Can you identify this wood?

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Bobalu

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I bought some amboyna burl from one of our members. The box was filled out with some other type woods. I thought this was amboyna burl until I finished it, but doubt that it is. Can anyone identify it?
 

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jimbob91577

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Looks like it might be Jarrah burl to me...

Did it feel hard when you turned it - like trying to turn acrylic? If so, it could be Manzanita, Red Mallee Burl, etc.

Amboyna isn't very hard to turn and smells kinda sweet. The color looks about right, but its missing the sap wood typical when looking at the natural edge. But I can't tell if the natural edge is a true natural edge or where the piece may have broke.

Jarrah turns the same, but doesn't smell like Amboyna, and it too usually has the sap wood on the exposed natural edge. Also Jarrah typically has a little has a more pink color than Amboyna - but it display's the "Gummy" voids that you see in the cut-off with the natural edge shown in the first picture.

What other type woods were in the box where you got this?
 
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Bobalu

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Looks like it might be Jarrah burl to me...

Did it feel hard when you turned it - like trying to turn acrylic? If so, it could be Manzanita, Red Mallee Burl, etc.

Amboyna isn't very hard to turn and smells kinda sweet. The color looks about right, but its missing the sap wood typical when looking at the natural edge. But I can't tell if the natural edge is a true natural edge or where the piece may have broke.

Jarrah turns the same, but doesn't smell like Amboyna, and it too usually has the sap wood on the exposed natural edge. Also Jarrah typically has a little has a more pink color than Amboyna - but it display's the "Gummy" voids that you see in the cut-off with the natural edge shown in the first picture.

What other type woods were in the box where you got this?

I would say this blank turned about the same as the Amboyna I had previously turned from this lot, but I can't say much about the smell. I've had a bad cold. Even the Camphor I turned this weekend had no smell from my perspective.

This was one of the few blanks of the same color that wasn't riddled with voids. I tried turning a few other similar blanks, but all blew apart early in the turning. This piece had voids only near the natural edge and stayed together. All the wood of this same color had no sap wood, just the way you see it in the photo. The color had more of a chocolate tone than the reddish hue of the wood I could identify as Amboyna. My photo tends to make it look a bit more red than it actually is.
 

JBCustomPens

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I tried turning a few other similar blanks, but all blew apart early in the turning. This piece had voids only near the natural edge and stayed together.

Yep, I'm pretty sure it is jarrah from that description. Check around at some pics of pens made from jarrah to see it it matches. A lot of people fill those voids with powders and such.
 

greggas

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if it was lighter in weight than your Amboyna perhaps it is redwood burl....seems to have the same color and grain pattern and will certainly blow apart easily if not stabilized
 

Mack C.

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I bought some amboyna burl from one of our members. The box was filled out with some other type woods. I thought this was amboyna burl until I finished it, but doubt that it is. Can anyone identify it?
Bobalu; If you seriously think about it, what difference does knowing the species of wood make to the pen? It's a gorgeous pen! Take your pick of woods, who will know the difference!
 

fernhills

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Looks like Jarra to me, i have about 10 pieces of it that looks just like that. It is hard to turn because of those fissures if they go all the way through they can break in half. I think i read some place that it does not take to being stabilized well.
 

Bobalu

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Thanks guys. I'm going to go with Jarrah on this one. Armed with names of a couple of wood types that you provided, I did some more research and found some photos in the classified section that seem to confirm it is Jarrah. Mack is right though. It doesn't make any difference to the pen what it is made of. But this is one time I just had to know, should I want to duplicate it in the furture.
 

writestuff

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Wood ID??

could also be "Thyua burl". Which is very Oily. I am attaching a pen Pix I recently finiished of that wood.
thuya burl (812 x 246).jpg
As I said, vrey oily. CA finish without acetone to clean first. :)
WS (Bob)
 
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