one end-grain face that should turn off as the blank is rounded. I see no other cracks, checks or significant flaws.
This is another very nice smaller half-log bowl blank in Texas Honey Mesquite. The colors also include the rich reddish-brown of Mesquite heartwood, the bright golden yellow of sapwood and the dark brown of fresh bark. With full bark on the backside it would be suitable for a natural edge bowl as well as a conventional bowl.
This blank was cut very close to the pith of the log and a very small portion remains on one end (upper end, top photo; end-grain face in bottom photo). Three very small and tight radial cracks are associated with that pith and extend at most about 1/4" into the blank. I consider them to be very minor and, at most, would reinforce them with thin CA glue before turning. I see no other cracks, checks or significant flaws.
This is another very nice smaller half-log Mesquite bowl blank - the other half of the log that yielded M-406 above. The colors also include the rich reddish-brown of Mesquite heartwood, the bright golden yellow of sapwood and the dark brown of fresh bark. With full bark on the backside it would also be suitable for a natural edge bowl as well as a conventional bowl.
The remainder of the pith is present in this blank, extending from surface at the upper end of the blank (top photo) to a depth of 3/8" at the lower end (end-grain face, top photo). Several very small and tight radial cracks are associated with the pith and are visible on the upper portion of the annotated face (top photo). They do not appear to have any depth in the exposed end-grain in that area (near face, bottom photo), but do form a small "star" pattern around the pith on the opposite end (end-grain face, top photo). I also consider these to be very minor and, at most, would reinforce them with thin CA glue before turning. I see no other cracks, checks or significant flaws.
This is another very nice half-log bowl blank in Texas Honey Mesquite. The colors also include the rich reddish-brown of Mesquite heartwood, the bright golden yellow of sapwood and the dark brown of fresh bark. With full bark on the backside it would also be suitable for a natural edge bowl as well as a conventional bowl.
The pith is present in this blank, similar to that of blank M-407 above. It extends from surface at the upper end of the blank (top photo) to a depth of about 1/2" at the lower end (also on the top photo). Several very small and shallow radial cracks are associated with the pith and are visible on the upper half of the face where the pith is closest to the surface. They do not appear to have any depth in the exposed end-grain at that end (bottom photo) but do form a small "star" pattern around the pith on the opposite end (end-grain face, top photo). I also consider these to be very minor and, at most, would reinforce them with thin CA glue before turning. I see no other cracks, checks or significant flaws.
This is another very nice smaller half-log bowl blank in Texas Honey Mesquite. The colors also include the rich reddish-brown of Mesquite heartwood, the bright golden yellow of sapwood and the dark brown of fresh bark. With full bark on the backside it would be suitable for a natural edge bowl as well as a conventional bowl.
This blank was cut right along the pith of the log and a single small and tight pith-related radial crack is present in the upper portion of the face (just visible at the upper end, top photo). This crack is also faintly visible on the end-grain face of the bottom photo. I consider them to be very minor and, at most, would reinforce them with thin CA glue before turning. Otherwise this block is perfect - I see no other cracks, checks or significant flaws.
This is another nice half-log Texas Honey Mesquite bowl blank. The colors also include the rich reddish-brown of Mesquite heartwood, the bright golden yellow of sapwood and the dark brown of fresh bark. With full bark on the backside it would be suitable for a natural edge bowl as well as a conventional bowl.
This blank was cut diagonally through the pith of the log. The pith is present at the surface at one end of the blank (upper portion, top photo) and at a depth of 7/8" at the other end. There are two small and thin pith-related radial cracks associated with the pith and quite visible on the end-grain face of the bottom photo. One (or both?) are visible on the upper portion of the annotated face (top photo). One crack is also faintly visible on the end-grain face of the bottom photo. I also consider these to be pretty minor and would reinforce them with thin CA glue before turning, and then fill any small gaps that might remain with decorative epoxy or inlace. I see no other cracks, checks or significant flaws.
This is another nice half-log Texas Honey Mesquite bowl blank - the other half of the log that yielded M-410 above. The colors also include the rich reddish-brown of Mesquite heartwood, the bright golden yellow of sapwood and the dark brown of fresh bark. With full bark on the backside it would be suitable for a natural edge bowl as well as a conventional bowl.
The pith was cut out of this blank but there are several small and tight radial cracks associated with that absent pith. What you see at the face is the extreme tail-end of those radial cracks. Where that one crack intersects the end-grain face (top photo), the depth appears to be 1/8" or less. Note, after the top photo was taken I went back to the bandsaw to clean-up that chainsaw-cut end-grain face and double checked the depth of the crack - it is miniscule. Again, I would just reinforce these with thin CA glue before turning. I see no other cracks, checks or significant flaws.
This bowl was recently turned from the same Texas Honey Mesquite listed on this site. Additional examples of Mesquite turnings are presented on our companion website Prairie's End Woodshop.
