What kind of wood is this?

[Ted Christiansen]

Found some logs while driving home the other day. I cut up two of the smaller ones on my 18" bandsaw. I am not sure what kind of wood it is - it isnt something I have milled before (oak, cherry, walnut, ash, elm, silver maple). Any ideas?

[Bernie Weishapl]

Ted those logs kinda look like Elm but not sure. Don't know if Elm grows in your area but we have a lot of them around here and the bark looks almost the same.

[Mike Hollingsworth]

If it's hard as hell.
Also sold as Pecan

Mike H

[roy knapp]

It sure looks dutch Elm.:) :)

[Stephen Sebed]

Could it be hackberry? I can't tell from the picture but hackberry has a distinctive bark. It also is part of the elm family.

[Ted Christiansen]

I milled some elm earlier this year and the boards (green) were medium brown in color. These boards are creme color and have some red streaks. The odor of the wood compared to the elm is also not the same.

I searched Google Images for "pecan lumber" and found this:
http://www.hunterwoodworks.com/hickory.htm

which looks close to what I have cut. Another page says that pecan is often sold as hickory.

Thanks for the help - I am concluding that the wood is hickory or pecan. I will be milling the remaining logs with my Husky 385XP chainsaw and Logosol TimberJig. See my profile for more information on milling logs to lumber with a chainsaw.

[Doug Jones]

Most definitely not hackberry, maybe elm or ash.

[scott spencer]

I milled some elm earlier this year and the boards (green) were medium brown in color. These boards are creme color and have some red streaks. The odor of the wood compared to the elm is also not the same.

I searched Google Images for "pecan lumber" and found this:
http://www.hunterwoodworks.com/hickory.htm

which looks close to what I have cut. Another page says that pecan is often sold as hickory.

Thanks for the help - I am concluding that the wood is hickory or pecan. I will be milling the remaining logs with my Husky 385XP chainsaw and Logosol TimberJig. See my profile for more information on milling logs to lumber with a chainsaw.

The first thing I thought it looked like is chestnut, then you mentioned the word "odor". If it stinks a bit, it's very possible it's chestnut....aka "poopwood" at my house! :eek: Poopwood...er, um chestnut often has brown streaks and brown voids (obviously the source of the odor :o :D ), and can be a fairly rustic looking wood overall.

[Ted Christiansen]

Scott,

The odor is peculiar, but never heard it described as poop wood. My wife did complain that the whole house stunk. The boards do have the brown voids and streaks you desribed. They also have red streaks in them. Does chestnut have these?

I did some Googling and found this:

http://www.gregorysawmill.com

There is a picture of chestnut logs that look exactly like the ones I have. I think it is chestnut.

[scott spencer]

Scott,

The odor is peculiar, but never heard it described as poop wood. My wife did complain that the whole house stunk. The boards do have the brown voids and streaks you desribed. They also have red streaks in them. Does chestnut have these?

I did some Googling and found this:

http://www.gregorysawmill.com

There is a picture of chestnut logs that look exactly like the ones I have. I think it is chestnut. I recall pinkish streaks, so we may be on the same page. My whole house stunk too and the kids were going nuts. While it certainly isn't a ransid smell, it was definitely remiscent of manure.

[Ted Christiansen]

I had a face cord of firewood delivered just now and he said the logs are box elder. I Googled for some box elder images and I think he is right.

Is box elder suitable for woodworking? I have never worked with it before.

[Ed Frie]

I have tried to split a bunch of elm in my life. I thought I recognized that twisted grain. Ugh!:(

[Jim Becker]

Is box elder suitable for woodworking? I have never worked with it before.

Box elder is a member of the maple family. It's popular with turners, especially when it has the red staining that can occur from a certain fungus that supports the beetles that like to live in it. It's somewhat prone to shake and cracking, however. I would say it would be fine for small woodworking projects and as accent panels if it had the staining, but probably isn't the best for structural parts in furniture.