Thanks for the link and the replies. Osage was not listed at caudata, but one of the bird sites referenced there lists "bois de arc" (osage) as safe for birds (it is probably way too tough for them to peck apart I suppose). The safe wood list is not very long, ash, grape and bamboo being the only species available to me. Ash rots really fast when wet too, does it not acidify during decomp or something?

I am still not convinced that osage cannot be used safely though, there's just not enough info out there for me. There's controvery in the wooden spoon carving community too over the wood, some say that it is in fact safer because it does not absorb cooking liquids like non toxic hardwoods do. Others say it is not safe because of the chemicals in the wood. I don't know, but there are no reports of any sort of actual poisoning from the wood so I'm leaning towards it being safe or capable of being safe. I think adequate boiling and leeching time should do it.