What is the easy-splitting wood

[pelican]

Hey all, I was wondering what wood this is, it's really easy to split wet 17" rounds with my maul. It also has a very potent "woody" smell when split and sort of smooth bark.

I'm a noob when it comes to wood ID, any help would be very appreciated. Thanks.

Here's a few pics.

 

[blujacket]

Oak

 

[Jags]

Yep - dat's an Oak (I would guess, red).

 

[NortheastAl]

Red Oak would be my guess too.

 

[ScotO]

Red oak, without a doubt.......strong, apple vinegary smell, no?
Get into a knot or crotch and its a different story!!

 

[KaptJaq]

Clean rounds of red oak split so nice, especially the smaller ones (under 24"). One hit with the maul and there is a clean "ping" as it flies apart...

KaptJaq

 

[USMC80]

def red oak

 

[pelican]

Thanks guys. What are the chances if I split it all to the size in my pics it will be burnable this season if kept in the sun starting today?

 

[KaptJaq]

Thanks guys. What are the chances if I split it all to the size in my pics it will be burnable this season if kept in the sun starting today?

I would say slim... Oak splits easy, burns hot and long, but takes forever to dry. Small splits, off the ground, in a single layer in the sun might get close to ready (under 25%) but I doubt it...

KaptJaq

 

[ScotO]

That stuff could be split into 1" slivers and still not ready by this winter......oak isn't a speedy seasoning wood. It generally needs 2-3 years to be ready to burn. Tuck it aside and save it, you'll be glad you did.

 

[pelican]

Thanks Scott, I was afraid of that.

I should have mentioned I took the tree down in the spring and cut into 18" rounds and left out for the summer. Not sure if that helps for my chances of burning this season or not...

 

[Reckless]

Thanks Scott, I was afraid of that.
I should have mentioned I took the tree down in the spring and cut into 18" rounds and left out for the summer. Not sure if that helps for my chances of burning this season or not...

Nope... rounds don't season well, splits do Oak takes forever... I have 4 cord of it that I split this year so I feel your pain.

 

[ScotO]

Pelican, lots have had this same scenario......
Wood needs to be split and stacked before.we.can really consider it as "seasoning". If I were you, and you need wood for this year, look for some standing dead ash and maple, or find a local wood seller that has legitimately seasoned wood for sale. Try and get a couple years ahead on your wood stack, you'll be glad you did...

 

[Reckless]

Thanks Scott, I was afraid of that.

I should have mentioned I took the tree down in the spring and cut into 18" rounds and left out for the summer. Not sure if that helps for my chances of burning this season or not...

Pelican, lots have had this same scenario......
Wood needs to be split and stacked before.we.can really consider it as "seasoning". If I were you, and you need wood for this year, look for some standing dead ash and maple, or find a local wood seller that has legitimately seasoned wood for sale. Try and get a couple years ahead on your wood stack, you'll be glad you did...

If you are questioning the moisture content of your wood use a multimeter or buy a moisture meter... both work great
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/using-a-multimeter-to-measure-wood-moisture-level.40033/

 

[Ashful]

Thanks guys. What are the chances if I split it all to the size in my pics it will be burnable this season if kept in the sun starting today?

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Thanks guys. What are the chances if I split it all to the size in my pics it will be burnable this season if kept in the sun starting today?

As others have stated, you have 2 chances of that being ready for burning this winter; slim and none.


Also you might remember pelican that you have a better chance of the wood drying faster if it is stacked in the wind. Sun is good for sure, but wind is even better. Good luck.

 

[NortheastAl]

As others have stated, you have 2 chances of that being ready for burning this winter; slim and none.

And Slim is out of town.

 

[JOHN BOY]

2 years minimum , even small splits . 3 years ooh ! Primo burning wood will be grayish . You can burn it in a year , but you wont get the big benefits out of the wood.

 

[woodking]

Red Oak, I can say this cuz I have about 90% in my stacks of 10-12 cords. It really does take 2-3 years to sason,water will run outtta the chimney cleanout if its under 2 years.

 

[Paulywalnut]

Thanks guys. What are the chances if I split it all to the size in my pics it will be burnable this season if kept in the sun starting today?

You're lucky to have that oak. You'll appreciate it even more if you let it season. Get it split as soon as possible. It splits nice. Straight splits and very sharp edges.

 

[firefighterjake]

Red oak . . . very little chance of that being ready . . . much better to wait a couple years and really enjoy the oak then. I think this year (or maybe it's next year) I'll finally get to try out some oak I scored 2 or 3 years ago.

 

[cptoneleg]

Link Removed Chestnut Oak


Chestnut Oak

 

[Applesister]

Link Removed Chestnut Oak


Chestnut Oak

Its kind of off topic here, but those are some nice sized chestnut oaks. Dont know whats killing mine. I find them laying on the ground and standing dead. Sadly.
But dont know what they have to do with Red Oak.

 

[cptoneleg]

That's what I think the easy splitting wood is in this post, that's what it has to do with it. In the picture it looks more like Chestnut than Red

 

[pelican]

Too bad, I thought I was going to be set for the season...I checked today to see which tree it was from and it was from a large red oak that came down last September from hurricane Sandy ( I couldn't remember if it came from my neighbors trees that were taken down in the spring). Anyway, just checked and there's still about 15 - 20 feet of it left at about 18" diameter. Going to cut it up, split it and forget about it for a while.