ID Help

[beenthere]

As an interested bystander to all this tree knowledge, I know how to tell the difference between hickory and elm.  Cut a 20" round and swing a splitting maul at it.  If it splits, it's hickory.  If the maul bounces off, it's elm.  Knew I could help! ;)

I'd say, if it splits it is oak.

[hackberry jake]

I've had straight grained hickory fly apart like red oak, but I've also had hickory that went in the "campfire wood" pile because it wouldn't split if it were holding a pair of aces. The hardest wood to split has got to be magics favorite, sweetgum. If anybody ever finds a use for that junk they'll be rich. Looks like hickory to me ass well, it definately wasn't a fast grower.

[SwampDonkey]

Haha, that's one indicator . Just to complicate matters, though, I've had some hickory firewood that gave a hydraulic splitter a workout!

Had one recent rock maple that gave one guy (me) with a 5 lb splitting maul, 10 lb post maul and a wood splitter a work out to. :D I busted the neighbor's home made split'n maul in two pieces. Broke at the weld and in the iron handle (sandwiched by two wood halves). I went to town and got a Garant splitting maul and finished up. That was one tough old brute (maple). She's firewood now, 2 cords. :D Had to chainsaw some grooves in the top of the blocks to make any headway.

[doctorb]

My experience with hickory is even less than my experience with elm, which I have tried to avoid.  I had 2 hickory tree I turned into firewood, both about 14 - 16 " in diameter.  It was harder to split than oak, but I managed OK. I would rather roll elm down the back hill.  Sorry about the hijack of this thread!

[SwampDonkey]

I had several rounds between 24-36" across that I had to bust up to get onto the splitter. :D

[WDH]

Cut a 20" round and swing a splitting maul at it.  If it splits, it's hickory.  If the maul bounces off, it's elm.  Knew I could help! ;)

Doc,

You should write a tree ID book  :D.  I like things simple  ;D.

[Okrafarmer]

I had a fellow down here tell me, if you want to tell the difference between ash and hickory, start your saw. If you go to cut it and the saw bounces back, it's hickory.

[WDH]

Ash's parenchyma is paratrachael in the latewood (OK David, jump on this  :D).  It is all in the parenchyma  .

[Okrafarmer]

Ash's parenchyma is paratrachael in the latewood (OK David, jump on this  :D).  It is all in the parenchyma  .

??? Sounds like more skin diseases to me....

[dgdrls]

Get the Brown soap out  :D

Thanks again gentlemen,
the help and humor is much appreciated.

DGDrls