Please confirm Oak

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Andy S.

Feeling the Heat
Oct 28, 2013
405
Southeastern, PA
Picked up a minivan full of this last night and will be going back with a truck if this is confirmed to be Oak. I'm asking about the two face-up splits and the round to the right of them. Thanks!
 

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Does not look like oak to me.
 
Black Cherry? Got a better end grain pic? Should be able to see the rays if it's Oak.
Why do you want only Oak? The way we do it here is, grab the wood 'til it's all gone, then figure out what kind it is. ;)
 
The way we do it here is, grab the wood 'til it's all gone, then figure out what kind it is.
Point taken! I'm not far enough ahead to be a wood snob but it is a bit out of the way and my 2nd instance this year where the yard is on a big slope with houses very close to each other. The homeowner said his tree people told him it was Oak but I had my doubts so I came to the pros.
 
I cant see anything from the pics. I stopped and bought a facecord of wood once from a homeowner and I asked him what the wood was. He said he wasnt sure what it was. But after talking to him for a while it turned out that he was a carpenter with the carpenters union and he knew my father. The wood was Ash and it was loaded with powderpost beetle holes and that powdery frass. I was worried about spreading bugs but I took it anyway. It was a nice load great wood.
 
Another vote for Black Cherry. Mature bark in small flaky plates; younger bark black with lenticels. I have tons of this on my property.

The density is the same as Red Maple (JH 950), and it smells great when burned (my primary smoker fuel).
 
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Black Cherry
 
It is most definitely NOT Black Cherry!
 
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I agree with nrford. One on the left looks like a big Black walnut branch split. Greenish black heartwood.
 
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Not like any oak that I have
 
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I agree with nrford. One on the left looks like a big Black walnut branch split. Greenish black heartwood.
Yeah, that was one thing I didn't like about my Black Cherry guess; The heart looks kind of grainy to be Cherry. Bark didn't look like Walnut to me either, though...
 
Is there any bark left on it?
The bark is shown on the round to the right. I've split a lot of wood in the past few months and this was the first time my Fiskars bounced off. I was able to split some of the smaller rounds in one shot but had to hit the larger ones just right. It was also a little stringy. Also... it was recently dropped and measured 25% on a fresh split.
 
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Not oak. I think with the bark and the center it is some sort of cherry tree as well. Either way, fruit and nut trees make good firewood, so split away.
 
Was the tree standing dead when cut? Any odor when split? I'm thinking Walnut now, but I haven't split enough to be very familiar with it. I wonder what accounts for the darker color of the split on the left....dried in the air longer?
 
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Was the tree standing dead when cut? Any odor when split? I'm thinking Walnut now, but I haven't split enough to be very familiar with it. I wonder what accounts for the darker color of the split on the left....dried in the air longer?
I thought it was storm damage. Didn't see any internal damage on what I split. I will split a couple of more rounds tonight to check on odor. Up until Mr. Ford weighed in that it was NOT Black Cherry I was sure it was based on the feedback here and other pics I saw on various threads. The color difference is easily explained... I dumped my high end cell phone and plan in favor of saving some money (this [insert inappropriate political reference] has been devastating for me) and the phone I have takes lousy pics. I'm convinced I have a mid-range BTU pile of free BTU's that may be several things but none of them Oak. ;)
 
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