Osage wisdom
I was surprised to read that Osage orange was the densest North American wood (Woodsense, Dec/Jan, 2023). I remember hearing that persimmon was the densest. Then I noticed you quoted Osage’s Janka rating. The Janka scale measures hardness, not density. I found that Persimmon comes in at a whopping 52 lbs./cu.ft. Osage orange is a not-too-shabby second at 48.
—Mark Funk, Uniontown, OH
Contributor Robert J. Settich replies:
I consult many sources in gathering Woodsense data, including Eric Meier’s Wood! Identifying and Using Hundreds of Woods Worldwide. Meier’s data shows 54 lbs./cu.ft. for Osage orange, compared to 52 lbs./cu.ft. for persimmon. The Janka numbers—measuring resistance to denting but widely used as a shorthand for wood toughness—are 2760 for Osage and 2360 for persimmon, while their specific gravities at 12% moisture are 0.83 and 0.86 respectively. Osage orange rates higher in several other strength properties as well. But regardless of the numbers, each species has its own attributes; exploring them numerically is interesting, but working with the actual material is even more rewarding.
