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  1. Postalizer Member

    joined: Sep 18, 2008
    26 posts
    Central CT
    Picked this wood up today as the road crews must have been cutting.
    Wood is on the lite side for its size, but is very wet.
    Any guesses as to what it is??

    Attached Files:

    #1

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  2. Adios Pantalones Minister of Fire

    Locust- probably black.
  3. Postalizer Member

    joined: Sep 18, 2008
    26 posts
    Central CT
    Here are the pics a little bigger.

    Attached Files:

  4. Mmaul Minister of Fire

    joined: Oct 10, 2007
    512 posts
    Muncie, IN
    The deep bark, large growth rings and bud leads me to believe it is a white ash. Or some other ash variety.
  5. JustWood Minister of Fire

    joined: Aug 14, 2007
    3,185 posts
    Arrow Bridge,NY
    Cotton pickin' COTTONWOOD! :cheese:
  6. the_dude Feeling the Heat

    joined: Feb 26, 2008
    298 posts
    Southern WI
    I'm with Lee. As wet as it is, it dries fairly quickly and I have been using it for the shoulder season along with some basswood with good success.
  7. Adios Pantalones Minister of Fire

    huh. We don't have cottonwood here that I know of.
  8. bruce56bb New Member

    joined: Nov 18, 2005
    333 posts
    Flint Hills of Kansas
    another vote for cottonwood here.
  9. bsruther Feeling the Heat

    joined: Oct 28, 2008
    372 posts
    Northern Kentucky
    I call Locust. Honey or black I'm not sure of.
  10. dznam Member

    joined: Jul 31, 2008
    59 posts
    Coastal ME
    I believe that this is Tulip Poplar (sometimes referred to as yellow poplar) - wet, light and with greenish hue at the center with light sapwood. When dry it's very light splits very easily and burns well, but fast - split quickly or it's prone to rotting. We had several in the backyard in CT and they grow to be huge... I believe they are the tallest classified hardwoods in the U.S.
  11. SnaykeByte New Member

    joined: Jan 7, 2008
    71 posts
    Greenwood, Indiana
    Cottonwood vote here too.
  12. xrayman Member

    joined: Jul 11, 2008
    63 posts
    central Iowa
    100% cotton wood have 4 of the messy things @ my place
  13. struggle New Member

    joined: Oct 24, 2006
    727 posts
    NW Iowa
    I am voting cotton wood as well since I have cut them here in Iowa and that bark looks exactly like it, but the color of the wood is different it seems to me but most of the ones we have cut have been standing dead ones so maybe live have a darker color to them.

    If it is in fact cotton wood be ready for a spark show when you open the door to add more wood. It really snaps and spits little embers out. Burns fast and hot.
  14. Adios Pantalones Minister of Fire

    If it's really dense- then it's locust (often has thorns on branches). If it's light, then cottonwood.
  15. Todd Minister of Fire

    joined: Nov 19, 2005
    8,785 posts
    Lake Wissota
    Either Cottonwood or Basswood, definitely not Locust.
  16. smokinj Minister of Fire

    joined: Aug 11, 2008
    15,410 posts
    Anderson, Indiana
    cottenwood! (lots of ash from that stuff)
  17. branchburner Minister of Fire

    joined: Sep 27, 2008
    1,694 posts
    southern NH
    I'm noticing all the cottonwood calls are coming from the midwest. I've lived in NH, MA, NY and CT - wouldn't know a cottonwood if it bit me.
    Going with locust. Haven't cut it since I was a kid in upstate NY, but sure looks like it. Like Adios said: if it's hard w/ thorns, locust - soft, well, not locust - maybe it is some sort of poplar?

    Just noticed you said it was light, so maybe not locust.
  18. prtp3warrior New Member

    joined: Nov 4, 2008
    56 posts
    East TN
    Black Locust. A good wood for lots of things including bows.
  19. PA. Woodsman Minister of Fire

    joined: Feb 26, 2007
    634 posts
    Emmaus, Pennsylvania
    It's Poplar or some other "soft" hardwood; Black Locust is yellow all the way through and the grain is a lot stringier, not "striped" like this wood.
  20. branchburner Minister of Fire

    joined: Sep 27, 2008
    1,694 posts
    southern NH
    I think we gotta go with dznam, since he's also from CT. Yellow poplar covers the state on the tree map (none north of CT, though) and cottonwood is pretty scarce in New England. If it's light and wet it's not locust.
    Found out something funny: cottonwood is in the poplar family, but yellow poplar/tulip poplar is not a poplar at all, it's a magnolia.
  21. JustWood Minister of Fire

    joined: Aug 14, 2007
    3,185 posts
    Arrow Bridge,NY
    Postalizer,

    I'll eat your mailbox if it ain't cottonwood!
  22. Rich_CT Member

    joined: Mar 14, 2008
    45 posts
    Western CT
    I've got several cottonwood and black locust on my property. That ain't no locust. Looks like cottonwood to me.

    Rich
  23. bsruther Feeling the Heat

    joined: Oct 28, 2008
    372 posts
    Northern Kentucky
    I found this pick of cottonwood on Google images
    I must agree, it looks similar.
    [IMG]
  24. dznam Member

    joined: Jul 31, 2008
    59 posts
    Coastal ME
    I haven't cut any cottonwood here that has the giveaway characteristic green tint of Tulip. Also, the characteristics of the twigs in the photo on left match those in the attached photos. I have some in the woodpile right now, but the green tint fades to white as it dries and mines been cut/split for a couple of years. It'd be a lot conclusive if Postalizer snapped a shot of a leaf and posted it, if available.

    http://www.cnr.vt.edu/DENDRO/dendrology/syllabus/factsheet.cfm?ID=54

    Woodford, isn't tulip the state tree of KY?
  25. webby3650 Minister of Fire

    joined: Sep 2, 2008
    1,924 posts
    southern Indiana
    Is the wood fragrant ? Notice the red just under the surface of the bark. That is a characteristic that none of the trees mentioned have. It looks like it could be sassafras to me.
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