I've got one in the backyard about 20 years old. Wife loves it, but to me the thing is a pain in the neck. But before I cut it down I decided to research it. I did some serious pruning of it yesterday, and was surprised at how hard the wood is (about the same as walnut) and the very dark brown/reddish color of the heartwood. I cut some big diameter peripheral growth (about 8" x 3') which I debarked and am drying for some possibly usable lumber for small projects.
Some pics of typical projects by other people:
http://www.hobbithouseinc.com/personal/ ... redbud.htmBut the other thing I discovered is it's uses as a medicine, so I won't be cutting the whole thing down. Here's the link:
http://www.naturalmedicinalherbs.net/he ... redbud.phpA couple pics of the tree, post pruning. Still some more to do, and clean up the rest of the mess.