Wood ID

[margraf]

I need some help in identifying this wood. I was out cutting on some state land and came across this log. We’ve got a decent amount of snow and I couldn’t see any leaves around it.

 

[svk]

What does it smell like?

Are you in the UP or the mitten?

 

[margraf]

It doesn’t have much of a smell at all. I’m in central lower Michigan.

 

[unclemoustache]

Sassafras, I think. Cut something and give it a sniff. Should smell like root beer or licorice.

 

[Cowboy254]

Black locust. I can smell it from here.

 

[jrider]

Looks like chestnut oak to me. I originally thought black locust but the color of the wood doesn’t look right

 

[margraf]

It didn’t have much smell at all when I cut it. It’s not as heavy as Black Locust should be. I’ve never cut any Sassafras but it looks to be it.

 

[farmer steve]

I'm going with jrider. Chestnut oak. Bark furrows are to big for sassafras.

 

[jrider]

It didn’t have much smell at all when I cut it. It’s not as heavy as Black Locust should be. I’ve never cut any Sassafras but it looks to be it.

Sassafras is very light compared to many other types of wood so that would be one clue but it should also have thicker growth rings. It will also have a root beer like aroma. Have you split any yet?

 

[margraf]

It wasn’t light, it had a decent amount of weight to it but not extremely heavy. I usually leave my wood in rounds then split in the fall when it cools off. I might needs to bust up a few of these and see how it splits.

 

[Woodcutteranon]

Locust

 

[cuinrearview]

My first thought was "I bet it smells like licorice".

 

[JeffHK454]

Looks a little like Cottenwood..

 

[JeffHK454]

Black locust. I can smell it from here.

Yeah..I think you’re right..

 

[SS396driver]

Black locust . Great firewood

 

[cuinrearview]

Any thorns in the brush?

 

[margraf]

We’ve had several inches of snow here and all I could see/get to was the trunk. I’m cutting on state land and am grabbing the bigger stuff. There were no thorns. The kids want to start selling firewood bundles at the road so, I cut a couple loads to 16” for them to sell. I wanted to be able to tell any perspective buyer what type of wood it is. The rest of what I’m cutting is for the wood stove and 22” long. I just built a bundler/wrapper so they can start their endeavor once the wood is seasoned.

 

[jrider]

Locust would be heavy

 

[cuinrearview]

Locust would be heavy

Indeed. I've cut some sass for the burn pit that was down for a while. Stuff was super light.

 

[Cowboy254]

The weight will be influenced by how dry the log is.

Burn a bit of the bark and see if it smells like burning trash. Black locust bark produces the worst smelling wood smoke I have come across.