So I think I scored Hickory...
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bigbarf48
Minister of Fire
Kind of sweet. Unfortunately I'm too new to the wood harvesting to know what oak and hickory will smell like.
bigbarf48
Minister of Fire
To me red oak smells like vinegar. Some will say manure but I usually get the vinegar smell out of red (pin oak does smell like manure to me)
How'd it split?
How'd it split?
Hogwildz
Minister of Fire
Soundchasm
Minister of Fire
I don't know my oaks since I don't have any, but I'm missing the "X" pattern in the bark for pignut or bitternut hickory. Here's bitternut.
nrford
Minister of Fire
BobUrban
Minister of Fire
Oak IMO too. Red - and good stuff on par with hickory so no loss in BTU's there - just longer to dry.
Smell and actually taste will help identify many woods as your experience grows. Oak will have a funky smell and be distinct no matter what your nose says dirty socks, vinegar, sweet, etc.. it will also be bitter from the tannins. It will also commonly punk like that in the sap wood if it has been dead for some time but not a big deal as that heart wood is wood heat gold in two-three years.
Smell and actually taste will help identify many woods as your experience grows. Oak will have a funky smell and be distinct no matter what your nose says dirty socks, vinegar, sweet, etc.. it will also be bitter from the tannins. It will also commonly punk like that in the sap wood if it has been dead for some time but not a big deal as that heart wood is wood heat gold in two-three years.
The limbs that were 6-10" O.D. split relatively easily, even with my dull Kobalt ax. But the lengths that were 10-12"O.D. or so would take a couple of hits. 13-14"O.D. and up and the ax was literally bouncing off the wood. The wife started chuckling after the third time this happened.
The prospect of hickory was exciting as to add to the experience of working with it, but I'll make do with oak.
Chicken Farmer
Burning Hunk
Backwoods Savage
Minister of Fire
Perhaps you have some pin oak? That has a smoother bark than red oak, even if it is in the same family. Here is one pin oak that died.
Paulywalnut
Minister of Fire
bassJAM
Feeling the Heat
I had a tree that was rotting on the outsides like this a few years ago. Some local tree experts identified it as hickory, but the inner wood was lighter colored than that. The bark was completely gone so I'm no help there. I did split off those "punky" parts from every log and let them dry separately. After a year they made great kindling so I wouldn't let them go to waste.
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