# Sassafras Wood



## hobbyheater (Jan 24, 2012)

In the "Boiler Room" Sassafras wood has been talked about.
It is a name that up until now that I have only heard in rhymes or in songs.
Could someone post a few pictures of a few split pieces? It's a type of wood that I will likely never see in person.


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## kingston73 (Jan 24, 2012)

Not sure its range but it's a pretty common mid to north east coast tree.  Mostly a smaller pioneer species but they can get to be a pretty good size, easy to recognize with leaves on as they have "mitten" leaves, very unique.  I don't have any on my property bigger than a couple inches diameter so I have no idea how they are as firewood.  I'd guess about equal to maple maybe?


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## Blue Vomit (Jan 24, 2012)

i have some split in a stack in the yard. Ill see if i can get you a pick tomorrow. Stuff smells great.


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## Wood Duck (Jan 24, 2012)

Sassafras is pretty lightweight wood. It smells great and is a nice tree, but not high density firewood.


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## hareball (Jan 24, 2012)

I just put up a post earlier titled "ID please" majority is saying sassafras. It smells nice and is lightweight. Check it out.


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## hobbyheater (Jan 24, 2012)

hareball said:
			
		

> I just put up a post earlier titled "ID please" majority is saying sassafras. It smells nice and is lightweight. Check it out.



Great pictures. What breed is the good looking dog?


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## hareball (Jan 24, 2012)

Thanks! He's a Doberman pincher


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## hareball (Jan 24, 2012)

I've added pics since the sassafras so I will add one here so there is no confusion


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## hobbyheater (Jan 24, 2012)

hareball said:
			
		

> I've added pics since the sassafras so I will add one here so there is no confusion


Interesting.  It has bark much like our soggy western hemlock.  The heart wood looks much like western red cedar.  Is it a broad leaf ?


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## Woody Stover (Jan 24, 2012)

Good pic, hareball. Besides the distinctive smell, you'll notice that the layer below the outer bark (not sure what that's called) is a bright burnt orange color, as seen in that pic. We have tons of them in the woods here but they don't generally get very big before they die and fall over. Burns up pretty fast, and does a lot of snap, crackle and poppin' in the stove!


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## Clyde S. Dale (Jan 24, 2012)

I've got about 2 cords of sassafras from a local tree service.  They were cutting near by so I asked for some and they brought me 2 loads. It's all cut and split now I just don't have anywhere to stack it yet.  It does smell great when splitting - almost reminds me of white oak.  I had to read up on it when they brought it to me and told me what it was.  I plan to use it for summer camp fires and to mix in with the higher btu woods next season.  After they brought me the sassafras, I got a load of walnut/cherry, then another of all Norway Maple.  All free and dropped right on my property.  I know, pics or it never happened!!


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## hareball (Jan 24, 2012)

Thanks wood stover!

Allan, not sure about the leaf. The wood guy only dropped about a 5' section of the tree with the rest of the load.


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## BobUrban (Jan 24, 2012)

Very easily idetified by the leaves because it is the only tree in Michigan with three different leaf patterns on one tree.  Large oval, mitten and double mitten(if that makes sense)  Also very easy to identify by smell and taste.  Pick a leaf and chew the stem - it will taste minty and, well... sassafrassy.  You can make a tea from the leaf stems, inner bark and roots that is very good.  All of it will smell and taste good so if there are no leaves just break off a green twig and chew the end a bit to know what I mean.


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## Bocefus78 (Jan 24, 2012)

I'll add that I think it burns decently. It does take some more air than other types of wood. I think I read somewhere on here that it is somewhat related to locust???


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## Brewmonster (Jan 24, 2012)

Bocefus78 said:
			
		

> I'll add that I think it burns decently. It does take some more air than other types of wood. I think I read somewhere on here that it is somewhat related to locust???



Nope. Sassafras is in the laurel family; locust in the pea family.  Sass is very light, low btu wood; opposite of locust.


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## Blue Vomit (Jan 24, 2012)

sassy pic.


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## wkpoor (Jan 24, 2012)

I been burning a bunch of it this year. Burns good but is light weight and doesn't last long.


