What is this wood that I can't split?

[azsteven]

I had a guy deliver a cord of red oak rounds (about 80-85 rounds, mostly 18-24" diameter) last week, and I've been splitting it about a half hour per day, almost done. The red oak is splitting beautifully. I'm using my friend's dad's 60-year old 8-pound maul, and I'm starting to feel like I know what I'm doing with it. I can usually crack the 24" diameter rounds in half with 3-5 good whacks, and then it gets easier from there.

But then I came across three rounds which were not the red oak. These things just wont split. I'm talking 20-25 whacks of the maul. Nothing. The maul just sinks in a bit, or bounces off. These rounds aren't even that big - about 10" diameter. I managed to break a bit of one, to show you guys a picture. So what is this wood that I can't split? I'm guessing I'll just save the rounds until I borrow or rent a splitter some time down the road.

 

[smokinj]

I had a guy deliver a cord of red oak rounds (about 80-85 rounds, mostly 18-24" diameter) last week, and I've been splitting it about a half hour per day, almost done. The red oak is splitting beautifully. I'm using my friend's dad's 60-year old 8-pound maul, and I'm starting to feel like I know what I'm doing with it. I can usually crack the 24" diameter rounds in half with 3-5 good whacks, and then it gets easier from there.

But then I came across three rounds which were not the red oak. These things just wont split. I'm talking 20-25 whacks of the maul. Nothing. The maul just sinks in a bit, or bounces off. These rounds aren't even that big - about 10" diameter. I managed to break a bit of one, to show you guys a picture. So what is this wood that I can't split? I'm guessing I'll just save the rounds until I borrow or rent a splitter some time down the road.

elm

 

[webby3650]

No, it's not Elm. It kinda looks like the pics I have seen of old Sourwood, so I hear it is really hard to split.

 

[fire_N_ice]

noodle them, show that wood you mean business

 

[ISeeDeadBTUs]

10" rounds?? Why split them?

 

[Hurricane]

10" rounds?? Why split them?

I agree if they are 10" and hard to split just burn them as is after drying. A good all nighter.

 

[Wood Duck]

I think the bark looks like Ash. I don't know what the bark or wood of a Sourwood should look like. The round on the right had at least two large knots in it. Any type of wood with knots is tough.

 

[Todd]

Instead of trying to split the rounds down the middle try working around the edges, it may save you some energy.

 

[PA. Woodsman]

Looks like a knotty piece of some sort of Maple to me...

 

[iskiatomic]

I have the same symptoms, I am told eastern cottonwood.


KC

 

[azsteven]

I might just run my chainsaw right down the middle...

But really guys, I hear:
- elm
- sourwood
- maple
- ash
- eastern cottonwood

There's got to be an expert here!

 

[peterc38]

Looks like a knotty piece of some sort of Maple to me...

I second that notion

 

[webby3650]

I might just run my chainsaw right down the middle...

But really guys, I hear:
- elm
- sourwood
- maple
- ash
- eastern cottonwood

There's got to be an expert here!

Grew up in the woods, took two years of forestry as a vocation, now work in the chimney business. I'm not sayin it is Sourwood, but I can tell you it is not Ash, Maple,Elm, Cottonwood or anything else that is very common (at least in my neck of the woods). Sometimes you can cut down into the log only a few inches then bust it with a maul, I would throw it on a camp fire! :coolsmile:

 

[dancarbo]

How about Sour Gum, it has all the characteristics.

 

[oldspark]

Do you have any Red Elm in your area, all the red elm around here has no bark any more so not sure about the bark but the wood sure looks like some of the red elm I have tried to split with little luck.

 

[zzr7ky]

I had a small pile of stuff that i accumulated until I had a hydrolic splitter handy.

One cn split damn near anything with enough wedges. I split some stumps I'd dug out that I couldn't lift into the P/Up. Iron and Long wooden wedges did the trick.

ATB,
Mike

 

[azsteven]

I've never heard of red elm... Around here most trees are maples, oaks, or evergreens.

 

[Rich L]

I've never heard of red elm... Around here most trees are maples, oaks, or evergreens.

I'm in the suburbs myself and there is still good amounts of Elm around.I have some that needs splitting though I'm not looking forward to it.I'll use three wedges to split it and I better place the wedges just right or they'll be sucked up by the wood.Ya I think yours is Elm.Happy trails to you.

 

[Danno77]

100% Sure it's black maple.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
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(in other words, I have no friggen idea what it is)

 

[Pagey]

The bark reminds me a little of the gum trees growing at the corner of my house. Gum is an apt name, as it tears more than it splits.

 

[PA. Woodsman]

I've never heard of red elm... Around here most trees are maples, oaks, or evergreens.

And the "key" word in there is Maple....

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Sorry, not familiar with that one so won't even guess.

 

[azsteven]

So, today I bought a diamond-shaped splitting wedge, like this one:
http://www.amazon.com/Ace-Truper-Wg-4x-c33098-Collins-Grenade/dp/B000QTMT7W

And introduced it via an 8-pound sledge hammer. It's real work (and man do I prefer the red oak), but I came out victorious.

 

[PA. Woodsman]

So, today I bought a diamond-shaped splitting wedge, like this one:
http://www.amazon.com/Ace-Truper-Wg-4x-c33098-Collins-Grenade/dp/B000QTMT7W

And introduced it via an 8-pound sledge hammer. It's real work (and man do I prefer the red oak), but I came out victorious.

That's great...but what kind of wood IS it?

 

[azsteven]

That's great...but what kind of wood IS it?

One more guess...
I was walking from work to the car today and I saw one whose bark looked pretty similar. Japanese Maple (Acer Palmatum).

Then again, most of the Japanese Maples around New England are short ornamental trees (about 10' tall). The one I saw today was more like 30' tall with a 10" trunk diameter. But I don't know any other maples with purple leaves.