« previous next »
Pages: [1] 2

Author Topic: looks like a birch?  (Read 6805 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline redwasp

  • Member
  • Posts: 222
looks like a birch?
« on: October 21, 2008, 09:45:07 pm »
ive never seen a birch tree with bark this dark. mabey some of you know what this is. I found it in a roadside ditch they must have done some trimming on the road or someone cutting firewood but they left this. 10 ft long so i picked it up on my shoulder and loaded it up. I figure i dont know much about types of trees but i would try it anyway. the wood is white when fresh cut but changes color to a more yellow orange when it dries. found it right by the delaware river on border of jersey and pennsylvania called the "watergap". im still going to try to make a bow from it even though i dont know what is . any help much appreciated.

Logged
If one man can do it, another man can do it. Richard......Northeastern PA.

Offline redwasp

  • Member
  • Posts: 222
Re: looks like a birch?
« Reply #1 on: October 21, 2008, 09:50:49 pm »
the birch i've seen had white bark with black v's under the limbs, but the characteristics of the bark with the thin horizontal lines makes me think it is a birch otherwise no clue.
Logged
If one man can do it, another man can do it. Richard......Northeastern PA.

Offline aruge

  • Member
  • Posts: 69
Re: looks like a birch?
« Reply #2 on: October 21, 2008, 10:22:55 pm »
looks like yellow birch to me. Or a young cherry. The bark of the two species are very similar. Hope this helps. Al
Logged

Offline Sparrow

  • Member
  • Posts: 1,985
  • Who shot cock robin ? I said the sparrow.
    • Dream Fish Charters
Re: looks like a birch?
« Reply #3 on: October 21, 2008, 10:25:29 pm »
 Looks like some kinda birch to me too,(bark does'nt have to be white to be a birch).Maybe some kinda cherry ?  Frank
Logged
Frank (The Sparrow) Pataha, Washington

Offline sailordad

  • Member
  • Posts: 5,045
Re: looks like a birch?
« Reply #4 on: October 22, 2008, 12:37:36 am »
no leaves or anything of the like laying with it?

could be birch,or maybe old poplar tree,hard to tell without leaves


sorry im not the brightest bulb on the tree lol
Logged
i always wanted a harley,untill it became the "thing to ride"
i ride because i love to,not to be part of the crowd

Offline Pat B

  • Administrator
  • Member
  • Posts: 37,609
Re: looks like a birch?
« Reply #5 on: October 22, 2008, 12:45:37 am »
Looks like sweet birch(Betula lenta...also called cherry birch). Scrape the bark and smell. Oil of wintergreen comes from sweet birch. You should smell the wintergreen. Also, when you scrape the bark check the cambium layer(just under the outer bark) and be sure it is bright green. If not, be leery of the wood. Fungi could have already moved in.     Pat
Logged
Make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes!    Pat Brennan  Brevard, NC

Offline Pappy

  • Global Moderator
  • Member
  • Posts: 32,118
  • if you have to ask you wouldn't understand ,Tenn.
Re: looks like a birch?
« Reply #6 on: October 22, 2008, 06:48:39 am »
Could be birch,but kind of looks like a young Wild cherry. ???
   Pappy
Logged
Clarksville,Tennessee
TwinOaks Bowhunters
Life is Good

Offline GregB

  • Member
  • Posts: 4,079
  • Greg Bagwell
Re: looks like a birch?
« Reply #7 on: October 22, 2008, 08:43:44 am »
Looks like a wild cherry to me...
Logged
Greg

A rich person can be poor monetarily, the best things in life are free...

Papa Matt

  • Guest
Re: looks like a birch?
« Reply #8 on: October 22, 2008, 09:30:10 am »
I vote a hybrid version of honey locust that doesn't have any thorns, but does still show the scars where the thorns would be if they did have them. They're planted a lot for ornamental purposes and called "Honey" Locust because the heartwood is the color of honey. Is there a color variation between the sapwood and heartwood?

~~Papa Matt
Logged

Far East Archer

  • Guest
Re: looks like a birch?
« Reply #9 on: October 22, 2008, 12:19:00 pm »
I agree with Pappy and Greg, looks like cherry.

Can you show a picture of the wood?
Logged

Offline Hillbilly

  • Member
  • Posts: 8,248
  • I like tater tots.
Re: looks like a birch?
« Reply #10 on: October 22, 2008, 12:21:42 pm »
It's either sweet birch or wild cherry. Like Pat said, scrape the bark and sniff. If it smells like wintergreen, it's sweet birch. If it has an unpleasant bitter/almond smell, it's wild cherry.
Logged
Smoky Mountains, NC

NeolithicHillbilly@gmail.com

Progress might have been all right once but it's gone on for far too long.

Offline redwasp

  • Member
  • Posts: 222
Re: looks like a birch?
« Reply #11 on: October 22, 2008, 07:35:02 pm »
smells like wintergreen for sure what a nice smell and is green under the bark. thank you for all your help. will sweet birch make a good bow if i make it wide and flat? or should i made a "D" bow?.
Logged
If one man can do it, another man can do it. Richard......Northeastern PA.

Offline Pat B

  • Administrator
  • Member
  • Posts: 37,609
Re: looks like a birch?
« Reply #12 on: October 22, 2008, 08:26:47 pm »
I have made a few with sweet birch but not in a few years. Go long and wide with a flat belly and you should be OK.     Pat
Logged
Make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes!    Pat Brennan  Brevard, NC

Offline redwasp

  • Member
  • Posts: 222
Re: looks like a birch?
« Reply #13 on: October 22, 2008, 08:58:23 pm »
thanks Pat thats what i thought , just needed some confirmation. thanks for your time
Logged
If one man can do it, another man can do it. Richard......Northeastern PA.

Offline stickbender

  • Member
  • Posts: 3,828
Re: looks like a birch?
« Reply #14 on: October 23, 2008, 02:54:22 am »

     Dang!  Here I was gonna say maybe " Black Birch"......So that is where winter green comes from huh?  Cool.
     Uh......so......uh......why do they call it Winter Green, in stead of "Sweet Birch"......Must have been a Government person doing the naming of it.

                                                                          Wayne
Logged
Pages: [1] 2
« previous next »