Help with wood ID please

[Don Farr]

I got to my shop this morning and found this pile of logs out in the parking lot. Bowls and boxes and stuff started going through my head. I think it's white Oak but not sure with no leafs.
The logs are about 2 or 3 feet in diameter. Any thoughts on what it is and would it be worth pursuing?

[Kevin Gerstenecker]

Don,

From the Bark it sure looks like White Oak to me..........a little hard to tell from a picture, but if I were a betting man, that would be my choice. Great picture, by the way, it sure makes it easy to see the bark, and that is the tell tale sign that makes me think you are right. White Oak has a bark all to it's own, kind of a greyish coloration. I don't turn, but I would think it would be OK for that. I know it makes very good firewood! :D

[Don Farr]

I have since talked to the property manager and they said I could have it . Seems somebody dumped it there illegally. But there is more to it than the picture shows. I will have to get my fork truck around there and get it loaded and home. I don't care about the firewood aspect of it. Just if I can make something out of it.

[Tom Sweeney]

It's Wood, It's Round & It's Free

TURN AWAY :D :cool:


I have since talked to the property manager and they said I could have it . Seems somebody dumped it there illegally. But there is more to it than the picture shows. I will have to get my fork truck around there and get it loaded and home. I don't care about the firewood aspect of it. Just if I can make something out of it.

[Kevin Gerstenecker]

Don, it looks like you have had a visit from.........


THE WOOD FAIRY! :D

I you have ever cut Oak before, you will know the distinct smell the wood has. Put the 'ol sniffer to work, and see if it smells like Oak, but I am most certain it is. It also appears that there may be some spalting going on around the Heartwood, which would be a bonus. I say haul it home, and TURN, TURN, TURN!

[Mac McAtee]

I got to my shop this morning and found this pile of logs out in the parking lot. Bowls and boxes and stuff started going through my head. I think it's white Oak but not sure with no leafs.
The logs are about 2 or 3 feet in diameter. Any thoughts on what it is and would it be worth pursuing?

Looks like hicory bark to me.

[Robert Henderson]

Looks like hickory to me as well.

[Don Farr]

Smells like hickory too! But if I don't get some help here this morning it will be GONE.

[Joe_Ott]

with White Oak or Hickory. White Oaks generally have bark that almost looks like chips, not ridges (Red Oaks have ridges or flatter barks) Hickories has larger flake type bark (like Shag bark).

Tree identification is kind of a hobby of mine. My bet would be Ash (white or black) from the looks of the bark and bark ridges.

A friend of mine is a cancer researcher at a local college. He also is a Botany prof. He's considered a real tree/plant/wildlife identification expert - neat guy - he's also my sons Scout Master. Anyway, if you can get a couple more pics, I'd be happy to show them to him if you'd like to see what he thinks.

Oak and Ash have very different smells when cut (to me anyway). Cut it and see what it smells like. I think Ash really stinks when cut. I'm currently using Ash for my kitchen drawers and I think it really stinks when your cutting it (compared to oak).

Just my opinion.
Joe

[Don Farr]

Thanks for the offer Joe, but let me see if I am going to be able to get it first. They told me that I had to move it this morning or they would haul it off. None of my help has showed up yet.

[Don Farr]

I seriously under estimated the size of these logs. How about 7 to 8 feet in circumference. I am not going to be able to haul it all. Oh well! I pick out some of the nicer pieces.
Thanks for the help.

[Steve Clardy]

Not shell bark, but what I call pig nut hickory. It has a smoother bark unlike the shell bark hickory. Looks like theres some spalting there. Ought to make some great looking bowls. Steve

[Don Farr]

Well I got two pick-up truck loads and all that would fit in the back of a Ford Explorer and there is still some left.
I am still trying to figure out what it is for sure. Joe said something about Ash stinking. I drove the Explorer yesterday and I thought I would barf. It was 90 degrees yesterday and I had the windows down. I don,t think the picture shows the bark very well.
The bark was very thick and long deep ridges.

[Doug Jones]

I seriously under estimated the size of these logs. How about 7 to 8 feet in circumference.


Does Ash get that big?

[Todd Burch]

If you take a close up picture of the end grain, or look at it, you can tell very quickly if it is oak or not. Oaks have meduliary rays radiating out from the pith. These are the "ray fleck" in quartersawn oak. Also, once you split a piece, it should be more obvious as well when looking at side grain.

Todd.

[Joe_Ott]

Don, FWIW, my professor friend thinks Ash as well just based on the pics. Todd Burch makes a good point too though.

Have fun with it.
Joe

[Brad Schafer]

almost certainly ash ... bark, layering & color of heartwood (not to mention odor:), extremely thick sapwood are a giveaway. have never seen a pignut X-section look like that.

and yes, it gets that big. took one down a few years ago to build the house - base was 4' diameter.


b (out of stealth mode for a minute)

[Joe_Ott]

Yes. Ash can get very large. White and Black Ash can be 70 to 80 feet tall with diameters typically around 3 feet or so and upto 7 feet(!). I think the diameter of black ash is generally a little smaller though.

But I could very well be wrong. Heck, swmbo always say I am... :)

[Steve Clardy]

White Ash, lumber is white almost all through the log.
Red Oak or black oak, very little sap wood. Color stays fairly consistent through the width of log. Heartwood is the same color as outer wood.
Hickory tree, this tree is on my timber property. Has lots of sapwood, dark colored heartwood.
Hickory nut. What I call pignut or smoothbark hickory, taken from same hickory tree.
Hickory identifying chart.

[Dale Lenz]

Hi folks I'm new to this forum...But the topic here caught my attention. I think the wood blocks are elm. All hardwoods have rays, although the oaks are huge incomparsion. The elms have nice ray flecks in the quarter-sawn cut so I would think the elm rays are visible to the unaided eye in the elm's cross-section. The bark does resemble elm to me. One hint is to take a block plane or sharp cutter and cut a smooth section on the end-grain, I was taught to use a single edge razor blade in school. Elm has a nice zigzag pattern in the growth ring. Ash will have that also, but the ash bark normally has a diamond pattern, as Steve's post above mine shows.

Hope this helps,
Dal Lenz