What Did I Split Yesterday?!?

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OpenWater

New Member
Aug 30, 2009
64
Catskills
Hey Folks - Hope this finds everyone having a terrific holiday. Did some splitting yesterday, predominantly three types I am sorting into separate stacks. Any thoughts on what I've got here? I think one is red oak; easy to split and packs an odor. Another might be what oak; tougher to split, sometimes stringy. The third, I have no idea whatsoever. Many thanks!
 

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Third or bottom looks like hickory.
 
first one looks like maple on the others you better wait on lee :lol:
 
Your first pic, is the wood real light in weight? (It looks it to me.) Looks like quick burning wood...hint..hint.... Post another pic of the bark

Other pics are Oak for sure, my guess is Red&White;.
I can hash out barkless white oak just by looking at the grain, it's much different from other oaks.


WoodButcher
 
red maple, red oak, and white oak
 
left - maple (not much maple here)
center - red oak, maybe, grain looks like it
right - bark is light enough for white oak.
 
Center or top right looks like red oak.
 
The one on the right looks just like the White Oak I get around here. The center pic wood looks like Red Oak, but the bark looks a little odd to me, Maybe it is Black Oak or another of the 'red oaks' but not the species Red Oak (Quercus rubra). There are a lot of oaks out there.
 
Yes WB - first split is light compared to the other two. Good to hear red and white oak for the other two. I was thinking - and hoping - that that is what I had! Thanks a bunch for the feedback. The deciduous stuff on my property is predominantly these three species, and I am starting to stack by species.

I'm content to let the red oak sit for a couple years. How does white oak burn after a a year of seasoning?

Cheers,

Chris
 
White oak should be real good after one year of seasoning.
 
OpenWater said:
How does white oak burn after a a year of seasoning?

Cheers,

Chris
1 year is OK
2nd is good
3rd is Great!
 
Super - Thanks for the feedback. I may just stack the white and red oak together and leave it alone for a couple of years. Now to start splitting wood for next winter! Thanks for the help!!

Chris
 
How about Maple to burn? Is it a good burn, slow or fast and how long to season? Have a stash in friends yard he is offering me since he does not have a stove and uses for fire place but said for me to take as much as I want, been there 3 years with top only covered.
 
Poplar, locust, oak.
 
sandie said:
How about Maple to burn? Is it a good burn, slow or fast and how long to season? Have a stash in friends yard he is offering me since he does not have a stove and uses for fire place but said for me to take as much as I want, been there 3 years with top only covered.

It depends......

Red Maple a.k.a (Swamp Maple) Seasons fast and burns quick.... It's very light wood
Sugar Maple a.k.a (Rock Maple) Seasons slower but burns really good and leaves a good coal bed

WB
 
OpenWater said:
Yes WB - first split is light compared to the other two. Good to hear red and white oak for the other two. I was thinking - and hoping - that that is what I had! Thanks a bunch for the feedback. The deciduous stuff on my property is predominantly these three species, and I am starting to stack by species.

I'm content to let the red oak sit for a couple years. How does white oak burn after a a year of seasoning?

Cheers,

Chris

Chris, in my experience white oak takes almost as long as Red Oak.
I have White Oak c/s/s since June 2008 & some large splits were still damp when I re-split sept 2009 ( no shocker there)
Can you post a few more pics of wood pic #1, I'm not convinced it's Maple by that picture alone, and I've busted up plenty of Red Maple


WoodButcher
 
Chris,
Here are some bark variations of Red Maple (which I don't think you have.... but I've been wrong before)
90% of the Red Maple I cut fresh has a dark stain in the heartwood (sometimes a small star pattern or a very large one)

WB
 

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WB,

Thanks for the tips. The wood is on my weekender property, and we'll be up for a visit next weekend. I'm quite interested in this wood and I'll post more pics after I split some more. My plan is to keep at the red and white oak for 2/3 years down the line, and then also get next year's wood seasoning. Obviously, it won't be some type of oak! I've got a ton of the oak. I've also got some pine on the ground, so perhaps I'll mix that in with the mystery wood / maple! :)

Cheers,

Chris
 
I was doubting that first one being maple. It looks a lot like the yellow poplar that we have down here, which is not a member of the poplar family, but rather a member of the magnolia family. It cuts and splits easy, and burns and coals a lot better than other "softwoods."
 
If the 'red oak' doesn't smell like vinegar/off white wine then it isn't red oak..
 
Hey CarbonNeutral,

Funny you should mention those smells. My nine year old daughter, when stacking some of the would that is questionably red oak, commented that the wood smelled 'a bit like pee.' :)

She's a pretty good stacker and throws words like 'deciduous' and 'coniferous.' I love it!

CB
 
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