>Hope that sounds better than "gloat". And my wife gets ALL the credit.
My wife found this tree cut up yesterday. She and my 12yo son managed to get 2 large pieces in her Excursion but couldn't get any more. You know you and your whole family are hooked when your wife starts bringing home logs for you!!!
So, Ryan and I went back and got much more. This is a Ford F250 Super Duty that is filled well above the bed.
I believe, judging from the red streaks in several of these, that we have boxelder. There are also several smaller logs from another tree that, judging by the skin, we believe to be in the Birch family or maybe European Cherry. It is kinda dark and reddish.
>Nice haul Chuck! It does look like box elder from where I am sitting. My SWMBO is very supportive, but she draws the line at hauling the stuff home on her own. One time back in 93, when the girls were still little, I was driving along and passed a huge sycamore tree that had recently been cut down. I screeched to a stop yelling "Look at all that wood!". My oldest, who was seven said, "We saw that wood days ago Daddy, but Mommy told us not to tell you because you have enough wood already." I said, "We'll just see about that", and commenced to get permission to load the truck. I was had in the end though, as sycamore is one of the most difficult species to dry, and for all my work I got two little bowls.
Have fun with your haul. That stuff turns very nicely and finishes up real pretty.
>ah, yes this was quite a haul. Most of the logs in the truck were two person lifters, we are sure to get plenty of blanks out of this. The good news is that there are still more logs at the place where we got these, we just ran out of daylight. Once these are cut to blanks and sealed we'll be good to turn for a while (ya, right you can never have too much wood ready to be turned right?)
I'd say Boxelder on the streaked pieces, especially if its heavy, soft and wet wood (though very light when dry). It also has a characteristic smell that's not unpleasant, but hard to describe. Boxelder bark is sorta like Ash and Elm -- little ridges that cris-cross, and sometimes form a loose diamond pattern.
The darker wood on the tailgate certainly looks like Cherry, but I'm betting Pin Cherry (a.k.a. Sweet Cherry) and not Black Cherry. Black cherry starts out with a dark, Birch-like bark, which starts to split and peel when the trees get about 4-5" in diameter, and then look a lot like burnt potato chips that have been glued on all over. Black Cherry also has a pretty distinct band of yellow-white sap wood that contrasts with the heartwood. Pin Cherry looks like a dark, tightly stuffed sausage (bark looks like its real tight), and nowhere near as much sapwood.
Note the characteristic checks at center of the Cherry -- I've seen these start within 10 minutes of cutting !
>Bill, my wife loved your post. We've been there, done that too ;-). And she is very supportive now that I've learned how to better balance family and shop time.
