Wood identification help.

fingerlickin'

fingerlickin'

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My buddy had a tree fall down last year and he told me it was hickory. So I of course said "how about hookin' a brother up?" Well, he did, which is awesome. He thinks this is pignut hickory. What say you folks?
 
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In the sawmill world hickory is hickory whether it be pignut, shagbark, etc... that looks like hickory to me, in one shape or another:-D.Thats why i run a sawmill and not a bbq joint, I leave the real answers to the pros here.:-D
 
Sure looks like Hickory to me!! If you are not sure and want to send a batch out for inspection, I will give you my shipping address:biggrin1::biggrin1::biggrin1:
 
No pics of the leaves unfortunately. Thank you guys though, you've reassured me that it's hickory, pignut or not. Now it's time to burn it up! :thumbup:
 
That's definately pignut hickory. I used a lot of it when I was stationed down in VA. That was one of the most prominent species of hickory down where we were. Up here in Maine, all I can find is shag bark hickory. I'd either split it and let it season for closer to a year, or cut it into chunks and let it season for 6 months or so.
 
To the definitely hickory folks, is there any chance this is poplar? The bark looks awefully similar. Without leaves, the two when they're smaller (like this) look very close IMHO.
 
Poplar usually has smoother silvery bark when it is smaller. (at least in Minnesota)
 
I know I have hickory as soon as my chainsaw makes its first entry wound, no mistaking the smell if you know what it smells like. Best way to tell is get a small sliver and light it up. Personally I would use it in chunks now and not at 6 months or a year. As I have said many time, I like mine green, unless that is all you are using for heat and smoke, then it needs some seasoning.
Dave
 
He said the tree has been down for about a year so it should be seasoned already. I'm gonna chunk up some of those rounds and give it a shot. Thanks everyone.
 
Lake Dogs said:
To the definitely hickory folks, is there any chance this is poplar? The bark looks awefully similar. Without leaves, the two when they're smaller (like this) look very close IMHO.
Click to expand...


Three things tell me it's not Poplar in my mind:

1) The bark is very tight and raised in spots. As pignut hickory get's older, the raised parts of the bark form an almost diamond pattern, which I can see starting to happen in the bark pic.

2) The dark spots in the pics of the cut cross section. That looks to me to be the trade mark dark sap line of the hickory species, I have yet to see this marking in poplar.

3) The color of the wood itself. All the poplar I've ever worked with has had a greyish green color to it. This looks to be a much more pronounced cream color that I know to be associated with the hickory species.
 
Mo-Dave said:
I know I have hickory as soon as my chainsaw makes its first entry wound, no mistaking the smell if you know what it smells like. Best way to tell is get a small sliver and light it up. Personally I would use it in chunks now and not at 6 months or a year. As I have said many time, I like mine green, unless that is all you are using for heat and smoke, then it needs some seasoning.
Dave
Click to expand...

You are right about the smell. I broke the hickory handle on a splitting maul, and cut the head off with a miter saw. Just cutting through the handle released that tell-tale scent! There was not doubt it really had a hickory handle.
 
Funny about the hickory smell. As part of my/our MBN presentation we freshly split a piece of hickory and a piece of oak and use the smell of the freshly split wood in the
on-site presentation.
 
Lake Dogs said:
Funny about the hickory smell. As part of my/our MBN presentation we freshly split a piece of hickory and a piece of oak and use the smell of the freshly split wood in the
on-site presentation.
Click to expand...

My wife and kids think I'm crazy because I smell the wood chunks of the different woods when I cut them. Some thing about it that I love!
 
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