# wood ID please



## mojapitt (Dec 31, 2011)

After our snow storm, there were thousands of trees damaged. Trying to make the best of a bad situation, I have beenttrying to get any logs and keep them from the evil firewood collectors. These logs were sitting by the curb for pickup. They were big enough to slab so I took them. Initially I thought they were boxelder. Now I am not so sure. When I sawed them they didn't smell like boxelder. Very hard and heavy. Any suggestions?





































Thanks for looking


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## donwilwol (May 16, 2011)

elm


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## DocSavage45 (Aug 14, 2010)

Great find Monte, go get all you can. I can't help you here.


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## bondogaposis (Dec 18, 2011)

The leaves are elm.


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## cajunpen (Apr 9, 2007)

Whatever it is, it sure is pretty AND free wood is always pretty, whatever it is  Happy for you Monte.


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## mojapitt (Dec 31, 2011)

The dark part does seem like elm, but the other elm trees I have cut in this area have not had that wide of sap layer.


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## hoss12992 (Mar 20, 2013)

Great find Monte, Its Elm. I look forward to seeing what this ends up becoming after you get done with assembling what mother nature provided.


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## Dal300 (Aug 4, 2011)

Lot's of different types of elm. Around here we have mostly cedar elm, which is what yours looks like, but I doubt it. 
Grab a wet piece and put it in the oven at about 200°. after a short time, you'll smell it. If it smells like piss it's a North American elm, and is never going to lose the smell.
I'm not too conversant with other elms, although I dd play with some small chunks a friend brought me from North Carolina. No idea of the type, but it was fun to use.

I have about a dozen cedar elms here that need to be brought down. I hope to get to them this winter.


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## unclebenny (Apr 5, 2013)

Dallas that's too true….up here we call it piss elm. Have only tried using it for firewood, impossible to split or dry. Hope it works out better for you Monte than my experience.


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## jaykaypur (Oct 22, 2011)

Nice slabs….whatever it is. I agree with Doc….get all ya can.


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## roman (Sep 28, 2007)

iron wood


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## roman (Sep 28, 2007)

if its elm

burn it









.

it doesn't smell right


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## bullhead1 (Mar 29, 2012)

Monte, looks like you have your sawmill well tuned and cutting good. Is the snow all melted? Looks like it by the pictures.


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## doubleDD (Oct 21, 2012)

The leaves sure look elm to me. Grab what you can. Its beautiful.


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## grizzman (May 10, 2009)

im with the others with it being elm…enjoy making something great with it…


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## TexPenn (Apr 21, 2008)

If the bark comes off fairly easily & is slimy under the bark, is a sure sign of slippery elm.


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## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

I'm voting for an elm species as well.


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## WDHLT15 (Aug 15, 2011)

Monte,

Look at a clean slice of the end grain (like made with a razor knife) and you will see that the latewood pores are arranged in distinct wavy bands. Once you see, it you will not forget it.


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## Mahdeew (Jul 24, 2013)

Great find Monte. I am almost positive that it is a mulberry tree. I had one in my yard and it looked just like this one beautiful dark grain, very heavy too. When fresh, if you cut the branch, it bleeds white sap. Has a tendency to split if dries too fast.
Looking forward to see what you make out of them.


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## Blackie_ (Jul 10, 2011)

Before even looking at others comments my first thought all the top was Elm as others have mentioned only though if it is Elm it's not the same kind that I use, the elm I am using only grows in Texas and northern Louisiana and is called Cedar Elm.

Dallas, Cedar Elm doesn't grow that far north only in Texas and Louisiana, the reason it's called Cedar Elm is because it grows up and around Juniper.


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## Dal300 (Aug 4, 2011)

Blackie, (edit: I tried to include the line on your name, it turned the whole post into italicized latters), we are about 3 1/2- 4 hours S/W of Shreveport. 40 miles north of Bryan/College Station, 135 miles south for D/FW metroplex. 
I assure you we have cedar elm. We also have Juniper, to be exact " juniperus ashei".
It grows rampant around here. It is also known as Texas cedar and is the cause of the dreaded "Texas Cedar Allergy".

As a note, I didn't say that his elm was cedar elm.

What I said was, *Lot's of different types of elm. Around here we have mostly cedar elm, which is what yours looks like, but I doubt it.
Grab a wet piece and put it in the oven at about 200°. after a short time, you'll smell it. If it smells like piss it's a North American elm, and is never going to lose the smell.
I'm not too conversant with other elms, although I dd play with some small chunks a friend brought me from North Carolina. No idea of the type, but it was fun to use.

I have about a dozen cedar elms here that need to be brought down. I hope to get to them this winter.*


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## 33706 (Mar 5, 2008)

Monte:
Have you definitely ruled out boxelder?


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## rance (Sep 30, 2009)

If the heartwood was a bit darker, I'd say maybe black locust. I can't offer more than that.


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## Kentuk55 (Sep 21, 2010)

I know something kool will be coming out of this


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## Blackie_ (Jul 10, 2011)

Dallas, you misunderstood what I said, I'm not talking about where you live, I am talking about up where Monte lives. Hence "only in Texas and northern Louisiana" that would put you pretty much in line of it's growth path.

When you said you "doubt it", to me that means a possibility in which if the wiki is wrong it doesn't grow that far north (Monte area) period, that's why I commented
on yours. 

Edit in: A side note Dallas, I was in your neck of the woods yesterday, Rockdale sounds like it'd be close to you. I was setup in the arts and crafts fair during the rodeo.


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## Dal300 (Aug 4, 2011)

Yup, Rockdale is about 40 miles away. We were going to go but I am having allergy problems and mostly layed around all day except for working on some sound editing.


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## Grandpa (Jan 28, 2011)

Looks like elm bark and elm leaves to me. In our area we would call it Chinese elm. Elm can be very pretty. The acid test would be to get a piece of it between 12 and 24 inches long. Try to split it with an ax. Elm doesn't split. When I used my 22 ton log splitter it stalls the splitter. When it does split it looks like wads of spaghetti. IT grows all stringy.


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## hydro (Aug 9, 2013)

Since the OP Monte is in South Dakota and I am in MN (same area), I would say that this is American Elm (Ulmus Americana). The bark is correct, the wood colors are correct, and the leaves are definitely elm. Having personally sawn quite a bit of this stuff, there is no mistaking it. Check here: http://www3.northern.edu/natsource/TREESA1/Americ2.htm

Grandpa is right about splitting it as well. Some pieces are like trying to split a bale of hay.


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## mojapitt (Dec 31, 2011)

Although it has more sapwood than other elm I have sawed here, it definitely smelled like elm. Kind of a musty/dirty smell.


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## mporter (May 5, 2011)

It is ELM. If the leaves feel like 120 grit sandpaper it is slippery elm. If the leaves are smooth it is American Elm.

Elm leaves are one of the easiest to identify. The bottom parts of the leaves don't match up on both side-dead give away.


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## hydro (Aug 9, 2013)

mporter,

Thanks for that ID info. Also, "Slippery Elm" is the tree that produces the "red elm" wood and it is very different to work with than the "grey elm" in Monte's picture. I've made a lot of furniture from red elm and it is a wonderful wood to work with.


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