I notice this when I was heading out of the woods, it's rotten on the top so I'll get this before the snow hits the ground. It's small but throws some serious heat.
I have a nice, straight 4' stick of that (around 4" diameter) that I plan on turning in the lathe to replace the broken handle on my cant hook.... Wish I had more of that around here, that stuff is good firewood and it's really good for tool handles and such. I've got a whole mountain of black locust this spring and summer, so I'm set pretty good as far as the BTU's are concerned.....
Not at all. Muscle wood (blue beech) is something else altogether. We have lots of that stuff but not much ironwood. Here is some blue beech.
Comments: Other common names of this small tree are Blue Beech, American Hornbeam, and Ironwood. This last common name is somewhat ambiguous because it sometimes refers to Ostrya virginiana (Hop Hornbeam). In Illinois, the overwhelming majority of Musclewood trees are examples of ssp. virginiana, which has a more northwestern range than the typical subspecies. However, the latter can be found at the southern tip of Illinois, where it is rare. Where their ranges overlap, these subspecies sometimes intergrade. The more northwestern ssp. virginiana differs from the typical subspecies by having leaf blades that often exceed 3½" long and they tend to have a more narrow shape. Unlike the typical subspecies, it may have tiny dark glands on the lower surface of the leaf blades. Regardless of subspecies, Musclewood is relatively easy to distinguish from other trees on the basis of its smooth fluted bark. While this tree could be confused with small specimens of Fagus grandifolia (American Beech), which also has smooth bark, its leaf blades have more teeth along their margins than those of American Beech. Musclewood is an attractive small tree overall, with interesting bark and colorful leaves during the autumn. Some authorities assign Musclewood to the Birch family (Betulaceae). Musclewood (Carpinus caroliniana)
Well, that's the Internet! I've never heard of blue beech and ironwood being the same thing! It isn't. The so-called american hornbeam, people seem to call several trees by this name but I don't know why. Actually, I never heard of american hornbeam until I got on the Internet. Nobody that I know of around here calls it that and nobody when I worked in the woods called it by that name. They all knew ironwood though!
