Ironwood Bark Picture Plus Picture of it Split / Muncybob

[thewoodlands]

This is some ironwood that has been cut and stacked for one year.


http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/Home/trees/hophorn_am/tabid/5377/Default.aspx



Zap

 

[Jack Straw]

Thanks for the info, I have quite a bit of it. I wonder if I also have what they are calling Blue Beech. It is relatively small, with a muscular type build and hard as a rock. I have quite a bit of that also.

 

[thewoodlands]

Thanks for the info, I have quite a bit of it. I wonder if I also have what they are calling Blue Beech. It is relatively small, with a muscular type build and hard as a rock. I have quite a bit of that also.

At night we have been burning some beech with ironwood and cherry for the overnight burn, the beech and ironwood leave great coals.


I've just been cutting the downed or topped off ironwood.




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[Monkey Wrench]

Zapny, Thanks for the pic's. I just dropped 14 of them only about 8-9'' width. I just bucked them, I was going to leave them as rounds for 2 yrs. Should I split them?
Thanks

 

[thewoodlands]

Zapny, Thanks for the pic's. I just dropped 14 of them only about 8-9'' width. I just bucked them, I was going to leave them as rounds for 2 yrs. Should I split them?
Thanks

I left most of them in rounds and they have been burning great, we have a few that I cut in the fall that I need to split.



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[Thistle]

Thanks for the info, I have quite a bit of it. I wonder if I also have what they are calling Blue Beech. It is relatively small, with a muscular type build and hard as a rock. I have quite a bit of that also.

American Hornbeam,also called Blue Beech is closely related to HopHornbeam aka Ironwood.Its usually even smaller than IW,both are in the Birch family.Great fuel,one of the best.Early settlers used both woods for tool handles,levers used in moving heavy loads,mallets & wedges (one of my favs for chisel handles & mallets) and other small woodenware.

Ironwood rarely gets much over 12" diameter & 30' tall.I havent seen any around here over 8" max,unless its in a isolated protected spot.Hornbeam is a bit smaller.Both grow & survive in the understory of much larger trees such as various Oaks,Maples,Beech,Birch,Hickories etc.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Thanks for the info, I have quite a bit of it. I wonder if I also have what they are calling Blue Beech. It is relatively small, with a muscular type build and hard as a rock. I have quite a bit of that also.

Jack, what you are describing certainly sounds like blue beech. It grows very slow and most of ours is in clumps and small but it surely burns great. Here is a link to some: Blue Beech



Zap, we still have that one that has fell but we keep having a problem finding it. There is too much white stuff all over the woods.

 

[smokinj]

Thanks for the info, I have quite a bit of it. I wonder if I also have what they are calling Blue Beech. It is relatively small, with a muscular type build and hard as a rock. I have quite a bit of that also.

American Hornbeam,also called Blue Beech is closely related to HopHornbeam aka Ironwood.Its usually even smaller than IW,both are in the Birch family.Great fuel,one of the best.Early settlers used both woods for tool handles,levers used in moving heavy loads,mallets & wedges (one of my favs for chisel handles & mallets) and other small woodenware.

Ironwood rarely gets much over 12" diameter & 30' tall.I havent seen any around here over 8" max,unless its in a isolated protected spot.Hornbeam is a bit smaller.Both grow & survive in the understory of much larger trees such as various Oaks,Maples,Beech,Birch,Hickories etc.

Darn sure do not look alike but one that confuse me for quite some time.

 

[Jack Straw]

Thanks to everyone for the info. What I have been calling ironwood is actually blue beech and what I didn't know what to call , I now know is ironwood. What confused me is that the blue beech is like cutting iron! I have seen sparks on the chain while cutting it.

 

[thewoodlands]

Thanks to everyone for the info. What I have been calling ironwood is actually blue beech and what I didn't know what to call , I now know is ironwood. What confused me is that the blue beech is like cutting iron! I have seen sparks on the chain while cutting it.

Do they call what you've been cutting muscle wood? I think we have some on our property.



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[muncybob]

Muscle wood, iron wood....very creative names 4 sure! Wish we had some to cut. Seems my the firewood we have are mostly maple & cherry...some very healthy looking oaks though. Huge trunks and seem to be doing well, probably will outlive me.

Would love to get some of the blue beech or ironwood, thanx for the pics.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Zap and Jack, muscle wood and blue beech are indeed the same thing. Yes, you can see sparks fly when cutting this stuff. It is hard!

 

[Jack Straw]

I can't find a BTU chart with either one of them on it. Anyone know the BTUs of either species?

 

[thewoodlands]

I can't find a BTU chart with either one of them on it. Anyone know the BTUs of either species?

http://chimneysweeponline.com/howood.htm




Zap