Let's play... ID this wood!

[Mercury220]

Picked up a bunch of this from a CL ad. Very heavy and impossible to split.

 

[Clyde S. Dale]

Picked up a bunch of this from a CL ad. Very heavy and impossible to split.

When you say impossible to split I think of elm, sweet gum and sycamore. It is obviously not sycamore so I am going with elm or sweet gum.

 

[PA. Woodsman]

Red Maple?

 

[BillLion]

Yes, red maple. I got some this past fall that looked exactly like that.

 

[BillLion]

BTW: I found it split better with my Fiskars X27. My maul just bounced off it. I still have a lot of pieces to process.

 

[Mercury220]

BTW: I found it split better with my Fiskars X27. My maul just bounced off it. I still have a lot of pieces to process.

My maul bounced as well... Oddly enough I was JUST looking up the X27 online! I have a 10ton manual splitter, I just haven't tried yet

 

[BillLion]

My maul bounced as well... Oddly enough I was JUST looking up the X27 online! I have a 10ton manual splitter, I just haven't tried yet

Lots of love for the x27 around this place. Manual splitter might do the trick nicely!

 

[Ralphie Boy]

Looking at the small branch with smooth bark I'd say maple as well.

 

[Paulywalnut]

I think that's the one that splits easier after sitting a few years but the sooner the better for seasoning.

 

[gzecc]

I think also red maple. The staining is call spaulting.

 

[nrford]

I think also red maple. The staining is call spaulting.

That is Soft(Red) Maple for sure, however the dark spots are not "spalting" those are the results of Ambrosia beetle larvae. The larvae(worms) bore holes throught the tree, the tree reacts with a mineral deposit. Very common in lower ground Soft maple. Have seen lots of it sawn in the mill. Spalting is a fine black line separating incipient decay from living wood.

 

[gzecc]

That is Soft(Red) Maple for sure, however the dark spots are not "spalting" those are the results of Ambrosia beetle larvae. The larvae(worms) bore holes throught the tree, the tree reacts with a mineral deposit. Very common in lower ground Soft maple. Have seen lots of it sawn in the mill. Spalting is a fine black line separating incipient decay from living wood.

I was 1/2 right.

 

[nrford]

Oh I'd give you 100% since the quiz was to ID specie.

 

[DougA]

It would make a great top for a small table.

 

[weatherguy]

I find all the maples are a pain to split, when I use my hydraulic splitter they pop.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Wow. We've always found that red maple is one of the very easiest to split.

 

[cptoneleg]

Wow. We've always found that red maple is one of the very easiest to split.

Yep red maple is easy wood to split but we don't use them Fiskars things either.