I can grab pictures, but I had a maple score last summer from the tree guy. Incredibly heavy, hard and limbs and bark and everything tells me it was hard maple. I even turned a bowl and it was like a rock. What is bizarre to me is that after splitting the rounds, they feel light in weight. I can’t touch it with the isocore, but the splitter handles it well. Maybe it’s because I am splitting green fresh cut locust, but I fear it could be soft maple. Thoughts as I am losing my mind on this one?
Sounds a little like norway maple. Starts out heavy like true hard maple then gets lighter than seasoned hard maple. Pics would help.
Been my experience as a lifelong hand splitter that very fresh cut maple splits much easier than if allowed to dry and check on the ends. If i have rounds that have sat for a while, ill sometimes wait til they get rained on and split very soon after. Ive also left one end in contact with the ground to keep it damp. Most fresh cut maple can be heavy. Once in a while ill mistake an older red maple for sugar. Red is on the lighter side when dry. Is it possible to get some pics Woodsnwoods ? Locust? Thought that was almost non existent up there?
I will get some pictures of the splits tomorrow, once the snow melts. Here are the rounds. I would have bet $1,000 when I picked this up it was hard maple due to the limb wood bark, and I could not pop this green or after a year with the isocore. Leaves also were what I see on my hard maples. More pics to follow..
That's definitely not Norway maple. Norway maple bark looks more like ash. That looks like hard maple but could be red maple. When they get that large they can look similar. If the bark ridges pull off easy with a fingernail its red maple. Plus red maple feels much lighter. I think what you have there is hard maple. Locust is a more dense/heavy species and is probably throwing your "feelers/booger pickers" off.
All maples are considered a hardwood but yea if it's really light it had .mostly water. And sugar and black maples are less water green than the others. .. red maples are ok in hardness just seal the wood well and itle be fine.
