White or red oak?

[Wade Lippman]

Someone advertised free cut up locust wood. My wife came home with a van full, and it is oak (that was my impression, and landscaper who happened to stop by when I was cutting it up guessed oak also). Too bad, locust burns so well; but at least oak splits easier.

Anyhow; it is really white with a dark brown highly irregular core, about 1/4" the diameter. Is that characteristic of white or red, or does it not distinquish the two? (or neither...)

[Mark Bolton]

Picture would be best but it doesn't sound like oak to me

[Charles Wiggins]

In the absence of leaves I usually do it by smell. Red oak has a distinctive odor, more so I think than white oak. Maybe this will help: http://www.wood-database.com/wood-articles/distinguishing-red-oak-from-white-oak/

Cheers,
Charles

[Wade Lippman]

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[John TenEyck]

Doesn't look like oak to me. I'd say Honey Locust. If there are any thorns coming out of the bark, it's definitely Honey Locust. Also, Honey Locust is sort of a pink color, and really heavy.

John

[Danny Hamsley]

It is definitely a red oak of some type. The medullary rays are easy to see.

[keith micinski]

It's an Elm.

[Michael Dunn]

I say it's Balsa. JK. Couldn't resist. That last pic looks like Red Oak to me. I'm no expert though.

[Seth Poorman]

guessing from the pic , id say red oak..... I was running red oak thru the tablesaw and planer today and the shop just comes alive with that great smell........ :<) Love it !!!

[Pete Duffy]

Looks like red oak to me, too. I grew up on a farm FULL of honey locusts and have never seen grain like that in honey locust.

To distinguish between red & white oak, red oak has open pores & white oak has closed pores. That's why whiskey & other liquid-holding barrels are never made of red oak. The liquid would run right out the pores.

Take a small, kindling-size stick and try to blow through one end. If you can, it's red oak.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Pin Oak maybe?

We had a large oak tree removed last Summer and I asked the tree cutter-downer guy if there was anyone he knew that could come out and mill it & about how much it would cost.

He told me that since it was a Pin Oak, unless I was going to make pallets out of the lumber, it was pretty much worthless.

[Ben Hatcher]

The grain certainly looks like oak, but the bark doesn't...unless that section is from a limb. Oak bar is much rougher and with deeper grooves than what is shown. Honey Locust has very flaky looking bark.

[Randy Henry]

Take a small piece of it, approx. 1/4" thick, 3/4" wide, by 3" long. Get a glass of water, blow on the piece into the water, as if you are blowing into a straw. Red oak= bubbles, white oak=nothing. Other species, no advice.

[Wade Lippman]

The grain certainly looks like oak, but the bark doesn't...unless that section is from a limb. Oak bar is much rougher and with deeper grooves than what is shown. Honey Locust has very flaky looking bark.
All the wood is from branches. I didn't see it, but my wife said the trunk pieces were huge.

[Danny Hamsley]

Pin oak and water oak can have bark that is pretty smooth, especially in the branches.

[Jim Andrew]

The oak native to Kansas is called Burr oak. It is a white oak variety, but the color is closer to red oak. The professional lumber guys call it black oak, and it doesn't have much value. Do you have multiple varieties in New York?

[Lee Schierer]

No one else has commented, but those growth rings are huge. I doubt that this is Oak. Whatever it is it grew really fast after the first couple of years. Also the bark doesn't appear to be that of a mature Oak, Red or White.

[Kevin Bourque]

No one else has commented, but those growth rings are huge. I doubt that this is Oak. Whatever it is it grew really fast after the first couple of years. Also the bark doesn't appear to be that of a mature Oak, Red or White.

I noticed that too, but thought it might just be a picture of a small branch.

[Steven Green]

Here's my nickel on the subject. It looks like Post oak to me. Bark is right and the little bit of grain I saw was correct as well.

[Danny Hamsley]

It is positively an oak.

[Brian Libby]

+1 to what Lee Schierer said.

[keith micinski]

It's red elm the last photo has a little bit of quarter saw look to it.

[Danny Hamsley]

Keith,

The pic of the board is actually quartersawn sycmore. It does not match the pic of the logs.

[keith micinski]

Well then my wood guy is going to have some Splaining to do, because it was supposed to be red elm.

[Danny Hamsley]

Yes he does. It could have been an honest mistake.