Is this Ash or Walnut?

[Chris Gunsolley]

This forum has been a tremendous help to me for wood identification in the past, so I've got one more for you if you're up for it...

My apologies for not being able to circle the logs that I am referring to, and that this one picture is all I have to go on at the moment. However, if you can answer this question, you will know which logs in this picture my question applies to, because they're the only ones that resemble either Walnut or Ash. There are 4 of them, they are the larger diameter logs here, and they are from the same tree. One of them is the larger log you see on the right, whose bark is very visible:

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Please click on the picture to see the logs in more detail. Do you think this is Ash or Walnut? Why?

[John Keeton]

The bark looks more like ash to me, but you should be able to tell quickly by the wood - walnut being a dark purple brown with a light sapwood and ash a light amber.

[John K Jordan]

And once you know it, the smell of black walnut is distinctive and unforgettable. If you have a piece of walnut sand, plane, or cut into it and take a sniff. Green walnut is the same but much stronger. Most people say it smells great.

[Olaf Vogel]

Most people say it smells great.

Hm..... I’m gonna have to get my nose recalibrated cuz I think it smells bad
(but it is gorgeous wood!)

[Len Mullin]

If I was identifying it by the bark, then I'd have to say that it's ash. Is there any color to the wood, or, is it mostly pale in color?
Len

[Leo Van Der Loo]

This forum has been a tremendous help to me for wood identification in the past, so I've got one more for you if you're up for it...

My apologies for not being able to circle the logs that I am referring to, and that this one picture is all I have to go on at the moment. However, if you can answer this question, you will know which logs in this picture my question applies to, because they're the only ones that resemble either Walnut or Ash. There are 4 of them, they are the larger diameter logs here, and they are from the same tree. One of them is the larger log you see on the right, whose bark is very visible:

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Please click on the picture to see the logs in more detail. Do you think this is Ash or Walnut? Why?

The larger pieces look like Ash to me Chris, Walnut bark is coarser than Walnut generally and not as sharp edged.

I’ll add a couple of pictures, one is showing White Ash bark and one of the White Ash logs that show that you do quite often get darker areas in White Ash, but if you compare that to the next picture with the Black Walnut logs, you can easily see that the Black Walnut has this white and dark contrast that is all around.

There are two logs mixed in with teh Walnut logs that are not Black Walnut, there is a circle around them.

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[John K Jordan]

Hm..... I’m gonna have to get my nose recalibrated cuz I think it smells bad
(but it is gorgeous wood!)

Some do disagree with you (from a quick google search).
Forestry Forum, 6/10/2013: "Best smelling wood we cut is walnut and then cherry..."

From the Hearth, The Wood Shed, 1/26/2011: "About the only good smelling wood I've burnt so far is black walnut"

A wood working talk discussion, 9/2/2011: "...the smell (good) of walnut..."

wattswoodproducts.com, 3/31/2013: "Fresh cut Walnut smells like walnuts"

But then some agree with you.
Sawmill creek:
3/16/2008: "English walnut...a bad smell...what a stink"
3/18/2008: "our club just cut up 2 walnut trees....it smells like Cat Crap!"
(one comment concerned the possibility of spalting fungus)

Personally I like the smell of black walnut wood. Maybe it comes from time spent in a large woodworking shop (in Berea, KY) where a lot of walnut was milled.

But we are all different. My senses simply cannot stand either the smell or taste of arugula or brussel sprouts; my wife loves both. If we all liked the same things life sure would be boring.

JKJ

[sam upton]

That appears much like some Black Ash that was recently cut down from my back acre. It is a light color.

[Chris Gunsolley]

Thank you for all of your responses. I think in this case I'll pass on these particular logs, as it appears that these are most likely Ash, which I've got more than enough of. As you can see, it would have been a ton of work to get these pieces as well, as, for 3 of the 4 at least, much of the rest of the log pile was resting on them.

