Sassafras Wood

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hobbyheater

Minister of Fire
In the "Boiler Room" Sassafras wood has been talked about.
It is a name that up until now that I have only heard in rhymes or in songs.
Could someone post a few pictures of a few split pieces? It's a type of wood that I will likely never see in person.
 
Not sure its range but it's a pretty common mid to north east coast tree. Mostly a smaller pioneer species but they can get to be a pretty good size, easy to recognize with leaves on as they have "mitten" leaves, very unique. I don't have any on my property bigger than a couple inches diameter so I have no idea how they are as firewood. I'd guess about equal to maple maybe?
 
i have some split in a stack in the yard. Ill see if i can get you a pick tomorrow. Stuff smells great.
 
Sassafras is pretty lightweight wood. It smells great and is a nice tree, but not high density firewood.
 
I just put up a post earlier titled "ID please" majority is saying sassafras. It smells nice and is lightweight. Check it out.
 
Thanks! He's a Doberman pincher
 
I've added pics since the sassafras so I will add one here so there is no confusion :)

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hareball said:
I've added pics since the sassafras so I will add one here so there is no confusion :)
Interesting. It has bark much like our soggy western hemlock. The heart wood looks much like western red cedar. Is it a broad leaf ?
 
Good pic, hareball. Besides the distinctive smell, you'll notice that the layer below the outer bark (not sure what that's called) is a bright burnt orange color, as seen in that pic. We have tons of them in the woods here but they don't generally get very big before they die and fall over. Burns up pretty fast, and does a lot of snap, crackle and poppin' in the stove!
 
I've got about 2 cords of sassafras from a local tree service. They were cutting near by so I asked for some and they brought me 2 loads. It's all cut and split now I just don't have anywhere to stack it yet. It does smell great when splitting - almost reminds me of white oak. I had to read up on it when they brought it to me and told me what it was. I plan to use it for summer camp fires and to mix in with the higher btu woods next season. After they brought me the sassafras, I got a load of walnut/cherry, then another of all Norway Maple. All free and dropped right on my property. I know, pics or it never happened!!
 
Thanks wood stover!

Allan, not sure about the leaf. The wood guy only dropped about a 5' section of the tree with the rest of the load.
 
Very easily idetified by the leaves because it is the only tree in Michigan with three different leaf patterns on one tree. Large oval, mitten and double mitten(if that makes sense) Also very easy to identify by smell and taste. Pick a leaf and chew the stem - it will taste minty and, well... sassafrassy. You can make a tea from the leaf stems, inner bark and roots that is very good. All of it will smell and taste good so if there are no leaves just break off a green twig and chew the end a bit to know what I mean.
 
I'll add that I think it burns decently. It does take some more air than other types of wood. I think I read somewhere on here that it is somewhat related to locust???
 
Bocefus78 said:
I'll add that I think it burns decently. It does take some more air than other types of wood. I think I read somewhere on here that it is somewhat related to locust???

Nope. Sassafras is in the laurel family; locust in the pea family. Sass is very light, low btu wood; opposite of locust.
 
I been burning a bunch of it this year. Burns good but is light weight and doesn't last long.
 
Just cut one down that had the top snaped off.The trunk at the base is 16''and those rounds wern't that light.Looked it up on the btu. chart and it's just under Cherry.
 
I have tons of it here for some reason, and some pretty large ones that can get about 2 feet in diameter. It has to be the easiest wood to split on the planet. It is a very light wood, burns very hot and decent if you season it for at least a year. The bark does look very similar to locust in that it is very deeply furrowed. Roots smell great, you can make tea out them. It was originally used in Root Beer, I believe. The deer and other animals like to eat the buds. It is a great shoulder season wood or good wood to mix in with other woods. If you do not let it season it is not a good wood and will smolder. You may be tempted to burn it early, as I have, because it is low in moisture content and very light, making you think it is ready to burn. Here is one link to a description, and you probably will not find it in Canada:
http://www.na.fs.fed.us/pubs/silvics_manual/volume_2/sassafras/albidum.htm
 
I absolutely love to cut sassafras as it has to be the sweetest smelling wood there is. Unfortunately we don't have any large ones here and the danged things just don't like to grow straight. However, if you find some straight ones, you can also use those for fence posts. Even without treating them they will last anywhere from 10 - 15 years so long as you cut the top slanted. If you can dunk them in some oil before planting them in the hole then so much the better. You can also paint the top to keep water out.
 
JeffT said:
Just cut one down that had the top snaped off.The trunk at the base is 16''and those rounds wern't that light.Looked it up on the btu. chart and it's just under Cherry.

It must be hard deciding which type of wood to collect when you have so many species to choose from!
 
Backwoods Savage said:
However, if you find some straight ones, you can also use those for fence posts.

On the farm in Bella Coola, we would split western red cedar for fence posts. It would last about the same time, 10 - 15 years. We never had the money to treat them at the level where the post would enter the ground so it would rot at this point.
 
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