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Author Topic: Is this Beech??  (Read 8950 times)

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Offline lesken2011

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Is this Beech??
« on: February 27, 2012, 10:21:41 pm »
I just got back from visiting someone and he has several trees that he wants removed. I told him they looked a little like beech trees, but he said they are hackberry. Here is the biggest one.




Here is another tree with a better pic of the bark...





He has already started on this one...





too late for these...





I read some else's post about hackberry trees and the pics they posted looked nothing like this. Can one of you experts tell me whether this is a good tree for bow making? He said I can have all I want. I currently have no staves and sure would like to think I hit the jackpot!!
« Last Edit: January 01, 2019, 10:45:34 am by lesken2011 »
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For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.

Ephesians 2:8-9

Kenny from Mississippi, USA

Offline Bevan R.

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Re: Is this hackberry??
« Reply #1 on: February 27, 2012, 10:23:37 pm »
None of the hackberry around here have that smooth of bark.
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Bowmakers are a little bent, but knappers are just plain flaky.

Offline H Rhodes

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Re: Is this hackberry??
« Reply #2 on: February 27, 2012, 10:26:05 pm »
southern hackberrys look a lot like that....  some smooth barked and others with warty looking places in the bark.  It looks like southern hackberry to me but I am no expert. 
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Offline osage outlaw

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Re: Is this hackberry??
« Reply #3 on: February 27, 2012, 10:30:52 pm »
Those don't look anything like the hackberrys around me.  Mine have the warty bumps all over the bark.
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Offline PatM

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Re: Is this hackberry??
« Reply #4 on: February 27, 2012, 10:31:53 pm »
Hackberry is very rare tree in Canada but  the appearance of every one I have seen is much more Elm-like.
 That looks much more like some type of Oak family tree but not beech.
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Offline lesken2011

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Re: Is this hackberry??
« Reply #5 on: February 27, 2012, 10:58:22 pm »
OK guys, this is not what I want to hear....You're supposed to say you are green with envy....that I hit the jackpot....that there a hundreds of great staves there...Just tiny white lies... :(


Well, I am going to keep checking to make sure there are not some bows there.
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For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.

Ephesians 2:8-9

Kenny from Mississippi, USA

Offline Bevan R.

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Re: Is this hackberry??
« Reply #6 on: February 27, 2012, 11:01:17 pm »
HOLD YOUR HORSES!!!

Just because it 'might not' be hackberry, does not mean you should not snag it up!! I can see lots of bows in there. Go for it. ANY wood is better than none!
I would be happy to trade you a drawknife for some of that wood, without knowing for sure what it is.
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Bowmakers are a little bent, but knappers are just plain flaky.

Offline lesken2011

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Re: Is this hackberry??
« Reply #7 on: February 27, 2012, 11:40:11 pm »
OK...this is what I just found with a google search. The have a picture that looks very similar to the tree I have pictured and describe it as...


American Beech Fagus Grandifolia Beech Fagaceae family


Here is the pic they had by the description





Sooooo? What do you think, now? Is anyone familiar with the characteristics of this tree such as tension, compression, elasticity?

« Last Edit: January 01, 2019, 10:44:34 am by lesken2011 »
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For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.

Ephesians 2:8-9

Kenny from Mississippi, USA

Offline lesken2011

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Re: Is this Beech??
« Reply #8 on: February 27, 2012, 11:48:12 pm »
Another site had a similar picture and this is what it said about the American Beech...



American beech is a slow-growing, long-lived species that may survive for 300 to 400 years. It makes an excellent shade tree.


The wood from American beech is heavy, strong, and resistant to splitting. The harvested timber is used for rough lumber, flooring, plywood, and railroad ties. Beech wood is also used to make tool handles, baskets, veneer, and novelty items. The soft, reddish tinge of the wood makes it desirable for furniture, and its naturally, clean odor makes good food storage containers.


Twigs and leaves


American beech is a high density wood that burns efficiently and has a high heat value, so it is often used for charcoal and fuelwood. Tar from the tree, called creosote, is used to protect other woods from rotting. The leaves and bark of the tree provide extracts for the making of fabric dyes. Early American colonists even used the leaves to stuff mattresses.


Sounds like bow wood to me....maybe??
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For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.

Ephesians 2:8-9

Kenny from Mississippi, USA

Offline Bevan R.

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Re: Is this Beech??
« Reply #9 on: February 27, 2012, 11:50:04 pm »
Not a tree we have here and I have not used any, but I still say go for it. without a doubt!!
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Bowmakers are a little bent, but knappers are just plain flaky.

Offline Pat B

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Re: Is this Beech??
« Reply #10 on: February 28, 2012, 01:03:17 am »
Check out the leaf buds at the tips of the twigs. Beech buds are long slim conical shape. That is a good way to ID beach because not many trees have the same type of buds. Also beech trees usually hold some of their leaves late into winter near the trunk of the tree.
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Offline PEARL DRUMS

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Re: Is this Beech??
« Reply #11 on: February 28, 2012, 09:28:11 am »
Looks like Maple to me, allot like it. The branchesa and the way the branches come off the trunk look mapley. I have seen hackberrys in three states and none where near that.
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Offline lesken2011

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Re: Is this Beech??
« Reply #12 on: February 28, 2012, 10:10:39 am »
I'm goin' over there this weekend and get a bunch from the tree he already started taking down. What are the best steps for storing, etc. since we are not sure what it is? Cut it to 6' sections, split it into wedges 3" or so wide, seal the ends, and store in a dry place? What about spraying for bugs? If I want a couple of staves to work on soon, should I rough them to bow shape so they dry faster?
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For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.

Ephesians 2:8-9

Kenny from Mississippi, USA

Offline Marc St Louis

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Re: Is this Beech??
« Reply #13 on: February 28, 2012, 10:13:21 am »
Looks like the Beech we have up here to me.  Beech makes a good bow, I rate it about the same as White Ash.  Remove the bark as soon as possible.  Once the bark is dry it becomes quite a bit more difficult to remove.
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Offline Pappy

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Re: Is this Beech??
« Reply #14 on: February 28, 2012, 10:39:36 am »
Looks like beach to me,never made any bows from it but it makes good firewood and home for squirrel's to dean up for the winter.  :) 
   Pappy
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