The Forestry Forum

General Forestry => Tree, Plant and Wood I.D. => Topic started by: Wick on January 14, 2014, 09:36:38 AM

Title: Wood I.D.
Post by: Wick on January 14, 2014, 09:36:38 AM
Ok Ya'll !! What ya think? I think it will be easy for you.
I'm holding my guess so I won't be wrong in front of the experts  :)



(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/21388/20140104_125404.jpg)



 (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/21388/20140104_124947.jpg)



 (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/21388/20140104_124930.jpg)



 (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/21388/20140104_124915.jpg)

I think this one is different?



 (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/21388/20140104_130949.jpg)
Title: Re: Wood I.D.
Post by: Den-Den on January 14, 2014, 12:15:54 PM
I will make a guess of Sycamore.
Title: Re: Wood I.D.
Post by: Dodgy Loner on January 14, 2014, 04:54:31 PM
My guess is beech for the first and sycamore for the last, but to be honest, it is impossible to say with certainty with all of that wood in the rough. If you planed it and cut cleanly cut the end grain, things would be much clearer.
Title: Re: Wood I.D.
Post by: WDH on January 14, 2014, 10:20:45 PM
The spiral grain leads me to sycamore, too.
Title: Re: Wood I.D.
Post by: Wick on January 19, 2014, 09:51:32 AM
I tried to get good pictures, but your right the end grain is rough and hard to see. I thought the checks and cracks would help with the ID based on drying characteristics.
Had not thought of sycamore, interesting. Never worked with sycamore.
So do you think the last picture is the same wood or different? It is a really orange color and the others seem to have a whiter base.
Also thought the bark in the first picture would help.
After looking again, could there be 3 species?
Thanks
Title: Re: Wood I.D.
Post by: WDH on January 19, 2014, 10:20:15 PM
I think that it is all the same.  Sycamore.
Title: Re: Wood I.D.
Post by: SwampDonkey on January 21, 2014, 05:58:20 AM
The first one looks like beech with the smooth gray bark there and it sure checks a lot like beech in the firewood pile. That's just going by bark as I can't see the grain to be sure. The rest is up in the air, can't see the grain. Beech , yellow birch and hard maple can be just as rippled grained as something with spiral. Split some and you'll soon find out.
Title: Re: Wood I.D.
Post by: Dodgy Loner on January 21, 2014, 10:54:54 AM
That bark in the first pic is why I went with beech. A clean end-grain picture would settle it in a hurry beech and sycamore both have distinctive end grain.
Title: Re: Wood I.D.
Post by: Wick on January 21, 2014, 12:38:46 PM
OK, will try to do some homework this weekend. Split some and clean the end grain.
Wish I would have set the particular ones aside, now there all stacked together.
Thanks for the help everyone.
Title: Re: Wood I.D.
Post by: MIsawyer on January 24, 2014, 08:31:16 PM
im going with sycamore
Title: Re: Wood I.D.
Post by: Red Clay Hound on January 24, 2014, 08:45:31 PM
The last pic definitely looks like sycamore.  The others I'm not as sure about.
Title: Re: Wood I.D.
Post by: OneWithWood on January 24, 2014, 08:57:18 PM
I am on the sycamore train.
Title: Re: Wood I.D.
Post by: OH Boy on February 01, 2014, 08:43:59 PM
someone told me Sycamore does not check, and cookies don't split when they dry. Is that true? and if true, how is this Sycamore with the checking.

Not arguing with anyone's call cause I've no idea what this is. the Sycamore guesses brought up the question.
Title: Re: Wood I.D.
Post by: WDH on February 01, 2014, 09:05:45 PM
Take a pic of a quartersawn face where we can see the ray fleck.  The ray fleck in beech and sycamore is different. 
Title: Re: Wood I.D.
Post by: CalebL on February 04, 2014, 04:01:17 PM
The second pic looks like sweet gum to me.  I've milled a bunch of it.
Title: Re: Wood I.D.
Post by: Thehardway on March 27, 2014, 03:41:38 PM
The first pic looks like beech on account of the bark and the color is darker than the sycamore around here. Bark is not like gum at all.

