Is this hickory--thanks!

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KB1GCB

New Member
Feb 3, 2009
34
Central Rhode Island
Another road side wood find! Again, this is left by the roadside for the public to take. Live in a rural area and the roadside trees are constantly being trimmed--especially in the spring and fall. My brother from my phone description to him thinks it could be hickory. This is the hardest wood I have ever tried to split with my monster maul--it just bounces off or very little damage to the log. I was able to split a couple of pieces, but left defeated! Will try again when my new fiskars 7584 arrives, but I don't think it will help. Might have to let dry and burn as is without splitting.

Thanks for your help!

John
 

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From your splitting experience it sounds like elm. I can split hickory quite easily. Looks like elm in the pics. The Hickory I cut has a dark center ring.
 
If its bark-less like the pics show I would agree its some kind of elm. All my hickory I have been cutting has bark and the elm doesn't. The elm was dead standing and looks alot like your pics.

Shipper
 
Ja, standing dead Elm.
 
KB1GCB said:
Another road side wood find! Again, this is left by the roadside for the public to take. Live in a rural area and the roadside trees are constantly being trimmed--especially in the spring and fall. My brother from my phone description to him thinks it could be hickory. This is the hardest wood I have ever tried to split with my monster maul--it just bounces off or very little damage to the log. I was able to split a couple of pieces, but left defeated! Will try again when my new fiskars 7584 arrives, but I don't think it will help. Might have to let dry and burn as is without splitting.

Thanks for your help!

John

Try a little more horsepower in your swing. Actually, I cut some down into shorter pieces - then it split just fine.

I could see moisture seep out where I hit it w/maul - the stuff has a really high moisture content.
 
Sure looks like elm to me. Good luck splitting by hand.
 
I agree with elm. The key would be smell. If a fresh cut/split piece smells like cat pee, probably elm. If it smells like...well...hickory...it's probably hickory. Burning a small splinter or two then sniffing a waft of the smoke would also give a positive ID for hickory.
 
Another vote for elm.. have some that looks just like that. Big wide rings and no bark (from standing dead) are a good tip off.
A pain to split. Cut the rounds short.. they will split easier that way.
 
Elm, definitely elm. Burns decent.
 
that is dead ash
You will know if you have elm (smells, darker in color, will burn like a damp rag)
ash has a similar bark beetle to elm
elm does NOT burn decent
 
Elm splits better if you "flake" off pieces instead of trying to split it down the middle. Aim to split across the log 25% of the way in, do that on all four sides and leave the core as your fifth piece. Elm burns just fine in my woodstove, not as many btu's as oak or locust but great for not so cold weather.
 
Thanks to all for the info!

Just came back from "smelling" my wood--not much of an odor. Going to place my 16" rounds (getting ready the fireview) in the 'smart-holder' and make smaller. Hope I can now split them--whatever, they look good. 8^)


John
 
wisconsindvm said:
that is dead ash
You will know if you have elm (smells, darker in color, will burn like a damp rag)
ash has a similar bark beetle to elm
elm does NOT burn decent
If you let the Elm season before you burn,it will do much better. I burn lots of elm, never had problem with it.
 
KB1GCB said:
Thanks to all for the info!

Just came back from "smelling" my wood--not much of an odor. Going to place my 16" rounds (getting ready the fireview) in the 'smart-holder' and make smaller. Hope I can now split them--whatever, they look good. 8^)


John

John, when people talk about elm stinking, that is when it is cut green. That you have is not green so has lost all or most of it's odor.

Good luck on the splitting.
 
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