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Is this an oak of some kind?

Started by YellowHammer, April 22, 2012, 10:00:54 PM

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YellowHammer

Does anybody recognize this log? It had been cut down and limbed when I found it but I noticed it had started to bud out.  It looked like some kind of oak from the bark but I don't recognize the leaves.  Its about 18 inches in diameter and made two 16 foot straight logs before the first major fork. The heartwood to sapwood ratio doesn't seem right for an oak.  Anyway, I threw it on the trailer and toted it home, in hopes it was worth keeping.  Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,
YH

  

 
YellowHammerisms:

Take steps to save steps.

If it won't roll, its not a log; it's still a tree.  Sawmills cut logs, not trees.

Kiln drying wood: When the cookies are burned, they're burned, and you can't fix them.

Sawing is fun for the first couple million boards.

Be smarter than the sawdust

JohnW

Are you familiar with sweet gum?  It looks a little like that.

If so, it's usually pretty tuff to split.

WDH

I think that it is blackgum.  Nyssa slyvatica.  The leaves should be simple, not lobed, and the leaf margins should be smooth.  The leaves tend to whorl around the end of the twigs.  I see that effect from the epicormic sprouts on the log in the pic.  Sweetgum leaves would be star-shaped.  If it is an oak, the wood should be ring porous with large pores in the beginning of the growth ring (earlywood) and then smaller pores in the last part of the ring (latewood), creating very distinct and obvious growth rings.  If it is blackgum, the wood will be diffuse porous where all the pores are small and there is no contrast in size from the earlywood to the latewood, and the growth rings should be non-distinct and kinda hard to differentiate and kinda bland.
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

YellowHammer

I'm very familiar with sweet gum, was looking for the star shaped leaves, and didn't see any, so kind of ruled that out, except that the bark resembled sweet gum a little.  I've no experience with black gum, and maybe I've walked by a lot of it but never knew it.  I'll take a closer look at it tomorrow.  I'm assuming black gum is worth(less) about as much as sweet gum?
Thanks,
YH
YellowHammerisms:

Take steps to save steps.

If it won't roll, its not a log; it's still a tree.  Sawmills cut logs, not trees.

Kiln drying wood: When the cookies are burned, they're burned, and you can't fix them.

Sawing is fun for the first couple million boards.

Be smarter than the sawdust

WDH

Blackgum wood is very similar to sweetgum wood.  Best to quarter saw it for the best stability.  Whereas sweetgum can have beautiful heart figure, blackgum is more vanilla.
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

stavebuyer

A 2nd vote for black gum. They will take it for a cross tie but not much call for the side lumber. Black gum leaves are kind of oblong and pointed. One of the first trees to turn color in the fall and they turn bright red vs the purpleish hue of sweetgum.

doctorb

I am of no help IDing this log, but black gum is one of the most beautiful trees we have in the fall.  Sure, the maples can be spectacular and they get a lot of pub for it.  For me, a majestic black gum is a treasure for the eye.
My father once said, "This is my son who wanted to grow up and become a doctor.  So far, he's only become a doctor."

WDH

It is a gorgeous red color in the fall.  In the swamp, the drupes (olive like fruits) are a favorite of wood ducks.  First to turn in the fall and one of the last to leaf out in the spring.
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

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