Small Load of Ironwood

[thewoodlands]

With some ice forecast for Tuesday we pushed in another two loads of sugar maple then I went back in looking for some dead standing or downed ironwood.

Picture 100_2472 is the ironwood leaner taken yesterday,2483 is after bucking it up,2484 is the good wood,2489 is the second small ironwood,2490 was taken after bucking it up and 2491 is the ironwood I hauled out and dropped off at my neighbors house.


zap

 

[Thistle]

That stuff is amazing. Hardness about the same as Shagbark Hickory,weight sometimes a bit more.You are a great neighbor,they should be very happy with those 'long pieces of coal' :coolsmile: Dont have a great deal of it on my place,but I manage to get a couple trees a year that are dead,down,leaners or storm damaged. Makes superb mallets,tool & chisel handles,especially nice for felling wedges I've found.

 

[thewoodlands]

That stuff is amazing. Hardness about the same as Shagbark Hickory,weight sometimes a bit more.You are a great neighbor,they should be very happy with those 'long pieces of coal' :coolsmile: Dont have a great deal of it on my place,but I manage to get a couple trees a year that are dead,down,leaners or storm damaged. Makes superb mallets,tool & chisel handles,especially nice for felling wedges I've found.

Next year we'll have some for burning, we have about .31 of a cord seasoning for next year. I'll take all the sugar maple and beech I can get, my go to wood when it gets cold.

They're calling for - 12 tonight.


zap

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Zap I see where they think we might get a little ice to but very little. They think it will be mostly snow and that is fine with me. I hate ice, but if it comes I have plenty of sand stocked up. That is one thing I do every summer is store up some really dry sand from our sand dune. I do it in July or August when the top is really dry and then store it in barrels and pails. I have one barrel full stored in one of my neighbor's carport. She is an elderly widow so if there is the slightest bit of ice I spread her a pathway out to her mailbox for her. Don't want any falls.

 

[thewoodlands]

Zap I see where they think we might get a little ice to but very little. They think it will be mostly snow and that is fine with me. I hate ice, but if it comes I have plenty of sand stocked up. That is one thing I do every summer is store up some really dry sand from our sand dune. I do it in July or August when the top is really dry and then store it in barrels and pails. I have one barrel full stored in one of my neighbor's carport. She is an elderly widow so if there is the slightest bit of ice I spread her a pathway out to her mailbox for her. Don't want any falls.

If we get ice and I think we will, the sand is in the garage plus some ash that has not had any added to it in over a month. I hope they're wrong.


zap

 

[tfdchief]

I hope they’re wrong.


zap

Me too! But that is what they are forecasting here too. Glad I got the last of the big White Oak today.

 

[mesuno]

Is what you americans call "Ironwood" the same as our Hornbeam? we know it as Ironwood in the UK but it looks a little different.

Hornbeam is Ironwood?

Mike

 

[mywaynow]

Yes, I have been told that is exactly the proper name.

 

[mesuno]

Nice,

Over here it was used for all sorts of things before the industrial revolution - they used charcoal made from it in forges as it was superior to the local coal, the wood is amazingly strong and was used for things like cog wheels and screw threads in cider presses.

Ours aren't anywhere near that size though - they are mixed in with our chestnut coppice and don't really grow as standards.

Mike

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Is what you americans call "Ironwood" the same as our Hornbeam? we know it as Ironwood in the UK but it looks a little different.

Hornbeam is Ironwood?

Mike

Well maybe. There are a few ironwoods I know of:



Zap is cutting down Hop-Hormbeam - Ostrya virginiana
There is a hornbeam or blue beech or muscle tree - Carpinus caroliniana

Both of these are in my area, but I haven't seen anything but hop-hornbeam up in northern NY.

and when I was in Mexico they were selling something else as ironwood that I don't know anything about.

Looking at your link I don't believe it's the same tree. Leaves look similar, but yours looks to have samaras and Zap's has catkins.


Matt

 

[Thistle]

Both trees native to Midwest & Eastern US aka Ironwood-American Hornbeam Carpinus caroliniana & Eastern Hophornbeam Ostrya virginiana - are closely related to their European counterparts & all are members of the Birch family.Both are small trees that grow & survive in the dense understory of taller canopy trees.Hornbeam also called Musclewood,because the small fluted trunk sometimes resembles muscles in a flexed arm.Early settlers used them,especially Hophornbeam,for wooden mallets,handles for chisels & other tools such as axes/hammers,wedges,levers/rollers used in moving heavy objects & other small wooden objects subject to heavy wear & abuse.

I still use Hophornbeam for some of my chisel handles,have 2 mallets that are over 20 yrs old & it makes the best felling wedges I've ever used.

 

[dave360up]

I still use Hophornbeam for some of my chisel handles,have 2 mallets that are over 20 yrs old & it makes the best felling wedges I've ever used.

Thistle - what makes the felling wedges so good? Do you have any tips on making them? Thanks.

 

[Thistle]

I still use Hophornbeam for some of my chisel handles,have 2 mallets that are over 20 yrs old & it makes the best felling wedges I've ever used.

Thistle - what makes the felling wedges so good? Do you have any tips on making them? Thanks.

The wood is very hard & resilient,just as good & even better than Hickory in some instances.I use a regular 4-6lb steel splitting wedge as a pattern,then once I plane or saw a flat face on a 4"-5" wide log,trace around with a sharpie,cut it out on bandsaw.Putting a 1/4" or so bevel on corners of striking face,to prevent mushrooming.Its a pretty simple operation,can be fun on a slow day.I have several sizes & thicknesses/widths,depending on the situation.Hickory is good too,even Honey or Black Locust.Just use the toughest wood you have available in your area,knotty scrub oak would be good too I think.The best ones I seen were Osage Orange though,I made 2 of those longer ones yrs ago when I split out a few white oak fence rails.I had way more energy at 25,so I dont recommend doing that today.... ;-P

 

[dave360up]

So it looks like you are going against the grain with the length of the wedge? (wood fibers not running the length of the wedge)
Also, are the logs seasoned when you cut them to make the wedges?
Thanks for the photos.

 

[Thistle]

So it looks like you are going against the grain with the length of the wedge? (wood fibers not running the length of the wedge)
Also, are the logs seasoned when you cut them to make the wedges?
Thanks for the photos.

I cut them 5" to 8" long,depending on size of wedge.Cutting with the grain (ripping).These were cut semi-green,in mid winter years ago.I seal the ends with wax or Anchorseal,place them in a cardboard box buried in dry woodshavings,out of sunlight & exposure to winds.I've also cut them from seasoned logs,just depends on what I have available at the time.