Can You assist in identifying this wood?

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Mack C.

Mack C.

Passed Away Sep 29, 2018
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Joined
May 4, 2008
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Location
Brooklin, ON Canada
I received this blank along with many others that were identified. This one is marked UNK. It is nearly 6½" long & for all intents and purposes on average 1" sq. It weighs accurately 119gms, which I calculate to be about 9.4 lbs/bd. ft. It's S.G. is greater than 1 since it sinks to the bottom in water.
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These pics are over exposed by 2 or 3 stops. The wood is more brown than shown in these pics.
 

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UNK no doubt stands for unknown.

Being that heavy it has to be some sort of iron wood! My guess would be african iron wood.

I could be wrong but I get 1154kg/cu m which equates to around 6 lbs/bd ft??

1154 would be the bottom end for Lignum Vitae (ironwood) and the upper end of ebony and we know its not ebony.

What was it that Sherlock Holmes said :)
 
terryf said:
UNK no doubt stands for unknown.

Being that heavy it has to be some sort of iron wood! My guess would be african iron wood.

I could be wrong but I get 1154kg/cu m which equates to around 6 lbs/bd ft??

1154 would be the bottom end for Lignum Vitae (ironwood) and the upper end of ebony and we know its not ebony.

What was it that Sherlock Holmes said :)
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Hi Terry; Upon further calculation, I find your math to be more accurate than mine!

Here's a couple of shots of the grain in super macro mode.

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Mack:
Try sanding or planing off one side and see if it comes up more red. The TW might stand for Tulipwood. I've been told it will turn brown over long enough time.
 
bad said:
Mack:
Try sanding or planing off one side and see if it comes up more red. The TW might stand for Tulipwood. I've been told it will turn brown over long enough time.
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Tulipwood (Dalbergia decepularis) has an S.G. of .81. It will float.
 
Mack, my first thought was osage orange,hedge. I don't know the S.G. but I know it sinks like a rock and turns brown after awhile.
 
Mack,
I still don't know what the wood is, but seeing the TW marked on the blank, I looked in my log book... (the 1237 is my inventory log number)... that piece of wood came from Tom Wyatt... who is I believe an Aussie turner that I did an exchange with a couple of years ago...that blank is at least 2 maybe 3 years old. Because of the ECU marked on the blank, I had always assumed some form of Euclyptus, but I'm not so sure it's quite as dense as your calculations indicate....I wrote the UNK on the blank when I put it in the package... I don't know if Tom is a member here... I think he's from the Melborne area of Aust.
 
My answer would be Bubinga African
it's not butternut wood butternut has more grain to the wood.
 
Larry in Harrow said:
At 1" x 1" x 6.5" and weighing 119 grams that calculates to ,76309321 ounces per cubic inch. This is 1320.1444 kilograms per cubic metre. Specific gravity of 1.32; ya that would sink to the bottom in water. Lignum vitea sapwood.


See:
http://www.hobbithouseinc.com/personal/woodpics/lignum%20vitae.htmhttp://www.hobbithouseinc.com/personal/woodpics/lignum vitae.htm
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I'm not ignoring you, I've just gone up a different road for the time being!:wink::biggrin:
 
One last picture here, well 2 at different exposures. Freshly sanded and wiped with Varsol.
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I would be remiss if I didn't say thanks to all of you who took the time to answer with what you felt was the proper identification of this wood!

THANK YOU ALL!!:biggrin:
 

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TellicoTurning said:
Mack,
I still don't know what the wood is, but seeing the TW marked on the blank, I looked in my log book... (the 1237 is my inventory log number)... that piece of wood came from Tom Wyatt... who is I believe an Aussie turner that I did an exchange with a couple of years ago...that blank is at least 2 maybe 3 years old. Because of the ECU marked on the blank, I had always assumed some form of Euclyptus, but I'm not so sure it's quite as dense as your calculations indicate....I wrote the UNK on the blank when I put it in the package... I don't know if Tom is a member here... I think he's from the Melborne area of Aust.
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Hi Chuck; Just so everyone knows this is the gentleman who stuck that piece of wood in with some spalted hackberry blanks he so generously sent to me. You can blame him for the mystery!:confused::biggrin:

I'm siding with you Chuck, thinking it's some species of Eucalyptus!
 
My guess would be ebony sapwood, I have samples of ebony with over 1" of sapwood. Or perhaps lignum vitae although not being so familiar with this wood I have not seen pieces of lignum with over 1" of sapwood, maybe someone more familiar with lignum could chime in.

Steve
 
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