Guess the wood species

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
Status
Not open for further replies.
The do look quite different from the poplars here in PA. We cut some big poplars down last summer at a job we did over in the valley.......lots of really nice logs.
2012-05-27_07-14-05_363.jpg 2012-05-27_07-14-10_534.jpg 2012-05-27_07-30-12_511.jpg 2012-05-27_07-30-35_613.jpg

2012-05-27_07-31-23_241.jpg

I won't burn poplar, willow, catalpa, or sumac in my stoves....to me, it's not worth the work and storage.
Took the smaller stuff to a buddy of mine who has an OWB and he used them up already....they are gone...

Cut the trunks in 9' lengths and instead of wasting them for junk firewood, we milled them into planks at my buddy's antique Frick mill on his farm......

2012-08-17_09-20-08_921.jpg 2012-08-17_10-49-51_306.jpg

ended up with a HEAP of decent 'play wood' (crafts, rustic furniture, etc.). I took half of it and stickered it in the garage, the other half I gave away to the guys that helped me mill it.

2012-08-17_12-28-46_522.jpg 2012-08-19_19-08-18_158.jpg
 
Nice milling there, Mr. Overkill. Poplar at HD is pretty spendy stuff by the linear foot.
 
If your source of info is the person giving it away on CL, I wouldn't call this settled. Just this year I've answered two CL ads for "oak." One of the oaks was an elm tree, and the other was mulberry. So many people have no idea what's growing in their yards.

The source was not homeowner, but I have found that most homeowners in the PNW know the species of tress that they have. I have never had a wood type turn out to be something other than that listed on CL anyway. In this particular case I talked with a well established and certified arborist that I have gotten wood from before. If he says it was poplar, it was poplar. Poplar is very common in landscaping here, far more than cottonwood which is far more common here in wild and woodland areas (most of it is black cottonwood). They get big here. Poplar also comes up on CL for free here all the time. My parents planted a line of poplars at the house I was born in near here 50 years ago, and those trees are still there.
 
Nice milling there, Mr. Overkill. Poplar at HD is pretty spendy stuff by the linear foot.
Thanks, Stihlhead. I'm not crazy about poplar, but it will be good for the wife's knickknacks and crafts she wants to start making......plus I have a use for otherwise useless wood.....
 
Thanks, Stihlhead. I'm not crazy about poplar, but it will be good for the wife's knickknacks and crafts she wants to start making......plus I have a use for otherwise useless wood.....


Its great for drawer sides & other hidden cabinet parts,shelving & interior trim that's gonna be painted (though IMO that's sacriligous ;)) Quite stable once dried,machines nicely,holds nails/screws very well without splitting.
 
Thanks, Stihlhead. I'm not crazy about poplar, but it will be good for the wife's knickknacks and crafts she wants to start making......plus I have a use for otherwise useless wood.....

I know of several very good carpenters who use it for interior trim that will be painted for the above reasons. Works easily is more stable than pine and is about as split resistant as it gets. It has a nice green pressure treated look is that turns your crank. :p
I've seen floors made of it in old farm houses, dents up real nice, if you like the look. I have about a cord of it, the tree fell in a guys yard and he paid me $200 to remove it. The tops made a nice bon-fire and I figured I might as well C/S/S as I had to haul it off anyway. It really does stink when wet/drying though, easy to light when dry, as it has only a few more btu's than white cedar:confused: Lots of Aspen family up here, wish it were Maple or Beech.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.