# Small log from Missouri



## BarbS (Feb 19, 2013)

My friend who brought a load of Osage, also brought one small log of this, and said it "may have had spines or thorns on it, elsewhere on the tree" he took down. Now that I've cut it, it doesn't look like any Locust I've ever seen. Any ideas?

[attachment=18703]


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## hardtwist (Feb 19, 2013)

Just a guess, but the bark looks like hawthorn, and the spikes or thorns definatly fits.


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## The_Architect_23 (Feb 19, 2013)

spikes and thorns dont ring a bell, but i just cut some chestnut today that looked exactly like that, bark and all.


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## barry richardson (Feb 20, 2013)

Looks like walnut to me.... a sniff should confirm it.....


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## Kevin (Feb 20, 2013)

I never seen a walnut with that much sap, but the heart does look like it. Bark too. But walnut also has a yellow-orangish inner bark which I do not see. But if it was cut long enough ago the color could have faded. That's a lot of "buts" and "ifs", but if it is walnut I will be surprised.


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## BarbS (Feb 20, 2013)

This log, he said, was from a trunk, so a young tree. Sample here is only about 8" in diameter. After I cut the cracked pith out of it, I have four small triangular sticks I can get a 2x2 from. It seems particularly dense and heavy, though I know it's green. It was cut in September of '12, hauled here two weeks later and left freezing in my garage all winter, so it's still wet. I have some green walnut purchased from GVWP, at 3" square by 12" long, much bigger, though maybe drier, and it doesn't weigh in my hand nearly what this does. That's not scientific, I know. it's very dense, though, I'm certain. The man seemed fuzzy on the 'thorns' comment, as if he couldn't remember if the thorns he saw were on this particular cutting.
Chestnut, then?


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## jimmyjames (Feb 20, 2013)

Kevin said:


> I never seen a walnut with that much sap, but the heart does look like it. Bark too. But walnut also has a yellow-orangish inner bark which I do not see. But if it was cut long enough ago the color could have faded. That's a lot of "buts" and "ifs", but if it is walnut I will be surprised.



Plus the growth rings in the sap ring doesnt look like walnut either,


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## The_Architect_23 (Feb 20, 2013)

An easy way to tell if i am correct is set one of the cookies in the sun, or toaster oven to dry for a few days. if it becomes a uniformed color ( mostly ) than its chestnut. All the chestnut logs ive cut so far look like that ( even the double pith looking center ) and once they are bowl blanks, or dried spindles the colors ( minus the streaks if any ) will be uniformed in shade.

It will also become much harder to saw as it dries, should cut relatively easy when wet with little pitch on the blade when finished. ( 3 tpi 1/2'' )

Sweet smelling? not like walnut but a pleasant aroma similar which makes you think. "nutty" :wacko1::lolol:


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## BarbS (Feb 20, 2013)

I checked Paul's HobbitHouse site for the chestnut, and it looks nothing like his samples, but if it is due to change, maybe that's the explanation. I'll try laying those end cuts in the sun this weekend, when we're expected to have some sun. It doesn't smell like my walnut; tried that today. It really has no odor, to me. It sawed more easily than the Osage I've been working on, and was wet on the bandsaw blade. Thanks for the tips.


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## BarbS (Feb 25, 2013)

The_Architect_23 said:


> An easy way to tell if i am correct is set one of the cookies in the sun, or toaster oven to dry for a few days. if it becomes a uniformed color ( mostly ) than its chestnut. All the chestnut logs ive cut so far look like that ( even the double pith looking center ) and once they are bowl blanks, or dried spindles the colors ( minus the streaks if any ) will be uniformed in shade.
> It will also become much harder to saw as it dries, should cut relatively easy when wet with little pitch on the blade when finished. ( 3 tpi 1/2'' )
> Sweet smelling? not like walnut but a pleasant aroma similar which makes you think. "nutty" :wacko1::lolol:




We haven't had a lot of sun, but here are the cut pieces after a few hours in the sun:
[attachment=19165]


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## The_Architect_23 (Feb 25, 2013)

well i defiantly did not do much color change, But i still bet on chestnut!


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## jimmyjames (Feb 26, 2013)

Dang that thing started checking immediately


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## BarbS (Feb 26, 2013)

These are the end cuts while processing the log; latex paint on the opposite sides and light checking had begun there before this.


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