More Mystery Logs

[jeff...]

Ted got some logs in the yard from a logger that came in with a load of soft maple. I looked them over and so did Ted we have no clue what they are. The bark is smooth gray and the wood is whiter than holly. The grain is supper fine with short little red streaks. The logger called them cotton wood and said they only grow where it's rocky. I'm going to try and square one up to see what it's all about and snap a pic or two. If you have any ideas what you think the wood is please reply.


Thanks

 

[Kyle]

pictures would be great.. sounds like cotton wood.

 

[DaveO]

My guess without pictures would be Beech - Fagus sylvatica. It is known to grow in areas of poor rocky soils due to it's roots ability to spread wide in the top shallow layer of soil.

Eatern Cottonwood - Populus deltoides is a riparian species and grows in wet areas. It is not known as a great timber tree as the wood is weak and coarse grained. It's wood is often used for pulp and pallet wood

Dave

 

[Alan in Little Washington]

Sounds like Beech. Smooth gray bark could also be sycamore.

 

[DaveO]

Jeff....better know his Sycamore by now :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:


Dave

 

[Jim M.]

I love this new group, DaveO, I think your spot on - Jeff check the log close, sometimes American Beech have great burls for the turner! Jim

 

[jeff...]

It's most definatly not sycamore, even though I would like it to be, I'm still waiting for ~ 1500 BF of large diameter Sycamore logs to be delivered to the log yard. When the sycamore is delivered, I already informed Ted, I'm staking my claim right where they fall. If need be I'll put a mean old guard dog on duty to stand guard over logs, until I can get a few blades sharpened get them loaded on my mill, to QS them.

It's not River / Red Birch either because we got a few nice saw logs of that in last week. I was thinking it might be Magnolia but then again you would think we would know Magnolia[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]. The logger guy is most likely right and they are probably eastern cottonwood. One thing I can say the wood sure is white, I ain't seen no other wood that white before.
[/FONT]

 

[DaveO]

Hey Jeff...is the bark anything like this?

Cottonwood really doesn't have what I would consider to be smooth bark.

Dave (lovin' tree mysteries)
http://www.duke.edu/~cwcook/trees/ilop2951.jpg

 

[DaveO]

What about this?

That's Magnolia grandiflora the old Southern Magnolia.
Dave

 

[sapwood]

It will be easy to recognize if it's beech. Look for initials or "Dick + Jane" with a heart carved in it. :qbluewack

Roger

 

[DaveO]

Or possibly this??

Dave

 

[DaveO]

It will be easy to recognize if it's beech. Look for initials or "Dick + Jane" with a heart carved in it. :qbluewack

Roger

Unfortunately very true. :slap: the idiots who think that their name is worth of being forever engraved in something of such beauty.
Dave

 

[Gofor]

Last picture is So red maple?

 

[jeff...]

Hey Jeff...is the bark anything like this?

Cottonwood really doesn't have what I would consider to be smooth bark.

Dave (lovin' tree mysteries)

I think that's it there Dave - so what is it?

 

[DaveO]

American Holly - Ilex opaca :-D

Dave

 

[DaveO]

Last picture is So red maple?

Did the leaves give it away????:lol: :lol:

Dave

 

[jeff...]

Well it ain't American Holly either - sigh...

 

[jeff...]

Whats a basswood tree and lumber look like and Balsa too?

 

[DaveO]

Tilia americana - Basswood really doesn't grow around this area much. It is found more north and central, often around the Great Lakes region. I had one at a house I rented in Knoxville, TN. very messy with huge leaves.

Tilia americana Fact Sheet

Balsa - Ochroma pyramidale is a tropical species native to S. America and Mexico, I doubt it's that :-D

Dave

 

[DIYGUY]

It will be easy to recognize if it's beech. Look for initials or "Dick + Jane" with a heart carved in it. :qbluewack

Roger

That beech in the pic that was posted is well over 100 years old - likely older than that. We had a small park in the town I grew up in near Boston that had about a dozen of these trees - all similar in size to this one. The park was 100 years old back then (okay, that was more than 50 years ago Mr. Wiseguy). I remember they had a tremendous canopy and the diameter of that was probably over 40'.

Here is a pic I found on the web of one of the trees:

Town of Brookline Parks

Beech is a great wood to work with and if anyone ever comes across a source that is reasonable in price just send me the location (and nobody else).:wink: