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  1. Bacffin Feeling the Heat

    The saw cut real easy through this stuff and the rounds were a little on the light side. The chips were kind of fine too. I had to check the saw, thinking it was dull, but it was fine. After a couple of splits, I got a very faint oak smell. Pretty straight grained too. Any ideas?

    Thanks,
    Bruce

    Attached Files:

    #1

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  2. JOHN BOY Member

    joined: Sep 20, 2012
    232 posts
    Western Mountains ,NC
    Looks like sourwood to me. cut some today. Its a pretty decent wood to burn.
  3. schortie Member

    joined: Nov 6, 2008
    222 posts
    michigan
    Ash.
  4. Bacffin Feeling the Heat

    Talk about being such a newbee, I have never even heard of sourwood.
    milleo likes this.
  5. JOHN BOY Member

    joined: Sep 20, 2012
    232 posts
    Western Mountains ,NC
    It mite be ash.. but i would'nt know. Hav'nt ever had any down here from the area's i get my wood from. The bark and wood splits there look exactly like the sourwoods we cut.
  6. flatlandr Member

    joined: Oct 29, 2010
    26 posts
    Berks County PA
    Looks just like the ash I cut this morning.
  7. steeltowninwv Minister of Fire

    joined: Nov 16, 2010
    718 posts
    west virginia
    yep...ash
  8. scotvl Burning Hunk

    joined: Oct 23, 2009
    168 posts
    southern ontario
    Ash
  9. Wood Duck Minister of Fire

    joined: Feb 26, 2009
    3,762 posts
    Central PA
    That doesn't look like Ash to me. Ash usually has very white wood, while this wood is more of an oak color. Sourwood is a southern tree that doesn't grow in Mass. I'd say this is a Chestnut Oak except that I can't see any medullary rays in the end of the rounds. All oaks have medullary rays which can usually be easily seen in the end grain of a round. Maybe the rays are there but just not evident in the pictures. The thick, deeply ridged bark looks like Chestnut Oak and also like Sassafras. Now that I think of it the thing looks a lot like Sassafras. Sassafras generally has a smell to it, kind of a fruity smell.
    Hickorynut and smokinj like this.
  10. Thistle Minister of Fire

    joined: Dec 16, 2010
    3,907 posts
    Central IA
    Possibly Black Ash. Wood is a warm tan or light brown,occasionally w/ small pin knots/cluster burls.A bit softer than the White or Green Ash that's fairly common around here.
  11. Bacffin Feeling the Heat

    Looking at the grain, my initial thought was Douglas Fir, but I have no idea what the bark looks like on fir.
  12. fishingpol Minister of Fire

    joined: Jul 13, 2010
    1,898 posts
    Merrimack Valley, MA
    I vote basswood. Ash second, but it does not look quite right.
  13. Woody Stover Minister of Fire

    joined: Dec 25, 2010
    3,386 posts
    Southern IN
    Hmmm. I haven't seen the other types of Ash, but that doesn't look quite right for White Ash bark...and White is heavy. Green Ash maybe?
  14. Wood Duck Minister of Fire

    joined: Feb 26, 2009
    3,762 posts
    Central PA
    Basswood will have a white wood color, right? This doesn't look like Basswood to me but I have never cut a Basswood.
  15. Thistle Minister of Fire

    joined: Dec 16, 2010
    3,907 posts
    Central IA

    Green is almost identical to White,both in wood color,density etc.Bark varies a little,can be difficult to tell them apart sometimes.Lots of Green around here,planted for shade 20-40 yrs ago,to replace the massive old American Elms killed off by DED in the 60's & 70's.One out front next to street in front of sidewalk in that grassy area the city 'owns' yet I have to mow it...lol
    Scotty Overkill likes this.
  16. Scotty Overkill firewood hoarder

    joined: Sep 24, 2011
    6,814 posts
    central PA
    The end grain sure looks like elm, but the bark and split looks like an ash. I'm leaning towards an ash species.
  17. onetracker Minister of Fire

    joined: Aug 11, 2011
    593 posts
    rondout valley ny

    +1
    sassafras
    Hickorynut likes this.
  18. smokinj Minister of Fire

    joined: Aug 11, 2008
    15,417 posts
    Anderson, Indiana
    Very tight grain and I have never cut one but Its Oak and probally Chestnut Oak.
  19. fishingpol Minister of Fire

    joined: Jul 13, 2010
    1,898 posts
    Merrimack Valley, MA
    My neighbor camped with his family on Cape Cod one summer, and he did mention Sassafras growing in the campsite area.

    Yeah, not basswood, grain is not right.
  20. Woody Stover Minister of Fire

    joined: Dec 25, 2010
    3,386 posts
    Southern IN
    Huh. The BTU lists I've seen generally have White at 23.6 or 24M, and the Green around 20...about like Black Cherry...
    Wood is lighter-colored than Sass I've seen here. Sass would also smell like a Halls Mentho-Lyptus, so the OP can rule it in or out pretty easily...
  21. TimJ Minister of Fire

    joined: Apr 10, 2012
    1,029 posts
    Southeast Indiana
    Just curious, what does OP stand for
  22. oldspark Minister of Fire

    joined: Feb 16, 2010
    5,113 posts
    North West Iowa
    OP orignal post
    Green Ash
  23. nrford Minister of Fire

    joined: Feb 26, 2011
    649 posts
    NW lower Mi.
    1000% ASH
  24. PA. Woodsman Minister of Fire

    joined: Feb 26, 2007
    636 posts
    Emmaus, Pennsylvania
    I believe it IS some sort of Ash and here's why; look at picture 8/9, that's 8 of 9, the one that shows the end cut, blow it up and use the little magnifying tool and you will see in the center of the cutside there is a small little hole; I don't know if any other trees have this hole in the center but I've always found it in Ash.

    Bruce, you are going to cause a rumble here soon with all these ID's! :p

    DON'T FORGET to tell us what your friend decides that other one is, Tulip Poplar, Hickory, Maple or whatever-we need to get a "final answer" on that one!
  25. Bacffin Feeling the Heat

    Definitly does not smell like mentho lyptus.
    smokinj likes this.

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