What Kind Of Wood

[masteele64]

Does anybody recognize what kind of wood this is? The wood is yelloish like Osage Orange. The guy that cut it said it did not have any fruits like Osage but male trees do not bear fruit, I have read. He cut it during the winter so I did not see the leaf, he said it was a kind of football shaped leaf and fairly large. The stump is very heavy like osage also. Also, he said it was not a tall straight tree, it was more of a spread out tree.

Mark
Conway, Ar

 

[airrat]

You might want to post a picture or the ends too.

 

[masteele64]

Here is the ends of the wood.

 

[karlkuehn]

The rings aren't as dark as some that I've seen, otherwise I'd guess sumac, although sumac is fairly soft. You got me...

 

[bobskio2003]

These are always tough but I'd guess something like black locust (if you have those down near you). If you try turning it and everything (tools, hands, etc..) turns black that is probably what it is. Bob I.

 

[masteele64]

I do not think it is sumac, I looked up Sumac on the web and the leaf is small with a bunch in a cluster. He described the leaf as a larger football shaped leaf.

 

[masteele64]

I do believe we have black locust in this area, I will have to do some research on it. I do not think it will turn my tools black though, It is a yellowish colored wood. I have some fresh osage orange in my shop and that came from the saw mill but this does not seem to be as bright a yellow.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Mark, from the pictures, I would say hickory. But, I'm sure, you would recognize hickory, which is very common in our parts of Arkansas.

 

[masteele64]

Frank

I figured you would have an idea if anybody, it came from an area not far from you and similar landscaping. It came from velvet ridge right outside of Bald Knob in the Ozark hills. Yes, I know hickory pretty well and I do not think it is hickory, mostly due to the yellowish color of the wood and also the shape of tree, I was told, was more of big umbrella shape. I am going to try to turn a piece of it this weekend, maybe we can get a better look at the grain and color at that point.

 

[bobskio2003]

Don't let the yellowish color fool you, as far as turning tools and hands black. Up here in the north it has that yellowish cast and you never see the black creeping onto your hands until after you turn a piece and look at them. (If I remember right, which isn't very often, it the tannin in the wood that colors hands and tools). The wood itself never turns black, although the yellow will turn more to a greenish-brown. Bob I.

 

[JeffinWIS]

Elm? Definitely an "umbrella" or vase shaped tree...with "football" leaves.

 

[JohnU]

Mulberry is yellowish and golden like osage depending on the age and dryness of the wood. It has small football shaped leaves but it would have had fruit on it at some point in its past.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Originally posted by JohnU

Mulberry is yellowish and golden like osage depending on the age and dryness of the wood. It has small football shaped leaves but it would have had fruit on it at some point in its past.

The yellow color hints mulberry also. The bark doesn't say mulberry to me though. It is real hard?

 

[jking]

Black locust will have long, brown seed pods. They look kind of like big, brown pea pods. If the guy that cut it down knows for sure whether the tree had seeds pods that should point you either towards or away from black locust.

 

[ScribbleSticks]

Looks like albino cocobolo

 

[BigRob777]

Frank is right. It's mulberry. I have both in my shop and they do look a lot alike. In fact, osage is in the mulberry family, according to my sources. It's lighter than osage and doesn't crack as much. As you can see, it turns brownish. It's a beautiful brown though, more like dark gold.
Rob

 

[masteele64]

Rob

Does the Mulberry have a gender? If so, does one not bare fruit. This tree did not have any mulberry fruit on it. It did turn a nice deep brown when it dried though.

I have sent it to a university in wisconsin to see if they can ID it. Hopefully they will come through.

 

[Chasper]

Black Locust has pinnately compound leaves with 7 to 19 leaflets per compound leaf. Pinnately compound leaves have one center stem with leaflets on both sides. A 7 leaflet compound would have three sets of two and one on the end, 9 has four sets of two with one on the end, etc. The individual leaflets are football shaped.

Texas Mulberry, White Mulbetty and Paper Mulberry are ovate, could be loosely called football shaped. Red Mulberry is a fat ovate shape, more like a basketball with a point on each end.

The sapwood looks too light to be either mulberry or osage. I think it is black locust.

 

[masteele64]

Ok, for all of you that guessed at what type of wood this is, I sent a peice to the USDA Forest Service and they just replied today. It is MULBERRY. Shocked I was because the ole boy that gave it to me said the tree never had any berries on it. Mystery solved and thanks for all the input.

 

[Paul Downes]

my guess would be elm. I've seen plenty of elm that has that light yellow color and the leaves are 'football' shaped. They would have serrations on the edges.