Hi all,
I will try to get some pictures of this, but I have a neighbor who had 2 different trees on his property either taken down or had low hanging limbs removed.
The one tree was taken down and cut into slabs by the tree service, and it is distinctly elm. It has very little odor, was damn near impossible to chop green, stringy as all get out, etc.
Now i've started working on the other one (thought it was elm) where there were thick branches taken from the lower portion of the tree. I took one this morning that was about 14" around and 20" high.
I start chopping it and my fiskars is bouncing - normal for elm. It takes about 15-20 swings to break a piece free - normal for elm. It's got SOME stringiness, but it's far more linear in nature (but I'm only chopping elm from the trunk). It breaks away VERY slowly - as in, the axe needs to sink into the same spot aobut 6-7 times before the piece will crack off.
It has more spring-loaded power than my other elm - meaning, my axe head get stuck in the wood and as I pry it free the axe literally pops about 8" out of the wood from the force of the wood springing back together.
And it smells like manure. Lightly, but definitely that smell. Does this sound more like oak?
It's also very heavy, quite wet for being down 6 months already, and the grain has a heavy pattern like a honeycomb almost (i.e. it's 3 dimensional grain, it's not flat and tight).
Joe
P.s. I'm a little concerned about burning this stuff in this coming winter because it's so green feeling.
I will try to get some pictures of this, but I have a neighbor who had 2 different trees on his property either taken down or had low hanging limbs removed.
The one tree was taken down and cut into slabs by the tree service, and it is distinctly elm. It has very little odor, was damn near impossible to chop green, stringy as all get out, etc.
Now i've started working on the other one (thought it was elm) where there were thick branches taken from the lower portion of the tree. I took one this morning that was about 14" around and 20" high.
I start chopping it and my fiskars is bouncing - normal for elm. It takes about 15-20 swings to break a piece free - normal for elm. It's got SOME stringiness, but it's far more linear in nature (but I'm only chopping elm from the trunk). It breaks away VERY slowly - as in, the axe needs to sink into the same spot aobut 6-7 times before the piece will crack off.
It has more spring-loaded power than my other elm - meaning, my axe head get stuck in the wood and as I pry it free the axe literally pops about 8" out of the wood from the force of the wood springing back together.
And it smells like manure. Lightly, but definitely that smell. Does this sound more like oak?
It's also very heavy, quite wet for being down 6 months already, and the grain has a heavy pattern like a honeycomb almost (i.e. it's 3 dimensional grain, it's not flat and tight).
Joe
P.s. I'm a little concerned about burning this stuff in this coming winter because it's so green feeling.
Back in Mar.2000 there was 1 huge (28" diameter,50ft tall) & 2 smaller (18" & 12" diameter, 40 & 30ft tall in my yard that I paid a guy to bring down.He topped them out,so werent hanging over the house,then I did the rest,felling the tall trunks,bucking,splitting & stacking the eyesores.They were the only 3 of those I knew of in a 2-3 mile radius,really wanted them GONE.Stinking damn leaves & flowers,very brittle twigs & branches.Seeds sprouted in cracks in concrete & everywhere else,were almost impossible to kill.No sign of any of them in 8yrs now. Wood looked like white ash,very heavy when green,light as a feather when dry though & left more ashes than anything I've ever burned.If I see them in a CL ad or elsewhere,I wont bother lol.
