What is it, Bodark, Osage Orange, something else?

[ColoradoHermit]

Ok, I'm still not too sure just what kind of wood this is. It is very old and dry, at least 28 to 30 years old. It turns almost as hard as steel. To drill the 7mm hole in the pen blanks even slowing it down to just 400 something RPM (drill press isn't handy at the moment to be sure) and using air hose to cool it, it still burned my HSS drill bit. And it took several hours to turn that pen cuz I had to keep stopping to sharpen my chisels. It could be because they're not the best ones around but they were the ones that came with my dads Shop Smith in 1979 so they weren't all that cheap either. I remember when I first tried to cut it back in 1982 or so that when fresh cut it was a pretty bright mustard yellow but turned to reddish brown withing a few minutes. Those were my wilder days and I used a piece of it to make a pipe. I don't know what happened to it eventually but for years it never showed any sign of burning out. ;-)
What I would like to know is what's this wood worth? I can tell you that any pen made from it will last for ever and never ware out!
The other thing that I'm trying to verify for sure is that I think that this was the post in the middle of the training corral at the ranch in Texas where they filmed the TV Show Dallas. When they were filming the show at that ranch my sister was the head horse trainer on the ranch.
It would just add that little bit more to make a pen made from it "Special" if I can get it verified.

Here's the link to photo's of the wood.
http://picasaweb.google.com/DansPens/BodarkWood#


Here's a couple of pictures, one of all the pieces I have left of it and one of the 3 blanks that I got out of it and one nice piece that could make several more blanks.

 

[MesquiteMan]

It is also Bois d'Arc, Osage Orange, Bodark, Bow Wood, Hedge Apple, Horse Apple, Naranjo Chino, Yellow Wood, but specifically Maclura pomifera

Here is more info if you are interested: http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/ornamentals/natives/maclurapomifera.htm

As to its value...about $1 per blank. It is not at all uncommon and available from many sources.

 

[ColoradoHermit]

Thank you very much. Then I guess getting $40 for a Slim Line out of it when I was selling the rest of my Slim Lines for $25 was pretty good. Ya think?