Wood Identification - Please

[jewellmd]

I stopped into a local reuse store the other day. This particular store has wood (mainly run offs of flooring boards). I picked up a nice piece of Purpleheart, Leopardwood, Ironwood and this piece. I have no idea, besides it being interesting this could be. The shop owner told me that it was a "world mix" and the stuff mainly comes from central & south America.

I took pictures of both ends of the board. It's tongue & grove and is mainly on the yellow side but has some color running thru it. My first thought was that it might be "Yellowheart". When I compared it with stuff from my local Woodcraft store, it didn't match up. Any ideas or ideal suspects that anyone can think off?

-Michael

 

[wyone]

hmmm Heart Pine would be my guess

 

[KenV]

Odds are it is one of the pines that grow around Michigan -- The blue stain is common in the Jack Pine/Lodge Pole Pine/Shore Pine family of trees with some bark beetle action.

The three pines are white pine, red pine, and jack pine.

 

[1080Wayne]

Agree with Ken . It should have a bit of a piney smell .

 

[jewellmd]

The thing was that this group of flooring wood was marked as exotic. I cut a piece off and it didn't smell like pine. Knowing the other kinds that were mixed in, they all looked like woods from far away. I made a big deal about the Purpleheart (so he charged me more for that piece). Luckily, the leopardwood made up for it. The prices were far lower than retail of the same from a wood store.

 

[robutacion]

You couldn't have picked a worse colour for the background on those pics, the yellow is messing up the real/true wood colours...!

However, I wonder it that could be Rubberwood, the blue stain is throwing me a little as I never say blue stain or spalting on Rubberwood but, I can be wrong.

Cheers
George

 

[jewellmd]

I apologize for the background, after looking at the post I realized it's hard to see it. I'll have to get some natural light shots of this. I'm thinking of slicing a couple 5" chucks off and getting blanks ready. Maybe turning a wood sample would help.

 

[1080Wayne]

A good close-up of well sanded end grain would also help .

 

[KenV]

The thing was that this group of flooring wood was marked as exotic. I cut a piece off and it didn't smell like pine. Knowing the other kinds that were mixed in, they all looked like woods from far away. I made a big deal about the Purpleheart (so he charged me more for that piece). Luckily, the leopardwood made up for it. The prices were far lower than retail of the same from a wood store.

I have found mixtures in bins many a time -- happens easily and it may be pine.

It could also be any of a wide range of other woods, and these games of "What is this wood" are largely guesses based on visual clues. Actual identification is a much more complex process. Forest Products Lab in Madison Wisc. has people who do that by microscopic examination of thin slices.

 

[wyone]

Well the reason I thought pine was exactly what Ken suggested that the Blue staining was typical of beetle kill wood.

 

[jttheclockman]

The thing that is throwing me off is you said wood flooring and it has tongue and grooves. Well woods such as purple heart, yellow heart( does not spalt like that) and any other exotics would cost a fortune to use a flooring. It can be used as accents pieces in flooring but I highly doubt full flooring.

I too would guess a pine but that photo is too difficult with that background.

 

[maxwell_smart007]

Looks like it's about 6" wide?

In this area, in the 1950s and earlier, they used those wide pine boards as both ceiling, flooring, and walls - and then covered them up with linoleum or 'beaver board'. The wood I've encountered looked much like that.

That being said - if it's a 'new' production board, and not removed from an old house, then you may be dealing with an altogether different animal - is it hardwood? Tough to guess based on the pic - did it smell 'exotic' when you cut it? If it is 6" wide and t&g, then that's likely much wider than hardwood which would be used in flooring...they generally come narrower to eliminate cupping.

 

[jewellmd]

This piece is a mystery. Here's some more information. The board measures about 3 1/4" wide. I cut a few sections off to show the T&G and made some blanks from it. One piece I chucked up and sanded to 1000 grit and ran some denatured across it to clean it up. Rounded sample does not have any finish. Hopefully these new pictures shows the end grain and helps.

To me, it closely resembles Osage Orange. I included a picture of a cross-cut Osage Orange cigar pen I made recently. The colors are relatively close.

I appreciate everyone's feedback & knowledge.

 

[maxwell_smart007]

The Osage Orange that I have has more pronounced 'lines' in the end grain - but it does look similar - the pinholes especially. Colour is always hard to gauge when you're not seeing it in person.

To me, it looks like some chittum blanks I have...

Other guesses: maybe hawthorn or buckthorn?

 

[1080Wayne]

Well , certainly not pine . Agree with Andrew that the end grain doesn`t look like N American osage either , nor does it look like the sample I have that I think is Argentine osage .

 

[jewellmd]

Just went to the wood database site to look up Argentine Osage Orange. The samples they have and description seems to be a match. Looking at the end grain with a loop also seems to match. IMO it seems to match this over anything else, unless someone has another opinion.