Wood ID help needed

[Lou Jacobs]

I came into several blanks from a street tree that the city took down. I got eight blanks, all 12-13” diameter and deep enough that I should be able to core several bowls from each, if it’s not too hard on my McNaughton blades. I’m trying to figure out what I’ve got, and could use help. The tree was about 14” diameter at the base, with deeply fissured bark. It is very hard, and if the color were yellower I’d lean towards Osage orange. I’m also thinking black locust or perhaps an elm, which I don’t have much experience with. Here are a few pictures. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

 

[Karl Loeblein]

Looks like white ash.

 

[Lou Jacobs]

I agree that the wood looks like ash, but the bark is much deeper and more fissured than any ash I’m used to. Perhaps a different variety than white ash?

 

[Lou Jacobs]

Karl, you may have pushed me in the right direction. I just looked up ash varieties, and suspect it may be black ash. The bark looks similar, and I found this picture of the pores on the Wood Database, which looks very similar.

 

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Sure looks like Black Locust to me, this is Black Locust end grain, also the bark is like the one shown.



White Ash grain

 

[Lou Jacobs]

Leo, I was hoping you would offer an opinion, I’ll accept your answer as I think you’re usually right about these questions. Thank you!!
By the way, I’ve thought it would be useful to have a section here just for “Wood.” It could be a place to raise all the questions and comments about our raw material. Just a thought.

 

[Don Wattenhofer]

Karl, you may have pushed me in the right direction. I just looked up ash varieties, and suspect it may be black ash. The bark looks similar, and I found this picture of the pores on the Wood Database, which looks very similar. View attachment 50296

I have more black ash on my 5 acres then any other tree and none of them has bark like that one

 

[Adam Cottrill]

The deeply fissured bark and extreme hardness make me lean towards black locust too. If you have access to a black light, it would confirm (or refute) the black locust as locust is known go glow brightly under UV light. Here is a link to an article in the wood database that lists black and honey locust as a couple of the woods that fluoresce well: https://www.wood-database.com/wood-articles/fluorescence-a-secret-weapon-in-wood-identification/

 

[Lou Jacobs]

I don’t have a black light, but at this point I’m pretty confident that it’s black locust. Thank you all for helping with this. Now off to set up my coring rig and see if I can get out some extra bowls.

 

[Bob Woodward]

That's a good tip with the black light. Thanks for sharing it.

 

[robo hippy]

Wild honey locust has long thorns on it, like 10+ inches long, and big long seed pods, and the seeds look like Milk Duds candy. There is a domesticated variety, Moraine locust which gets a lot bigger and doesn't have all the nasty thorns on it. I do think this looks like black locust. Makes excellent split rail fence posts and rails. Very rot resistant.

robo hippy

 

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Wild honey locust has long thorns on it, like 10+ inches long, and big long seed pods, and the seeds look like Milk Duds candy. There is a domesticated variety, Moraine locust which gets a lot bigger and doesn't have all the nasty thorns on it. I do think this looks like black locust. Makes excellent split rail fence posts and rails. Very rot resistant.

robo hippy

Honey Locust is not related to Black Locust, they are different species.

The thornless Honey locust is a ("sport") and was discovered by a little town called Moraine, the person that recognized it cut budwood from the tree and grew it, then got a patent on it (Why ???) anyway they did grow and sell the saplings all over, of course others found ('sports also") just one street over where I lived in London Ontario, there was a thornless Honey Locust that had the seed pots on them, big long twisted pods where most that did not have the thorns also did not have seedpods.


The Honey locust seedpods are eaten, kind of sweet, the Black Locust seedpods are poisonous.


The Black Locust seedpods are jus 4 inches or so, the Honey Locust seedpods grow up to a foot long and are twisted, picture here.

 

[Richard Coers]

Definitely black locust with possibly a bit of poison ivy vine on the bark.

 

[Dennis Cameron]

Id say black locust as well.

 

[John Landis]

To find out for sure, you can send a sample to the USDA Forest Products Lab for a free analysis. Free to US citizens up to three samples per year:

Forest Products Laboratory - USDA Forest Service

 

[Lou Jacobs]

Thanks John. I’ve used this service in the past for a more mysterious sample. In this case it’s been established beyond any reasonable doubt that I’ve got black locust.

 

[David Aion]

Can anyone identify this bark from missouri?

 

[Michael Anderson]

Can anyone identify this bark from missouri?

David, that bark looks like White Ash to me. It had the characteristic prominent diamond pattern.

Edit: On further inspection, I think Brian below is correct I’m saying Black Walnut. Call myself a flip-flopper.

 

[robo hippy]

I would say the mystery wood from Lou is black locust. When turning it, to me, it kind of smells like old tires. Ash doesn't have much smell when you turn it. The locust is harder than ash, by a lot.

As for the honey locust, the seeds reminded me of Milk Duds, the candy. The animals love them. I did read where some one made beer out of the sweet stuff from the seed pods.

robo hippy

 

[Brian Gustin]

Based on bark I have seen on wood I have worked with, it could be Ash or Black Walnut both of which I have seen they have bark similar to that... (Might be locust but I havent seen much locust bark or wood in person, so...)

 

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Can anyone identify this bark from missouri?

David that is pretty hard with only some bark, first look I had thought White Ash like Michael, but for me it could also be Siberian Elm or yes even Black Walnut.



Grand daughter by White Ash

Anny with my Siberian Elm


Black Walnut



Black Walnut roughout

 

[Michael Anderson]

David that is pretty hard with only some bark, first look I had thought White Ash like Michael, but for me it could also be Siberian Elm or yes even Black Walnut.

The initial reason I changed my mind (from ash to walnut) was the interior color of the bark has that dark chocolate/coffee appearance like walnut. Then I saw the half-log at the bottom of the photo, which I’m assuming is from the same tree?

 

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Michael I think you could be right, but Butternut is another one that has that color wood and bark, so it is just a guess I think.

 

[Michael Anderson]

Good call, Leo. I think Butternut is one of those woods that just exists to confound everything

 

[David Aion]

Thanks everyone. I guess I'll have to cut a blank to see what the inside looks like. Stay tuned for an update. But not this week, I'm cleaning up after a massive storm rolled through.

 

[Lou Jacobs]

David, do you have any leaves? That would certainly be definitive.

 

[David Aion]

No, I realize that ould have been the easiest was of identification but the tree guys removed everything except for the logs.
In fact, they were not even mine. It was my back neighbor.

 

[Mark Jundanian]

Ask your neighbor?

 

[robo hippy]

Only had butternut once. It was co holder of N. America's largest tree. It was damaged by a storm, and had to be removed. I got some branch pieces, over 20 inch diameter. What amazed me was the growth rings. After turning out the inside of the bowl, the rings were scalloped, so the ring patterns looked like spider webs that were wet from the morning dew. Later read that this is common for the butternut trees. It smelled more like vinegar than anything else I could think of. Beautiful color of brown....

robo hippy