Red Oak or White Oak? (Wood ID)

[CincyBurner]

This fit the bill for post oak? And not white oak? All leaf signs point to white oak

It seems best distinguishing characteristic will be the leaf shape. Post oak has a characteristic cruciform shape.

VT Dendro post oak​

Pics of your leaves don't have characteristic post oak appearance but don't look like typical straight white oak either.
Bark is supposed to be more flakey for straight oak , but getting more blocky with age. Post oak is supposed to be more blocky. ID from bark alone can be deceptive.
Both post oak and white oak are in 'white oak' group and both should burn same.

 

[Ashful]

This fit the bill for post oak? And not white oak? All leaf signs point to white oak and I've been trying to confirm what variety of white oak.

I'm the last one to discourage curiosity, after all I spent most of my career in R&D. But I've found distinguishing one oak from another, with respect to its use as firewood, not very necessary. In theory, white oaks should take longer than red oaks to dry, due to their cell structure. However, in reality, all oak takes damn long to dry, and gives very high heat with noticeable coaling problems. In other words, when considering its use purely for firewood, and not shipbuilding or window sills, all oak treats me about the same.

I like me an outside fire too. Punky stuff gives more flames. So both have their place in my fire addiction 🙂

I have an outdoor burn pit where we are continuously dumping yard waste, mostly shrub trimmings from the many dozens of shrubs we have in our many gardens. I lay the punky wood in there, and pile the yard trimmings atop, to aid in the burning of green stuff.

 

[stoveliker]

I used a steel cattle feed drum (same size as oil) to get rid of yard/brush waste. Drilled holes 3" above the bottom for air. Works fantastic (after drying brush on the asphalt driveway for a week or so in the TN sun).

 

[fvhowler]

This fit the bill for post oak? And not white oak? All leaf signs point to white oak and I've been trying to confirm what variety of white oak.

View attachment 294688 View attachment 294689

Interesting... oaks in the white oak family can cross breed. I see post oak in the center left leaf and white oak in the far left leaf. Not sure about the right side leaves. The bark says white oak family and I'm still thinking post oak. Probably splitting a frog hair so regardless its good firewood.

 

[patrickk222]

kinda looks like a white oak variety to me by the darker outer ring on the wood

 

[Dfw245]

It's definitely some sort of white oak I know that. But I wasn't referring to the firewood properties as you said most oak tends to burn about the same in the white family and about the same in the red family. My only concern is WHICH white oak variety as it pertains to using it for smoking meats. As flavor profile I'm sure can vary from species to species. Would hate to think it's post oak, and expect a post oak flavor which is popular here in tx, and then it wind up being a completely different taste all together. But if you're saying it looks less like post oak and typical straight grain white oak, do we know what it could be? I'll be back out there today for even more as I've been going pretty much everyday to buck. There's plenty of leaves everywhere to make a good distinction. I can give more pics of the wood if need be. But since this stuff won't be seasoned any time soon, I'd at least like to know what I'm working with Smoking Meat wise. Firewood wise I'm 100 certain what I have on my hands.

Wait you said coaling problems? Or you meant properties?

 

[Ashful]

Wait you said coaling problems? Or you meant properties?

One man’s problems are another man’s properties… or something like that. It becomes a problem when it’s cold and you’re trying to keep BTU/hour high, as a stove run on oak can quickly fill with coals, and said coals have low BTU/hour output. I dealt with this in cold spells myself, as most of my firewood was oak for several years.

 

[Dfw245]

One man’s problems are another man’s properties… or something like that. It becomes a problem when it’s cold and you’re trying to keep BTU/hour high, as a stove run on oak can quickly fill with coals, and said coals have low BTU/hour output. I dealt with this in cold spells myself, as most of my firewood was oak for several years.

Now thats news to me. I've never known that. Interesting. Love learning things here. So coals have less heat output than a burning log? For some reason I thought it was the opposite. And oak coals very easily I hear. Just another aspect of burning wood I suppose. Now I really need to figure out what type of white oak I have. Because if this is gonna be purely firewood, I've got more than I need lol

 

[Ashful]

So coals have less heat output than a burning log? For some reason I thought it was the opposite.

You bring up an interesting point. Although I suspect it's true, I wasn't actually saying that coals only have less direct heat output. I was saying that coals produce less heat from my stoves, and I've seen others comment to the same effect. But the reason for that may have as much to do with fuel supply to the secondary burn system, as direct heat from the coals or wood primary reaction.

In theory, a large portion of the heat coming from a secondary burn stove, probably in particular cat stoves when run low, is coming off the secondary burn system. This is fed by volatile gasses not burned in the primary burn reaction, and the ratio of which is controlled by your primary air. But coals produce very little fuel for the secondary burn system, that having been consumed already, and so you are left with only the heat coming off the primary burn.

All I know for sure is that my house starts to grow colder when my stove is chock-full of oak coals and no fresh wood, no matter how far I turn up the primary air control, if I don't add some heat from the central heating system.

 

[Caw]

Oak coaling is a pretty common issue. The best way around it is to cut some of it into smaller 1-2 inch pieces, save bark, and other smaller uglies for de-coaling throughout the season. Just rake the into a big pile, open the air, and toss on some of the stuff you saved to burn down the coals and give a burst if heat.

Another way around it is to mix your species of wood if you can. You can add some maple, cherry, or other softer woods to reduce the coal load while still being able to reload on a long overnight burn.

It just takes a little getting used to on the timing but the coals can be dealt with pretty easily.

 

[Dfw245]

So I would assume more coals would be better for fireplaces

 

[Dfw245]

A part of me hates to bump this, but given the amount of things I've learned and still don't know, I'd like to confirm whether this is indeed post oak, white oak, or some other variety in the white oak family. For firewood purposes, it doesn't matter. However I smoke meats A LOT and the wood is coming up on fully seasoned time and I'd like to know if possible. There was a lot of back n forth in this thread. I'll say when burning it, it tends to give off a slight slight sweet smell? Almost had a sugary vanilla ish scent to it but that's probably about 40% of the smell..the rest being the typical wood smoke you smell when something's burning like a house or so. But then some pieces of white oak I burned don't have that sweet smell. Do I have two different varieties of white oak here? And that's why the leaves appear to be two different?

 

[Woodsplitter67]

So I don't smoke with white oak.. black and red seam to that a better flavor along with hickory.. All too often mesquite has too much flavor unless it's a really thick piece of meat

 

[Dfw245]

Interesting. I don't like the smell of red oak when it's burning. Has a very acrid smell to me. Then again I have water oak so it could be just a smidge different

 

[Dfw245]

Here are more photos of the white oak I split. Bark is looking more like post oak than white oak. Just want to be sure. If anyone can confirm this is post oak that'd be great

 

[Woodsplitter67]

thats not white oak.. white oak has more of a flaky bark.. its verry stringy when split

 

[Dfw245]

Very stringy? Hm. Well it was a smidge stringy but nothing akin to pecan or hickory. It reminded me of some straight grain hackberry or so. Maybe it is indeed post oak then

 

[Getwidit]

I would say that is more of a swamp oak. Pallet oak u can tell by how stringy it is. Great firewood it is a species of white oak but it's alittle different. Not as good for hard woods.

 

[Getwidit]

True white oak has a straight grain and splits easy.

 

[Dfw245]

I can even see in the photos some of the leaves and I'm not sure if that lends itself one way or the other. But yes a lot of the wood split very easily and only some of it was a handful