[Chris Gunsolley]

The larger pieces look like Ash to me Chris, Walnut bark is coarser than Walnut generally and not as sharp edged.

I’ll add a couple of pictures, one is showing White Ash bark and one of the White Ash logs that show that you do quite often get darker areas in White Ash, but if you compare that to the next picture with the Black Walnut logs, you can easily see that the Black Walnut has this white and dark contrast that is all around.

There are two logs mixed in with teh Walnut logs that are not Black Walnut, there is a circle around them.

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Thank you for the comparison pictures, as well as the thorough explanation, Leo. Comparing the Ash bark in the first picture to the Black Walnut bark in the last makes the difference apparent. As you pointed out, the bark of the walnut is far more coarse there. I think your pictures have made this difference apparent enough for me that I should be able to recognize it in person from this point forth.

Also, I can't help but ask about those logs that you circled in the last picture (which aren't black walnut)... What type of tree are those from? It looks interesting, because the heartwood is actually lighter than the sapwood, and I thought that the heartwood was always darker than the sapwood if a difference is apparent. Can the heartwood be lighter in some trees, as appears to be the case with those?

[Chris Gunsolley]

Some do disagree with you (from a quick google search).
Forestry Forum, 6/10/2013: "Best smelling wood we cut is walnut and then cherry..."

From the Hearth, The Wood Shed, 1/26/2011: "About the only good smelling wood I've burnt so far is black walnut"

A wood working talk discussion, 9/2/2011: "...the smell (good) of walnut..."

wattswoodproducts.com, 3/31/2013: "Fresh cut Walnut smells like walnuts"

But then some agree with you.
Sawmill creek:
3/16/2008: "English walnut...a bad smell...what a stink"
3/18/2008: "our club just cut up 2 walnut trees....it smells like Cat Crap!"
(one comment concerned the possibility of spalting fungus)

Personally I like the smell of black walnut wood. Maybe it comes from time spent in a large woodworking shop (in Berea, KY) where a lot of walnut was milled.

But we are all different. My senses simply cannot stand either the smell or taste of arugula or brussel sprouts; my wife loves both. If we all liked the same things life sure would be boring.

JKJ

Personally, I love the way it smells. That's probably because it's a smell I've come to associate with a wood I love to turn :)

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Hm..... I’m gonna have to get my nose recalibrated cuz I think it smells bad
(but it is gorgeous wood!)

Olaf I find it smells fine if the Walnut is dry, not so mush when it is wet, seems to jive with the people who do like it and those that don’t.

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Thank you for the comparison pictures, as well as the thorough explanation, Leo. Comparing the Ash bark in the first picture to the Black Walnut bark in the last makes the difference apparent. As you pointed out, the bark of the walnut is far more coarse there. I think your pictures have made this difference apparent enough for me that I should be able to recognize it in person from this point forth.

Also, I can't help but ask about those logs that you circled in the last picture (which aren't black walnut)... What type of tree are those from? It looks interesting, because the heartwood is actually lighter than the sapwood, and I thought that the heartwood was always darker than the sapwood if a difference is apparent. Can the heartwood be lighter in some trees, as appears to be the case with those?

Chris that sapwood appears to be darker, as the sapwood is still bleeding sap, while the heartwood is much dryer, I’m noy sure what wood that is, it is probably sweet cherry or plum, but I’m guessing more than knowing here, sorry.

[Chris Gunsolley]

Chris that sapwood appears to be darker, as the sapwood is still bleeding sap, while the heartwood is much dryer, I’m noy sure what wood that is, it is probably sweet cherry or plum, but I’m guessing more than knowing here, sorry.

No problem, I appreciate the educated guess regardless. Looks like some interesting wood. It makes sense that the sapwood could appear darker than the heartwood if it is holding much more moisture.

[Glenn C Roberts]

Could it be box elder?

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Could it be box elder?

I doubt that very much Glenn, the Manitoba Maple AKA boxelder, doesn’t have much of a color difference between sap and heartwood, as shown in the picture here.

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