Water Oak or Black Gum/Tupelo? Please ID

[WoodPyro]

Hello,
Posted some pics of this stuff earlier, a lot thought it was sweet gum, pretty sure that leaf is not sweet gum, sweet gum more like 5 pointed star. As close as I could tell it is either water oak or black gum, if anyone has any clue, please let me know. Thanks, James

 

[Captain Hornet]

It would help if you could show a picture of the grain in a split. I have split a ton of water oak and that really doesn't look like water oak to me. It would be easier to tell if we could see that split side view. David

 

[WoodPyro]

Hey, I think I will definitley be able to tell as soon as I split it, from what I hear gum is a pain to split. I believe I have split a bit of it before and it just sort of shears into a stringy mess. I will probably repost pics once I get splitting if it easy though.

 

[WoodPyro]

Also, did you notice a difference in the water oak vs other white oaks if you have burnt that before? Thanks, James

 

[joshlaugh]

I don't have water oak around me BUT I have burned both sweet gum and black gum and your pictures don't look like either of them.

 

[WoodPyro]

Any way it is ash? Thanks, James

 

[bigtall]

It is definitely not water oak. Looks like Ash to me.

 

[bsearcey]

Black gum. Nyssa sylvatica. Have fun!

Save yourself the trouble and just noodle it into quarters and be done. It will be dry by next season, and will be good shoulder wood.

 

[jackofalltrades]

It is not water oak for sure. If black gum is the only other choice it is definately black gum. We don't have a lot of black gum around here although I did plant one in the yard back this spring.

 

[Archer39]

This is some black gum i split last winter

I would say its not black gum.

 

[WoodPyro]

Yeah it does not look as much like that gum, that is for sure. I am wondering if it is ash, when the ground dries up a bit I will examine it further and try to split a round.

 

[WoodPorn]

Nevermind the ID...Why is there snow in TN, and how did you get a smurf to hold up 3 fingers?

 

[WoodPyro]

Haha, we got "slammed" with like 2 inches of snow so of course every one goes crazy (I'm from NY so boohoo). Smurf is my wife(who is addicted to stacking woodpiles, don't know how I lucked out on that one), lemme see if I can find a pic. We also have a gremlin in the family.

 

[WoodPorn]

got friends just S. of Nashville so I know it's a rareity. That a Bahhston Terriah?

Edit;
Looks more like a pit?

 

[WoodPyro]

He is actually a Cane Corso,(Italian Mastiff), heres some more pics of him, he weighs 110 and is insanely athletic. Yeah it has been a cold december, lows have hit about 9 a couple of nights, had to bust out the hickory!

 

[WoodPorn]

Good looking pup, Enjoy the Hickory blaze!

 

[FLINT]

If you are sure that that leaf you are holding came from that tree - then it could be black gum. Definitely not sweet gum. and most probably not water oak - as water oak doesn't occur in eastern Tennessee.