# Is this oak?



## norson (Jan 15, 2015)

My brother sent me this 4,374# (approx) 24" long piece-o-limb that he had removed most of the bark, but does not remember anything else about it...but I can assure you it's heavy...and very solid and dense. I've sanded away some of the outside surface with my orbital sander and it's tough, Tough, TOUGH.

If we lived in an unsafe neighborhood, I'd give serious consideration to keep it near the front door as "protection" if you know what I mean.

I'm beginning to believe it might be oak but am not certain. There are deep - rather than shallow - vertical grooves which may help you experts identify the tree specie....and it will be native to TN.

Any clues, anyone?

Thanx

-neb


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## miketryban (Aug 15, 2013)

I am not sure but that looks kind of like hickory but I am still not sure could be oak...


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## CV3 (Jan 30, 2014)

I do not think it is oak norson .Oak grain is normally more pronounced than I see in that.


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## MJC4 (Mar 6, 2014)

Does it have sour ammonia ( piss) type smell when sanding it would be oak

.


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## norson (Jan 15, 2015)

NOPE on the smell - it smells like wood.

Only.



thanx

-neb


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## MJC4 (Mar 6, 2014)

No smell = not oak. As Miketryban says might be hickory. Is the bark difficult to sand even with power sander? Hickory bark rock hard to sand and the wood is extremely dense.


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## norson (Jan 15, 2015)

It is then therefore and forevermore HICKORY!



thanx, guys

-neb


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## gdenby (Apr 27, 2013)

MJC4 said:


> Does it have sour ammonia ( piss) type smell when sanding it would be oak
> 
> .


AFAIK, only red and black oaks has the "piss" smell, and that's not a 100 percent. The open pores in those oaks allow moisture to wick in, and then a fungus grows, which causes urea to form.

The remnants of the bark doesn't look quite like anything I recognize. I'm only slightly famliiar w. hickories. Shagbark is the only on that is obvious to me.

Norson, if you care to do a little more sleuthing, go to this page. There a close up pics of many many kinds of wood. You might be able to ID your piece by examining the end grain. The fellow has sanded woods down well beyond usual grits, and taken extreme close up shots. You might be able to get a decent match by comparing what you have to either oaks or hickories.

Note, the wood you have is still wet, as the green in the under back shows. It will only be half as heavy once dried enough for working.


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## norson (Jan 15, 2015)

Upon further review  it might be ASH . . . thanx a heap, guys!


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## cobalt (Nov 14, 2013)

Don't think its ash . ash has a grey green bark on it difficult to remove , its difficult to tell with the bark partially removed its easy to see on a photo with the bark left on

I use ash for shanks but don't remove the bark from it its a strong flexible material ,not a fan of it to much as prefer the colours of hazel shanks although not to bad once oiled.


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## norson (Jan 15, 2015)

here's three more view including the end - showing the growth ring pattern. Believe me it's tough - and I'm almost ready to put it away for another year, if necessary. I'm considering a T-handle made from maple, as shown. I'm still open to ideas and suggestions.

-neb


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## MJC4 (Mar 6, 2014)

If U think its ash I'd wrap that piece in a plastic bag and seal it up till U want to work on it next year. If its infested with Emerald Ash Beatles U don't want them popping out next spring and spreading round the neighborhood. In the last cpl years the EAB has killed 90% of the Ash trees in our neighborhood . I have saved the 2 Autumn Purple ash I planted ( knock wood) by soil drenching the base of the trees with Merit. I'm pretty sure where the "ground zero" infestation came from. A guy 4 blocks over brought in a load of firewood and the ash trees on his lot started to decline the following spring. I watched it spread block by block from that location till almost all the ash in this neighborhood are dying. Fortunately I started treating my trees when I heard the bug had hit the county so they had a cpl years of head start with insecticide before the guy moved infested firewood into the neighborhood. Sorry part of it is most folks have not heard of EAB. When the wife and I walk through the neighborhood I tell folks with EAB infestation signs their trees are at risk and they usually look at me like I am speaking Greek.


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## norson (Jan 15, 2015)

MJC4 said:


> If its infested with Emerald Ash Beatles U don't want them popping out next spring and spreading round the neighborhood.


a) Indeed, but how would I know?

b) IF it is, NO stick is that valuable to me - I'd cut it into small pieces and send it to the land fill (if that's the appropriate disposal means/procedure)

c) Simply because of it's "weight" I'd kinda like to use as a cane . . . why the plastic bag wrapping?

thanx

-neb


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## cobalt (Nov 14, 2013)

If theres any sign of infestation it should be destroyed. WE are suffering from a ash die back over here and vast amounts of woodland are being lost both I the UK and Europe You cant be to careful with infestation long term effects are pretty bed both for the wood as a building material and for the local wildlife let alone jobs for people etc.

I would burn the wood but if you put it into a plastic back it should help in stopping spreading any infestation


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## MJC4 (Mar 6, 2014)

Plastic bag keeps any adult beetles that hatch from flying off. If its ash and U debark the wood the larvae would be just under the bark. The larvae cannot survive after the wood is debarked. The IDNR (In Dept of Natural Resources) requires all bark removed from all firewood prior to bringing it to campgrounds for campfires.


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## norson (Jan 15, 2015)

I'm torn, guys, and it really doesn't matter except that I like knowing the tree specie, if at all possible. I'm now beginning to believe this piece is beech...for several good reasons.

Any other ideas?

Thanx

-neb


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## gdenby (Apr 27, 2013)

The beech trees I know of all have smooth grey bark, rather thin. Sometimes there are "birdseyes" where leaf branchlets came out, then fell off. The wood is hard, quite dense, and ring pores are small enough to be almost invisible.


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## norson (Jan 15, 2015)

I received that approx 24" stick from my brother with the bark already sanded away - so the information I've provided above are the only means of tree specie ID I have avail . . . late yesterday I found pictures of another cane made from beech last Nov . . . and they look very similar. I think I'm sticking with Beech and am going to apply some tung oil for comparison purposes.

Stay tuned (show biz talk)



-neb


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## norson (Jan 15, 2015)

In the past I've had some success applying Formby's Tung Oil to BEECH - I've applied one coat on this piece and I'm color blind - does this look too green to use?

Thanx

-neb


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## MJC4 (Mar 6, 2014)

Everyone has an opinion and in IMHO I like the greenish tint. I have tinted pieces green like the green man stick.


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## LilysDad (Sep 25, 2014)

I can say from the end grain that it is not oak. Oak has a ray pattern that shows on the end. When the wood is quarter sawn, those rays make the shiny spots that are unique to oak. Ash is kind of similar to oak, but it doesn't have those rays.


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## LilysDad (Sep 25, 2014)

I would like to add something about the concern with Emerald Ash Borer. If you heat treat the wood, it will kill the grubs. Some State Parks are requiring that all fire wood brought in must be heat treated. As far as how to heat them, I would look into some form of solar kiln drying.

Ash is a wonderful wood, and there is just too much good wood to burn it all up! If we can find a way to sterilize it, we can have a ready source of first rate lumber.


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