I thought I saw some locust in a couple of the pics. The one on the tire looks a bit like black locust, but chestnut oak has bark like that too. The split looks too red for locust though.
I do have black locust, and yes that was what was in the tire. That stack on the left is all black locust. Whatever it is, it is farwood on the stacks lol.
When I look at the grain of the mystery split it has that tiny straw like look that oak has. It is not that the pieces are too knotty to split, it is like the wood fibers are cemented together. Even a 6" dia. round that is cut less than 12" long, WITH straight grain requires a thorough beating to split. It must burn nicely though, very dry!
That splinter of wood is ELM. I was going to guess Red Elm by the pic of the splinter but, if it is the same as the piece that the un barked round is setting on then it definitely isn't red Elm. The piece the "elm" is setting on could only be a lacebark elm as far as I know, if they both in fact came from the same tree. I'm not 100% sure as the bottom round doesn't particularly look like a lacebark elm either. Lacebark is an ornamental, and it's bark often chips off. the wood has a red apearence as well. Red Elm is native and has thick, rough, ridged bark. But, since the wood splinter is definitely elm of some sort, I'll say that if the rounds come from the same tree, it is a Lace Bark Elm. Best I can do from 300 miles away and dealing with the reasoning it came from the same tree. That Lacebark part might not be right but, you can take it to the bank it is an ornamental Elm of some sort if they came from the same tree. After spending two whole days busting 17 rounds one time when I was twelve I'll never get the look of Elm grain out of my head. FWIW, give up on busting it. Noddle it with the saw. You could be weeks trying to split any ELM with a maul. God Bless
Splinter would acurately describe sound of splitting it. Pound a wedge in, wait a few seconds while splintering noises happen, then pound again. It was like listening to hundreds of individual wood fibers snap crackle and pop as the wedge went in.
BTW, if the rounds aren't from the same tree, I'm going with red elm all the way on the splinter ID. God Bless.
DING! DING! DING! I think we have a winner. I Googled Red Elm firewood and the first pic that pops up is a load of barkless dead logs on Hearth . Com. They look just like what I had before I cut them up. Good eye!
Just knowing it's barkless, dry and tough to split makes me think it's a species of elm, I save that especially for the splitter, welcome to the club, glad to see you've got the firewood drying well before you scratch your head wondering why green wet wood doesn't burn
Just out of curiosity dusky, what does that bark less mystery wood smell like when fresh split? Anything notable?
Well, looking at the reddish colored piece, right next to "greener" piece to its left, they have similar ring pattern... Maybe dead and barkless rendered that color, but I'd say "smell" might lend another clue? Do you have a take on this Paul bunion?
Everything else in those pics are ash. I thought it was the same too except the pink red color, the bumps, and it's invincible qualities. Most of my wood comes from a pile of dead cut from a large natural wooded park. Tons of ash, some cherry and black locust... then the occasional mystery wood. I am hoping some oak gets dumped there! Mostly ash though, I don't mind that though!
The first description of that barkless wood had me thinking elm. After seeing it, yeah, I am pretty sure it's elm.
