Yet another wood ID

[Rick Prosser]

Got some of this:

http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/data/93/UnknownWood_web.jpg

I see a lot of this around, but usually in 1-2 inch diameter "weed trees". Usually mixed in with the pine and scrub oak in this sandy area of South Carolina. These pieces are 6-8 inches in diameter.

This wood has an orange-ish coloring, and is rock hard. Chips out very easily. This has been down a while and has lots of cracks. I took a small piece and made a toothpick holder. Reminds me of the bird's eye maple I used for a pen, but not white.
http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/data/93/ToothpickHolderLight1.jpg

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Looks a lot like Hawthorn, though Hophornbeam has similar bark also, it is hard dense wood (AKA Ironwood) but the wood-color is off, Hawthorn is more like Applewood and closer to the color you show, but there are so many different ones that I can't really just go by that.
Hawthorn has usually some thorns and small fruits that look like tiny apples on some, more like round berries on others.
The Hophornbeam has leaves that look a lot like Birch leaves, and the Hawthorn is so variable it would be hard to give an average look description of them, and yes the bark does also vary a lot.
I'm still not sure, but Hophornbeam is still my "most probable" guess :)

[Rick Prosser]

I had a Forrester identify the tree:

Vaccinium arboreum
Common Names: sparkleberry, farkleberry, tree huckleberry
Family: Ericaceae (heath Family)

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Thanks Rick for getting back with the ID :D
Interesting, so a big Blueberry cousin, I have one picture of the bark here, live though, it would be hard to ID it from that one, American Cranberry is also closely related as is evergreen Huckleberry.
Let us know how it turns and looks like afterwards, and if you have trouble or not, keeping it from splitting, I'd just like to know :)
Thanks again