Identify this wood...

[Jim27]

Have some local wood available and got a small load. Wondering what it is and how good it will be - basically how much effort to spend getting more. It splits fairly easily. Location is southern Illinois.

 

[Dfw245]

Don't put alot of stock in my vote. But it looks like some kind of elm.

 

[Jim27]

I thought elm had interlocking grain so was difficult to split and this is easy to split, at least when it is green.

 

[stoveliker]

The cut end looks like locust to me. The splits look like red oak to me. So I don't know. But it does not look like a low BTU species to me.

But I am of the philosophy that it has the perfect price/quality ratio, splits easy, so yes, it's worth it.

 

[Dfw245]

Reason I say, is it looks about 90% similar to the wood I have out back that I THOUGHT was oak. May not be elm, but it's my guess. It definitely doesn't look like red oak though. The bark is different. At least the red oaks down here

 

[Dfw245]

Here's my pile split for about a week and a half now. Color has slightly faded, but it looks at least remotely similar. Not familiar with the locusts so I can't speak on that.

Some of my pieces were easy to split, some of them weren't...

 

[snojetter]

@Jim27 looks like bur oak to me. A white oak for sure from what I can see.

@Dfw245 I'd say you are right, what you have is elm. Been hand splitting a lot of it lately and very surprised that only a few pieces are proving difficult.

 

[Jim27]

Is the odor any clue? The green freshly cut pieces have a slight odor. Not a bad smell and not sure it is that distinct. Hard for me to describe...

I thought perhaps locust. Locust or oak or some other high btu wood would be awesome. My wife is a bit of a wood snob and expects all oak or really good stuff where I am not quite so picky and it's me that cuts it.

It's free and not far from me and small enough to deal with easily. (has some 24"+ oak rounds from a tree by the house last year that were a lot of work to process!). So as long as it is reasonably good wood and doesn't smell bad when burning I am going to get more. I can get fairly close to it with the truck too. Wood heats you twice (or more, usually!). Hauling, cutting, splitting, stacking, moving, and finally burning. Good exercise though.

 

[Dfw245]

@Jim27 looks like bur oak to me. A white oak for sure from what I can see.

@Dfw245 I'd say you are right, what you have is elm. Been hand splitting a lot of it lately and very surprised that only a few pieces are proving difficult.

Appreciate that. They look so similar to me. Looks like I can add another wood to the portfolio. Yeah I've noticed elm has a very farm smell to it. Cow and chickens type smell. Weird. Yet splitting pecan yesterday it smelled like urine....getting used to these smells lol

 

[CincyBurner]

From I can see it looks like oak (OP - post #1) - bark and wood, and I'm leaning toward bur oak too. If white oak, it will have nicer smell (think bourbon barrels) than red oak (vinegar as some describe).
Bark not right for locust (yellow or black).
Splits too easy for elm.

 

[CincyBurner]

(yellow or black)

meant honeylocust not yellow

 

[all night moe]

Big growth rings. I'd say it's a softer variety of hardwoods.
Still good for shoulder seasons, and a to mix in with others.

 

[Jags]

Red oak

 

[hickoryhoarder]

I'm not sure. But I'm pretty confident it's not red oak.

 

[all night moe]

Red oak

I'm not sure. But I'm pretty confident it's not red oak.

Indeed it is .... as soon as I read the post and looked at the pics again, it slapped me right in the face. Although I do believe it's a pin oak of the reds. It's a fresh cut giving that darker appearance.

 

[stoveliker]

This is on the menu for tomorrow. All you see here is red oak. Also the brown, large growth rings triangular piece at the bottom.

 

[hickoryhoarder]

Indeed it is .... as soon as I read the post and looked at the pics again, it slapped me right in the face. Although I do believe it's a pin oak of the reds. It's a fresh cut giving that darker appearance.

Pin oak I couldn't say. Literally nothing about that grain or bark says "red oak."

 

[kennyp2339]

@Dfw245 yours looks like a maple species

 

[stoveliker]

Better pic of what I was talking about

 

[all night moe]

Pin oak I couldn't say. Literally nothing about that grain or bark says "red oak."

Pin oak is in the red family. The pics originally threw me for a loop.
Pin gets that criss cross bark.

 

[MongoMongoson]

I thought elm had interlocking grain so was difficult to split and this is easy to split, at least when it is green.

I have split a lot of red elm by hand. Some of it is easy, some of it can be pretty tough to split. That looks like red elm to me.

 

[Dfw245]

@Dfw245 yours looks like a maple species

Really? It doesn't have that maple smell at all. And there were no maple leaves to be found nearby.

 

[Dfw245]

I have split a lot of red elm by hand. Some of it is easy, some of it can be pretty tough to split. That looks like red elm to me.

Yeah that's what I was saying. It doesn't look like any red oak I've ever seen. Not that I've seen alot. But in Texas, oak is prevalent.

 

[MongoMongoson]

If it was red oak, and I think someone mentioned this above, it would have that distinctive sour red oak smell. Red elm has a pretty distinctive smell, too... but I can't describe it, and for all I know that is how all elm smells. The only experience I have with green cut elm is red elm.

 

[patrickk222]

thats black locust