Not 100% sure what it is but splits farily easily but borrowed my brother in-laws 30t splitter to help break the rounds up and speed things up this year. Have a small electric that came with the house but pretty convinced I want to get a gas one for next year. 30t feels big but I'm thinking a 20-22t maybe. Little quad runner is great for working way thru the bush.
![[Hearth.com] Good day in the woods today! I think its Ash and borrowed brother in laws 30t splitter.](https://www.hearth.com/talk/attachments/img_6220-webp.318996/ "[Hearth.com] Good day in the woods today! I think its Ash and borrowed brother in laws 30t splitter.")
Good day in the woods today! I think its Ash and borrowed brother in laws 30t splitter.
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NickW
Minister of Fire
Looks good, but I'm not convinced it's ash... The area looks like where white ash would grow (high ground), but that heartwood looks too dark for white ash. It looks dark even for black ash and I've never seen a black ash anywhere near that big and they tend to grow in swamps. Grain is a little too clean for ash, I always have little strings on the splits. Almost looks like walnut to me...
Definitely has a smell I’m not use too. Leaves were all down when it fell and it’s a mixed wooded area. There is a large oak next to it which still has some leaves on it.
Splits very easy on the straight grain but crotchets give the 30t splitter a run for it’s money a few times.
Can you take a picture of the end/face of the round? If it has those perpendicular rays + pores structure, it will be oak.
![[Hearth.com] Good day in the woods today! I think its Ash and borrowed brother in laws 30t splitter.](https://www.hearth.com/talk/data/attachments/319/319065-3fa5c8229a23310bbfc2cd096942421d.jpg?hash=EL1kH3nelq "[Hearth.com] Good day in the woods today! I think its Ash and borrowed brother in laws 30t splitter.")
NickW
Minister of Fire
Yep; I think I change my vote to oak with that second picture, not walnut. Give it 3 summers to season...
This is red oak from my racks. CSS ~1.5yrs ago, and freshly split this piece for photo (still 23% center, 20% edge). Looks highly similar to what you got.
![[Hearth.com] Good day in the woods today! I think its Ash and borrowed brother in laws 30t splitter.](https://www.hearth.com/talk/data/attachments/319/319097-6bce24c0943f4c9feee7949d1a8bc21c.jpg?hash=C3JiyT85zW "[Hearth.com] Good day in the woods today! I think its Ash and borrowed brother in laws 30t splitter.")
Oak takes around 3yrs to properly season here in CT in ideal conditions. Doesn't help that my lot is almost completely covered with woodshade (rental property, can't cut) and last summer was a pretty wet.
All in all - after I tossed these 2 splits in last night, they burnt pretty well and held flames (with ~50% throttle) for about 2 hours.
I think oak as the femme fatal. Either sweet as butter purring out heat and comfort, or a b!tch that refuses to raise to heat and sting out your eyes With smoke. All based on seasoning.
Probably a good idea, depends on the maple though. I'd only do enough soft maple for next year. Oak is so much better if you have your pick so just enough crap maple to get u thru. Then all aboard on the oak train for future years.
Hard rock maple is a different story though. Not sure how long that takes to season?
NickW
Minister of Fire
Hard maples are best to figure 2 summers seasoning (climate dependent). There are firewood charts out there with BTU output and approximate seasoning times.
Note that species, climate, split size, moisture content when split, how/where the stacks are, whether some are left as rounds, top covered or not, etc all affect seasoning time. Poor top cover is probably worse than no top cover as it lets moisture in but not out.
Ash, cherry, beech & shoulder season wood typically take 1 summer, but large splits (about 4x8 or larger) and rounds take me 2 summers. Oak is generally 3 years, but smaller splits might be OK after 1 or 2; large splits and rounds might take 4 or 5. Hard maple is generally 2 summers, but again larger splits and rounds might take 3 or 4. Often the majority of the cellular moisture will come out quickly (say from 35-40% down to 25-28%), but it takes longer from 25-28% to get down to 20% or under. Always measure on a room temperature fresh split, pins parallel to the grain. Some wood like ash will burn pretty well at 22%, some like oaks not so much.
Note that species, climate, split size, moisture content when split, how/where the stacks are, whether some are left as rounds, top covered or not, etc all affect seasoning time. Poor top cover is probably worse than no top cover as it lets moisture in but not out.
Ash, cherry, beech & shoulder season wood typically take 1 summer, but large splits (about 4x8 or larger) and rounds take me 2 summers. Oak is generally 3 years, but smaller splits might be OK after 1 or 2; large splits and rounds might take 4 or 5. Hard maple is generally 2 summers, but again larger splits and rounds might take 3 or 4. Often the majority of the cellular moisture will come out quickly (say from 35-40% down to 25-28%), but it takes longer from 25-28% to get down to 20% or under. Always measure on a room temperature fresh split, pins parallel to the grain. Some wood like ash will burn pretty well at 22%, some like oaks not so much.
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