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## hobbyheater (Jan 24, 2012)

Blue Vomit said:
			
		

> sassy pic.



Thanks' for the picture :coolsmile:  and the pallets for stacking on - great idea :exclaim:


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## hobbyheater (Jan 24, 2012)

wkpoor said:
			
		

> I been burning a bunch of it this year. Burns good but is light weight and doesn't last long.



The heart wood looks a lot like our western red cedar, which burns very fast and is used mainly for kindling.


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## JeffT (Jan 24, 2012)

Just cut one down that had the top snaped off.The trunk at the base is 16''and those rounds wern't that light.Looked it up on the btu. chart and it's just under Cherry.


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## golfandwoodnut (Jan 25, 2012)

I have tons of it here for some reason, and some pretty large ones that can get about 2 feet in diameter.  It has to be the easiest wood to split on the planet.  It is a very light wood, burns very hot and decent if you season it for at least a year.  The bark does look very similar to locust in that it is very deeply furrowed.  Roots smell great, you can make tea out them.  It was originally used in Root Beer, I believe.  The deer and other animals like to eat the buds.  It is a great shoulder season wood or good wood to mix in with other woods.  If you do not let it season it is not  a good wood and will smolder.  You may be tempted to burn it early, as I have, because it is low in moisture content and very light, making you think it is ready to burn. Here is one link to a description, and you probably will not find it in Canada:
http://www.na.fs.fed.us/pubs/silvics_manual/volume_2/sassafras/albidum.htm


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## Backwoods Savage (Jan 25, 2012)

I absolutely love to cut sassafras as it has to be the sweetest smelling wood there is. Unfortunately we don't have any large ones here and the danged things just don't like to grow straight. However, if you find some straight ones, you can also use those for fence posts. Even without treating them they will last anywhere from 10 - 15 years so long as you cut the top slanted. If you can dunk them in some oil before planting them in the hole then so much the better. You can also paint the top to keep water out.


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## hobbyheater (Jan 25, 2012)

JeffT said:
			
		

> Just cut one down that had the top snaped off.The trunk at the base is 16''and those rounds wern't that light.Looked it up on the btu. chart and it's just under Cherry.



It must be hard deciding which type of wood to collect when you have so many species to choose from!


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## hobbyheater (Jan 25, 2012)

[quote author="GolfandWoodNut" date="1327467884"
/quote]

Very interesting information.  I like the picture of your wood hut.


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## hobbyheater (Jan 25, 2012)

Backwoods Savage said:
			
		

> However, if you find some straight ones, you can also use those for fence posts.



On the farm in Bella Coola, we would split western red cedar for fence posts.  It would last about the same time, 10 - 15 years.  We never had the money to treat them at the level where the post would enter the ground so it would rot at this point.


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## 711mhw (Jan 26, 2012)

If any of you guys smoke your own meat, excelent results. Also try cooking a steal over it, (in an open fire) mixing in a little birch and apple mmm mmm good !


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## ScotO (Jan 26, 2012)

Sassafras contains an oil called safrole,  which was the original flavoring in root beer.  It is extracted from the root of the tree when the tree is dormant (winter).  The reason they stopped using safrole as a flavoring in root beer is it has been found to be carcinogenic.  We used to make sassafras tea from the roots up at camp but since I found out its not good for you, we no longer make it.  The green leaves, when crumpled up in your hand, smell like lemons.  I love the smell and taste of sassafras but I won't use it anymore.


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## Backwoods Savage (Jan 26, 2012)

hobbyheater said:
			
		

> Backwoods Savage said:
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> 
> 
> ...



Right. And others also used locust. Mostly many years ago they used whatever they had but were able to pick out the best of what they had. It served its purpose and that is what counts. I've even used sassafras for the wife's clothes line (solar clothes drier).


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## ryanm527 (Jan 30, 2012)

My dad gave me a several pieces of sassafras from a down tree in his yard and it was the easiest, straightest splitting wood I've ever encountered. I wasn't very impressed with it beyond that in any regard.


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