What the Frake?
after initiall puzzelment of my puzzler I worked it out!!!!!!! well worth the pen blank.
Its is definately a species in the genus called
Terminalia ie Black Limba: (
Terminalia superba) Cream colored with dark brown to black The heartwood is yellowish
gray to brown to light brown. often with black streaks what gave me the clue was the small amount of bark on the edge as it has many names one of them being Black bark. Some other names are afara, limba known in the United States by its commercial name korina, often spelt corina other local names depending where in west africa you find it are light afara, light limba, limba clair, limba blanc (or plain, light wood), dark limba, dark afara, limba noir, limba bariole (for the figured heartwood), offram, ofram, frake
akom and grey wood. this timber has been cut for decorative veneers but is often used for ply core. cheap furniture. Widely distributed from Sierra Leone to Angola and Zaire; occurs in rain and savanna
forests. A favored plantation species in West Africa.it has an SG of around 45 and that was the other clue. o as well I got the right family as it is in the Family: Combretaceae way to go!
you can see a photograph of the timber here which matches nicely
http://www.rarewoodsandveneers.com/images/productimages/rarewood/Terminalia%20superba,%20Limba,%20Africa.jpg
if any one else needs a timber I.D'd just send me A pen blank in it but PM me first with as much info about it as you can.
