> On Aug 1, 2022, at 18:36 , gary allan may via groups.io
 wrote:
> 
>   Out here in Western Washington there are often rows of huge black locusts
planted exactly as far apart as fence posts ought to be, which is completely
unsurprising once you learn that they were set as fence posts fifty or a hundred
years ago and bloomed  into life in the spring after they were planted. I have
never worked with the stuff, but I hope to, someday.

Growing up in western WA, we used cedar power poles for fence posts, since dad
used to get them from work, and we'd split them. I'd never seen a locust tree
until we moved to the eastern side of the state and helped some friends clean up
after a wind storm: I grabbed a piece of locust and learned that it had 2"
thorns that could go right through a leather glove.

Lots of great recommendations here. My deck stair has cedar handrails that have
held up better than the decking itself, but I'd hesitate to run my hands up and
down it.

Adam, sweltering in the desert of Benton City, WA