OT - Please help me identify this hardwood (pic)

[oliver1850]

Originally Posted by MattTuck

For those of you splitting wood, are you using a hydraulic splitter or a maul? I need to split some stuff, and wondering how hard it is to do by hand.

I burn a ton of wood every week in the winter. I split most of it with a maul. I have a hydraulic splitter but it's horizontal only. Anything over 18" or so is too heavy to lift, so the bulk of my firewood is split with a maul or wedge. Maul heads vary greatly, some work well and some don't.

Straight grained woods like walnut, cherry, ash, and oak will split very easily if they don't have knots or branches and are under 12' or so in diameter.

[Marc40a]

I've told my wife many times before, "I might not be the faster runner, or highest jumper, but I can split wood with the best of them"

that said...

If you've never tried a modern splitting axe like a Fiskars X27, I'd recommended it. It's almost surgical in its precision. If you're shorter, the X25 may be the better axe for you.

I really enjoy splitting. We go through 2-4 cords a year.

[OtayBW]

Asking us to ID a bolt of wood without seeing the bark is like trying to ID a book by reading a section from page 22. No pics of the bark?

BTW - If you're splitting by hand, then it is very likely NOT sycamore. That is some tough stuff. I've always preferred red oak myself, if available. Easy to split with an 8-lb maul. I also used to cut cedar (snag) shake bolts in the PAC NW with a froe and mallet. That was a real treat.....

[oliver1850]

Originally Posted by Marc40a

I've told my wife many times before, "I might not be the faster runner, or highest jumper, but I can split wood with the best of them"

that said...

If you've never tried a modern splitting axe like a Fiskars X27, I'd recommended it. It's almost surgical in its precision. If you're shorter, the X25 may be the better axe for you.

I really enjoy splitting. We go through 2-4 cords a year.

What kind of wood are you using? I've tried lighter mauls like the Fiskars but always go back to the 8 lb. mauls for the tough hardwoods I need to split.

[thunderworks]

I'm a furniture maker and have felled and milled a lot of trees over the years. I think there's a good chance it's Pin Oak . . . A completely crappy furniture wood, but excellent firewood. The color looks right, and the short longitudinal pitch pockets/grain look like Pin Oak.

Pin Oaks are not native to much of the US, but the landscape nursery business introduced the trees to much of the country in the mid 20th century. Super fast growing oak trees.

[OtayBW]

Originally Posted by thunderworks

I'm a furniture maker and have felled and milled a lot of trees over the years. I think there's a good chance it's Pin Oak . . . A completely crappy furniture wood, but excellent firewood. The color looks right, and the short longitudinal pitch pockets/grain look like Pin Oak.

Pin Oaks are not native to much of the US, but the landscape nursery business introduced the trees to much of the country in the mid 20th century. Super fast growing oak trees.

Yes. The pitch pockets thing sounds right. Pin oak not widespread, but not completely uncommon in the SE - especially in/near wetlands.