Moving down, the pic with pieces all stacked beside each other, the one with the big knot and wavy check looks like some gum I have cut.

Beech will split easily, Gum will not.

I might also guess maybe maple in there with the smooth gray bark, the heartwood color and with the spalting style.  I'm no expert.  How heavy and hard is it?  Does it have a lot of tannin and stain your hands black?  Beech will.  Sycamore, gum and maple won't.

Are you sure it is all the same kind of wood?
Title: Re: Wood I.D.
Post by: WDH on March 27, 2014, 09:18:25 PM
I still think beech or sycamore. 
Title: Re: Wood I.D.
Post by: Wick on March 28, 2014, 07:54:12 AM
I actually took some pictures of one like in the first picture. It may actually be the one, I saved it. The others have been turned to ashes already. Anyway I have pictures with a smooth face to see if end grain could be identified. I will try to post them today. Thanks.

BTW, I forgot about splitting it.  >:(
Title: Re: Wood I.D.
Post by: thecfarm on March 28, 2014, 08:13:48 AM
That little bit of bark on the first picture looks like beech. Beech is a hard wood to split. It's a real stringy wood. Does not open up clean.
Title: Re: Wood I.D.
Post by: Wick on March 28, 2014, 11:54:34 AM
It is real heavy. Seems dense too. I will try to split a piece this weekend.
Title: Re: Wood I.D.
Post by: Wick on March 31, 2014, 03:23:12 PM
Here are the pics wth a cleaner face.

(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/21388/20140323_164553.jpg)


(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/21388/20140323_164628.jpg)

(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/21388/20140323_164602.jpg)

(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/21388/20140323_164817_28229.jpg)
Title: Re: Wood I.D.
Post by: WDH on March 31, 2014, 11:46:23 PM
I think that we have to chalk up another one for Dodgy.  Looks like beech from the last pics  :)  ;D.
Title: Re: Wood I.D.
Post by: SwampDonkey on April 01, 2014, 04:34:23 AM
Yip, beech is beech.  ;D
Title: Re: Wood I.D.
Post by: hacknchop on April 01, 2014, 09:34:23 AM
I also think the first pc is beech look for characteristic flecks much like hrd mpl and yellow birch as for sicamore only ever milled it once 20 yrs ago but the beech does grow on some of the islands in lake huron so I have milled some.
Title: Re: Wood I.D.
Post by: Dodgy Loner on April 01, 2014, 11:11:42 AM
Quote from: WDH on March 31, 2014, 11:46:23 PM
I think that we have to chalk up another one for Dodgy.  Looks like beech from the last pics  :)  ;D.

8) What do I win? :D
Title: Re: Wood I.D.
Post by: OneWithWood on April 01, 2014, 11:21:31 AM
Welcome, hacknchop!
I used to sail out of Manitoulin into the north channel.  Visited a few of the islands, brushed against a few of the submerged rocks.
Title: Re: Wood I.D.
Post by: Wick on April 01, 2014, 11:58:32 AM
OK, so the last pics with the cleaner face are the same wood as in the first pic in the OP.
Do you think they are all beach? I was thinking they were different families. Those other pieces have lots of different colors...black streaks, orange, red. And they were HEAVY as well.

We may never know, as I have burned them. Maybe one of my future loads will have some more of that type. Thanks for the help.

Title: Re: Wood I.D.
Post by: Wick on April 01, 2014, 12:07:18 PM

8) What do I win? :D
[/quote]

Maybe for a grand prize a piece could be sent for wood turning. That is what I thought about when I saw all those colors in the other pieces. They are 6X6 by 1 1/2-3 ft.

I need to set my shopsmith up. Yeah right, working 6 days a week, baseball, softball....on and on!!  8)
I know...excuses, excuses!! :D