REMINDER - if you are looking for larger Mesquite bowl blanks, don't forget to check our other page "Larger Mesquite Blanks and Other Interesting Pieces"
(http://www.texaswoodcrafts.net/mesquite/bowlblanks.asp)
This is a beautiful board of burly Texas Honey Mesquite. It is mainly the rich reddish-brown of Mesquite heartwood but does have a section of sapwood and bits of remaining bark on the back side. The burly character includes a complex and curly grain, a number of large and small burl buds, and a moderate chatoyance. I anticipate that this piece would be very good for a number of knife scales or pistol grips.
I see absolutely no significant structural flaws. There is one thin and tight, curving bit of included bark on the annotated face - this is sound and can be either cut out or worked into the design.
This is another very nice board of burly Texas Honey Mesquite. It is mainly the rich reddish-brown of Mesquite heartwood but does have a section of included bark on one end the back side. It was cut from close to a crotch (thus the crotch-related bark inclusion) and the dramatic rays of the crotch grain form a partial feather figure at one end (closer portion of the annotated face, top photo). The burly character includes a complex grain, a number of small burl buds, and a moderate chatoyance on the annotated face. Again, this piece should be very good for a number of knife scales or pistol grips.
I see absolutely no cracks, checks or significant flaws other than the bark inclusion on one end. That long gray-black stripe on the annotated face is just a surface smudge from my less-than-clean jointer table!
This is a rectangular block of Mesquite cut from the outer portion of the log. The grain is strong swirling pattern and the color is the rich reddish-brown of Mesquite heartwood.
There is a single radial crack that extends ~1-1/2" into one end of the block. I see no other cracks, checks or obvious flaws.
This is a small rectangular board of Mesquite cut from the outer portion of the log. The color is the rich reddish-brown of Mesquite heartwood with a wide strip of yellow to spalted brown sapwood on one edge.
This is a nice rectangular board of Mesquite cut from the outer portion of the log. The color includes the rich reddish-brown of Mesquite heartwood with a narrow strip of yellow-brown sapwood on one edge. The grain in that heartwood includes a nicely swirling pattern.
This is a very nice large and rectangular block of Mesquite cut from the outer portion of the log. The grain is a strong and attractive linear pattern and the basic color is the rich reddish-brown of Mesquite heartwood. The long patch of sapwood along one edge is a grayish-yellow color with a section of dark brown Mesquite bark on the outside. There are lots of possibilities here - at the very least it could be trimmed to a nice 8x8x4" blank for a medium-size bowl or hollow-form.
I see absolutely no cracks or major flaws. There are two large bug holes in that sapwood section that may need filling if they remain in the final turned form. There are also a number of very fine checks in one end. I consider these to be minor.
This is a large irregular rectangular block of beautiful burly Texas Honey Mesquite. I would normally cut it down to use or sell in smaller blanks, but I do not need it at the moment (I have more), and I was not sure exactly what others might want in something like this. I also anticipated a good bit of waste with that cutting, so I decided to list it as one large block and let someone else make those hard decisions!!
As you can see from the photos, it is roughly 60/40 rich reddish-brown heartwood and golden-yellow sapwood. The grain pattern is highly figured and very burly, with many small to large burl buds, extensive "flame-type" figures (strong radiating rays??) and a strong optical chatoyance on most faces. It is beautiful.
I see absolutely no cracks, checks or other structural flaws. But it does contain several significant cosmetic flaws, including:
1) An irregular overall shape and a large, bark-lined depression on one face (upper left end, top photo).
2) Irregular patches of Mesquite bark on five corners.
3) One large and open borer hole in one end (bottom photo). My "toothpick" probing suggests that it is at least 3" deep, and
4) Several gappy bark inclusions.
Most all of these "flaws" could be considered "character features" in a finished piece if you have the imagination and skill.
This is a very attractive, rectangular block of burly Texas Honey Mesquite. It is entirely the rich reddish-brown of Mesquite heartwood with a complex figure and burly character. The burly character includes a number of burl buds and moderate chatoyance - it is very nice and would be suitable to re-saw for, among other things - Christmas ornaments, boxes, pistol grips and knife handles.
I see absolutely no cracks, checks or other structural flaws. No - that dark line running lenghwise on the upper face of the middle photo is not a crack. That is from a junk-nail nick on my jointer blades! However, this block does have one major cosmetic flaw - a large, open gap on one corner that is all that remains from a bark pocket that "popped-out" when I was sawing. The price reflects the presence of that flaw. There are also several small thin bark inclusions on the back side.
This is another attractive, narrow board of burly Texas Honey Mesquite. It is primarily the rich reddish-brown of Mesquite heartwood with a nice burly character on the upper portion of the annotated face. I do not know what those speckled dark-brown spots are on the lower right side of the annotated face It may be suitable to re-saw for, among other things - boxes, pistol grips or knife handles.
There is one small, brown-stained crack on the right side of the annotated face (top photo). I see no other cracks, checks or other structural flaws.
