Thistle
Minister of Fire
Right behind you
That salad for early lunch already burned off,gonna hit the small grocery store's deli section up the street now,beat the 5 o clock dinner rush.Is this Black Locust?
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Right behind you
That salad for early lunch already burned off,gonna hit the small grocery store's deli section up the street now,beat the 5 o clock dinner rush.
Well, your going to have to hang in there, I'm leavin now to go pick up my Woodstock Progress stove at the shipping depot. W-AAAA-Y more exciting than sniffin wood!
But the reason I'm so interested and in the wood is, there is a huge tree of it down in the woods across the street from my house, a few 100 yards in (a sandy leftover). If it is in fact Locust, she's mine!
blwncrewchief
Burning Hunk
The color is just a tad strong but other than that it is a dead ringer for the Black Locust I have here. It maybe something I haven't seen before but mulberry and osage are the only two other woods that I have seen even resemble that heartwood. And the bark is not even close for those but the bark also looks dead like BL. I cut down an old BL tree this last spring and the color was very pronounced like that. More than I am used to with BL.
Keep in mind the color is not as dark as in the pics, it's a lighter greenish/yellow. And it is wet from rain which again makes it darker.... (Going to go out and sniff now, right back...)
Ok, we have a winner! Amazingly, it does smell exactly like a green olive! I smelled a few splits of oak, and a few of maple, both smelled like wood. Went back to the BL, distinct smell of green olive. To cap it off, my neighbor was outside, the tree came from his front yard. So I asked him if he knew what kind of tree that was, he replied "I didn't know, but a tree guy that drove by and asked if I wanted it removed said it was a Black Locust, good burning wood". And that is a quote. Funny, I never asked him previously knowing very well he didn't have a clue...
I think the case is closed. I now have 1/2 cord of split BL, and prolly 2 cords laying on the ground across the street just waitin for my saw. And to top it off, a Woodstock stove sitting in the back of my truck! Things are lookin up.
Ok, we have a winner! Amazingly, it does smell exactly like a green olive! I smelled a few splits of oak, and a few of maple, both smelled like wood. Went back to the BL, distinct smell of green olive. To cap it off, my neighbor was outside, the tree came from his front yard. So I asked him if he knew what kind of tree that was, he replied "I didn't know, but a tree guy that drove by and asked if I wanted it removed said it was a Black Locust, good burning wood". And that is a quote. Funny, I never asked him previously knowing very well he didn't have a clue...
I think the case is closed. I now have 1/2 cord of split BL, and prolly 2 cords laying on the ground across the street just waitin for my saw. And to top it off, a Woodstock stove sitting in the back of my truck! Things are lookin up.
Paulywalnut
Minister of Fire
Jon1270
Minister of Fire
I'm new to woodburning but have been a woodworker for a long time. When you buy lumber for furniture, there aren't any leaves or bark to look at; all you've got is the wood itself. When I want to identify wood, I want to see a super-sharp, close-up pic of the end grain, because I know (or can look up) something about the cellular structure of various species. Size and number of rays, size and distribution of pores, presence of tyloses... that's the sort of thing that can really nail it down. A good magnifier is handy.
Not having such a close-up pic, I'd say it does look a lot like the cord or so of black locust I recently split and stacked (except the color,which you've already indicated is inaccurate).
Not having such a close-up pic, I'd say it does look a lot like the cord or so of black locust I recently split and stacked (except the color,which you've already indicated is inaccurate).
nsfd95
Burning Hunk
Looks like sassafras to me. There is a bunch of it on the island. Bark and coloring can be similar.
You had to mention olives damn you!!
You had to mention sopressata, nicely marinated olives, and ciabatta bread. DAMN YOU!! Have plenty of canned black olives on hand in the cupboard and was just about to open a can with all that olive talk. Now, with the mention of sopressata, marinated olives, and ciabatta bread, those olives just will not do. Might as well have thrown in capicola, prosciutto, a nice chunk of romano cheese, and a fine red wine too because I have NONE of that stuff here and am always bugging my wife about it. We are American-Italians. I was raised on that stuff, along with Genoa salami and mortadella. Now I know what she can get me for Christmas. A slicer for the kitchen, a whole sopressata, and half a wheel of romano. I am starving now.
jatoxico
Minister of Fire
That occurred to me as well but the wood was described as very heavy and dense so I dismissed the idea since sassafras is much lighter than BL. That and the bark in some pics does have that inner brown.
Find out when it gets burned, I don't think sassafras will last long in a hot stove.
Sassafras will smell almost 'lemony'. Black locust is olive scented. Dammit all this talk about olives, now I'm in the mood for a big salad from The Olive Garden.......I love their salads, with that house dressing, olives, fresh grated romano cheese and pepperochini.......
Hell, been living here almost two years now and have yet to find a good Italian deli within a reasonable distance. Just googled for it and found a couple that are a lot closer than the 25 mile drive into Baltimore City. Might check one out tomorrow after I drop my son off at pre-school. I am going crazy. 11:00 at night and I want some sopressata, marinated olives, and a chunk of romano cheese, and badly.
nsfd95
Burning Hunk
I have never had black locust that is soaking wet when freshly split. A touch damp at best. Sassafras on the other hand will ooze moisture like that when just split.
It was not "wet" inside when split. It was saoking wet from rain! And it is/was VERY heavy wood. I'd say heavier and denser than Red Oak which suprised me cause the bark on it was so soft, and came off it very easy that it just seemed like it would be soft wood as well. But as soon as you pick up a peice, you say "this wood is either soaking wet, or is super dense" because it's so heavy.
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