Big difference my friend, Ironwood is ALOT harder than mesquite and weighs 66-70# per cubic foot, it won't even float, and alot harder on a chain than mesquite, it's not the mesquite that was hard on a chain it's the wind blown sand in the shaggy bark that does it same as cutting the old shaggy bark cedar, Mesquite does ooz as you say ironwood does not, and you would not want to use ironwood for a bbq, it stinks like dead cat when you burn it, i sell alot to pen turners and have a dozen of them as me if it was supposed to smell like something dead when they drilled it and got it hot! And mequite smells great !! I use it for my own bbq, and Ironwood can live to be 1,500 years old! Mesquite won't even come close to that, when you lived here and where out in the desert, did you ever see the trees with the purple blossoms? that is Ironwood, mesquites are a yellow, the name Olneya Tesota is ironwood, it's a distant member of the pea family, hope this helps.
Thanks
Joe
You are not that far away Bobby come on out and I'll show you the ironwood anytime you want! I have piece of mesquite also, you can have it for your BBQ.
Thanks
Joe