This is another attractive rectangular block of burly Texas Honey Mesquite. It is entirely the rich reddish-brown of Mesquite heartwood with a nicely figured and burly grain pattern. The burly character includes several burl buds, some curly grain and moderate chatoyance around the burl buds. It would be suitable to resaw for, among other things - Christmas ornaments, boxes, pistol grips and knife handles.
I see absolutely no cracks, checks or other structural flaws. But it does have several other cosmetic flaws - these are two small strings and one larger area of included bark and several medium-sized, frass-filled borer holes. Two of the borer holes are associated with the larger patch of included bark (bottom photo). The price reflects the presence of those flaws.
Note, that streaky light gray pattern on the left half of the backside is just a thin surface stain from my freshly-oiled jointer top! It will sand off immediately.
Mesquite Lot M-332
5-1/2"x 8-3/4"x 3/4"
1-1/2 lbs.
This is another attractive, rectangular, burly Texas Honey Mesquite board. It is entirely the rich reddish-brown of Mesquite heartwood. The burly character includes several burl buds, some curly grain and minor chatoyance.
The block does include one significant old crack (lower right side, bottom photo) and two small, minor cracks. The price reflects the presence of those flaws.
This is a beautiful, rectangular quartersawn block of Mesquite cut from the outer portion of the log. The grain is strong linear pattern and the color includes the rich reddish-brown of Mesquite heartwood and the creamy-yellow of Mesquite sapwood.
I see absolutely no cracks, checks, bug holes or other obvious flaws.
This is an interesting rectangular end-grain block of Mesquite cut from the center of a crotch. The grain is strong and attractive and, on one side, symmetrical around what appears to be a long, thin, barky crotch gap (back side, bottom photo). The color is the rich reddish-brown of Mesquite heartwood on the front and the darker brown of moderately spalted Mesquite on the backside.
This is another very nice rectangular end-grain block of Mesquite cut from the outer portion of the log. The grain is strong swirling pattern and the color is the rich reddish-brown of Mesquite heartwood. Most of the sapwood has been removed but a thin section remains on the front side (lower right side, top photo).
This is another very nice rectangular end-grain block of Mesquite. This was cut from the central portion of the log and includes a large area of moderate dark brown spalt-staining. The grain is strong and, aside from the spalting, the color is the rich reddish-brown of Mesquite heartwood.
This is another very nice rectangular end-grain block of Mesquite. This was cut from the central portion of the log and includes an area of moderate dark brown spalt-staining. The grain is a strong swirling pattern and, aside from the spalting, the color is the rich reddish-brown of Mesquite heartwood.
This is a nice rift-sawn block of Texas Honey Mesquite. The grain is strong and very attractive and there is some very nice Mesquite wood here.
There is an area of sapwood along one edge of the front side. There is also a narrow zone of small and tight to absolutely faint radial cracks on the back side. These are very tight and appear very shallow; the more prominent one, near the end of the block (near end, lower photo), is less than 1/8" deep. I see no other cracks or obvious flaws.
This is another nice rift-sawn block of Texas Honey Mesquite. The grain is strong and very attractive and there is a lot of very nice Mesquite wood here.
There is an area of sapwood along one edge and corner of the back side (lower photo). There is also a zone of small and tight, widely spaceed radial cracks on the front side (top photo). These are very tight and appear very shallow; the more prominent one, near the end of the block, is less than 1/8" deep. I see no other cracks or obvious flaws.
Mesquite Lot 108
2-1/2" x 3-7/8" x 10-1/2"
4-1/4 lbs.
This is a very nice and large quarter-sawn block of Texas Honey Mesquite. The grain is strong and very attractive and there is a lot of very nice Mesquite wood here.
There is a small zone of prominent radial cracks on one corner of the back side (lower photo). There is also a short alignment of very tight cracks on one side of the block. I consider these to be minor. I see no other cracks or obvious flaws.
This is a very nice small board of Texas Honey Mesquite. It is about 85% the rich, reddish-brown of Mesquite heartwood and 15% golden-yellow Mesquite sapwood.
I see no cracks, checks or other structural flaws. But, there is one fairly deep beetle hole (~1/2", measured by probing) on one edge of the sapwood (far left edge, bottom photo). I see no other significant flaws.
This is another very nice small board of Texas Honey Mesquite. It is about 85% the rich, reddish-brown of Mesquite heartwood and 15% bright golden-yellow Mesquite sapwood.
I see no cracks, checks or other significant flaws.
This delicate goblet was recently turned from some of the same Texas Honey Mesquite listed on this site. Additional examples of Mesquite turnings are presented on our companion website Prairie's End Woodshop.
Listing last updated 25 January 2012
Nothing here that suits your needs?
Then send me an email at: l.stahl@maroon.com
or a telephone call at: 281-392-5336
There is a possibility that I have more, either cut into blocks or in the rough log,
so I may be able to meet your specific requirements.
If not - send an email with your requirements and I will put it into my "wood requested by species" files and
see if I can cut it next time I have a log of that species up on the mill.
