Tree of Heaven ( I think ) and turnings

[Reed Gray]

The butter nut that I have turned was a nice brown color, and smelled kind of like vinegar when cutting. Branches typically have a scalloped growth ring pattern rather than straight rings. The first picture above makes me think of Persian (English) walnut that has been grafted onto black walnut. It would have a distinct walnut smell, but not as strong as the black walnut. Smell is one important identifier. Had a friend who found a tree he thought was butter nut. He didn't do the sniff test. Right color, but catalpa, which I do not like...

robo hippy

[John K Jordan]

The tree was only about 10-12" at the largest diameter, so I would call it a young tree. Butternut does seem to be a possibility. When I was looking at the possibility of butternut, I came across a hickory section that looked very similar. Could this be some type of hickory? However it does turn and sand easily which is not a hickory characteristic. The wood did not smell and is not porous, so I don't think it is the Tree of Heaven. Here are a couple of more pictures. The piece on the lathe I have turned thin, about 3/32".

Again, it's really worth shaving and looking at the end grain with a hand lens. It may not tell you the exact species but it often eliminates a bunch of guesses.

Butternut: semi-ring porous, distinct rings
http://www.wood-database.com/butternut/

Shagbark Hickory: ring porous
http://www.wood-database.com/shagbark-hickory/
Pignut Hickory
http://www.wood-database.com/pignut-hickory/
Shellbark Hickory - look at the pores in this one:
http://www.wood-database.com/shellbark-hickory/

About hickory/pecan:
http://www.wood-database.com/wood-ar...pecan-hickory/

As you can see, the Wood Database is one of the useful on-line references. When I'm trying to ID a piece of wood I use it, Hobbithouseinc, and a stack of books including my favorite, R. Bruce Hoadley's "Identifying Wood"

JKJ

[William C Rogers]

What I believe this wood is hackberry. Using the wood database I went through butternut, hickory, walnut and poplar. The endgrain pictures did not match. Hackberry is found in my area. Here are some pictures of the endgrain that I believe matches hackberry. Agree?

IMG_0925.JPG IMG_0926.JPG

the wood database http://www.wood-database.com/hackberry/

[Malcolm McLeod]

The picture of the bark doesn't look like Hackberry to me...? Hackberry (around here) generally has a medium grey, smooth bark, with distinctive 'warts'.

[Ian Lerner]

The bark of the wood looks a lot like Cottonwood.

[Bob Bouis]

Southern hackberry (sugarberry) looks like a different from the yankee stuff. Sugarberry has much smoother bark (and rarely seems to have heartwood).

[robert baccus]

Hackberry and elms have that wiggly grain in the summer wood.

[William C Rogers]

Thanks for all the help. Looking at the wood database this wood is more likely American elm to me. The database says the heartwood is a reddish brown which matches better than hackberry. Also indicates that very young trees have very little heartwood and mostly sapwood. The end grain seems to match ( but so does hackberry). Finally it says elm is resistant to cracking and the wood was sitting in the wood pile for about a year and there is very little cracking.

[Frank Drew]

William,

Photos can be difficult to fully assess, but those in your first post don't look to me like Ailanthus (Tree of Heaven, a marketing term if there ever was one!)

As John said, Ailanthus is ring porous; the wood I've seen can be mistaken for ash. It is a weed tree around here but the wood can be surprisingly "serious" looking. Locals sometimes call it summer wood because it burns quickly and hot, ideal to take the chill off the kitchen on those early summer mornings.

[Leo Van Der Loo]

I know for sure that it is NOT Ailanthus, I’ve turned a bunch of it from smaller to a real giant Ailanthus logs, The largest one I could just cut lengths from with a 24” long Chainsaw going at it from both sides.

The wood is smelly, more so than Elm, it has no dark heartwood, and distinctive yellower year rings at the edge of the sapwood going to the heartwood.

I find it turns a lot like Willow when wet, (fuzzy) but works much better when dry, can be finished very nicely.

Ailanthus.JPG Ailanthus bowl.JPG Ailanthus thin.JPG Ailanthus older pic.jpg

For what you have, it looks a lot like some Red Elm I have here, but not sure of it, Hackberry that I see here has the ridges and white wood.

[Ron Rutter]

What I believe this wood is hackberry. Using the wood database I went through butternut, hickory, walnut and poplar. The endgrain pictures did not match. Hackberry is found in my area. Here are some pictures of the endgrain that I believe matches hackberry. Agree?

IMG_0925.JPG IMG_0926.JPG

the wood database http://www.wood-database.com/hackberry/

That first end section looks alot like acacia to me.

[Leo Van Der Loo]

What I believe this wood is hackberry. Using the wood database I went through butternut, hickory, walnut and poplar. The endgrain pictures did not match. Hackberry is found in my area. Here are some pictures of the endgrain that I believe matches hackberry. Agree?

IMG_0925.JPG IMG_0926.JPG

the wood database http://www.wood-database.com/hackberry/

There are more woods that have that kind of grain, like Honey Locust, but the bark of these trees don’t look anything like what you are showing, Smaller Elm tree bark does though.

You can compare these two.

image3.JPG Elm bark.jpg

[William C Rogers]

There are more woods that have that kind of grain, like Honey Locust, but the bark of these trees don’t look anything like what you are showing, Smaller Elm tree bark does though.

You can compare these two.

image3.JPG Elm bark.jpg

Leo, thanks for the help. I feel fairly certain it is elm. I'm leaning toward American Elm, but could also be Red elm as you suggested. The bark does match your picture of young elm. I looked at the Honey Locus, but think the Elm endgrain is a better match. I went and got what was left on the wood pile. Although only 6-8" I can use it for Christmas ornaments as it turns and sands well.