What wood was I cutting?

[leehljp]

I spent a couple of hours today cutting a downed tree. Any guesses as to what wood that is?

BTW, For some reason I set my phone photo taking "Raw" photos and later I found out I did not know how to handle "Raw" files.

The pict below is very close to the original, just not quite as bright as the actual place.

[cwsmith]

I can't tell you what that particular tree is, but 'RAW' images are basically like digital negatives, in that they provide no enhancement features that might be provided by the camera or the normal JPG format process.

Basically that means that every detail the lens captures is there in the RAW image. Many photographers prefer RAW as they are untouched by camera or software modifications. Here is a link: https://www.google.com/search?q=raw+...hrome&ie=UTF-8

CWS

[d_meister]

I think the primary differentiators are going to be leaves, seeds, bark and aroma while cutting. I attended a class on wood identification put on by our Woodworker's Association, and came away with the knowledge that it can't be reliably done
Your photo seems to show that it's a darker hardwood, so maybe one of these:

Info on bark identification HERE

[leehljp]

Yellow is the color of the hardwood with very little to no sapwood. A friend asked me if I wanted a tree that was leaning/hanging over a small stream bed (we call them "bottoms") across from his house. He thought it was some kind of oak. He said that new sprouts/shoots (small limbs) from the tree had thorns on it until the shoots were about 2 inches in diameter before it lost the thorns.

It was about 3 weeks after he asked me until I was able to go see the tree. He cut one 13" fork without a problem. Then he had tried cutting another fork 12" in diameter with his 16" Stihl chainsaw. Not knowing the right way to cut it, he cut just a little over halfway and it pinched so hard that he could not get it out. He cracked his chain saw frame trying to get it loose. Not being able to to get the bar and chain out, he went and bought a new Stihl 16", but decided not to cut it the tree until I got there.

When I did get there, the first thing I noticed was the yellow sawdust. I got excited. Then I saw the one 13" fork he had cut, and it confirmed my thoughts from the sawdust: BoDark, (Bois d'arc) horse apple, Osage Orange! American Indians preferred (when possible and available in one's location) to make their bows out of Osage Orange wood. )

I had my 12" 18V Ryobi Chain saw and my 40V Ryobi 16" bar chain saw also. I was able to cut the section off that had the previous Stihl bar and chain still in it. Then I cut numerous 4" to 8" limbs to get them out of the way. Then I cut a 14" section just off the main trunk with my two saws before the batteries ran out. I had 2 extra 40V and numerous 18V batteries but I was tired after what I had cut. I did make one other cut on another section with my friend's 16" gas Stihl. That wood is hard and beautiful. Just a week or two of exposure to air and light, the yellow wood will turn brown. In furniture, or wood tools, a good coating of UV clear paint/finish and keeping it out of the sun will slow down the color change for a few years.

One strange thing I noticed - while the previous cuts my friend made a few weeks before I got there, the 12"-13" limb he had cut was turning brown but I could still see the yellow in it. BUT the sawdust, was still bright yellow and directly exposed to the sun.

I saw a few of these these trees growing up and knew what they were, but I did not know that they were bright yellow inside until I was an adult.

AS to hardness, It is # 4 in the North American USA/Canada Janka Hardness.

• Black Ironwood (3,660 lbf): Found in Florida, rarely available for lumber due to small tree size.
• Mountain Mahogany (3,200 lbf): Considered one of the hardest woods native to the US.
• Desert Ironwood Extremely dense and hard, native to the Southwest
• Osage Orange (approx. 2,600+ lbf): Known for extreme density and strength.
• Hickory/Pecan (1,820 lbf): The hardest commonly used commercial hardwood in North America.

I plan on making a handle for an axe head, a hammer and for numerous lathe tools and some file handles. I plan on getting several 6ft logs to make into lumber, if I can. I have chain saw attachment for cutting logs into lumber, and hope that I can do that.