Thanks, Gramps! And wood ID help needed

[JasonM]

About a week ago, I spent time with family up in the back woods of southern Arkansas helping them to clean and pack up the estate of my wife's grandfather, affectionately known in the family as "Gramps".

As he passed last spring we've all had time to grieve and the weekend was much more a feeling of celebration for a true member of the greatest generation. He was one of those who would straighten bent nails to save the cost, could fix anything, and would just as soon do everything for himself because he knew HE would do it right. =)

Among the tasks while there was to burn off a large pile of brush and debris that had collected in an area on the back acreage where he often burned branches, leaves, and the like.

In the piles were several larger pieces of wood from some deadfall he had cleared to make room for a storage shed. Most of it was rotting and beyond use. But there were several sizeable pieces of what Gramps often referred to as "ironwood" still in decent shape. Upon inspection, I thought I saw some spalting in some of the pieces and my brother helped me to grab some before the fire was set. Gramps had sent me some blanks he made from it before. It definitely requires super sharp tools and usually more sharpening during turning. But the results are always nice.

I brought it home and cut it down to blanks and found some wonderful looking stuff inside!

To my knowledge, ironwood is a fairly generic term that is used for a large variety of trees. If anyone has any more info about what I've got here, I'd love to know more. I've attached some photos - pre and post cutting. The blanks pictured are what I got after cutting down just about a third of what I brought home!

The wood ranges from caramel to yellow. Is pretty fibrous around the edges, and the way the bark peels off in sheets reminds me of cottonwood or birch. But I don't think it's either of those.

Thanks everyone! (And thanks, Gramps!!)

 

[ren-lathe]

Kind of looks like hornbeam. That is in the Birch family and is usually called ironwood

 

[plantman]

American Hornbeam or Blue Beech is usualy found in the New England states. My guess is that your wood may be Prosopis glandulosa or Honey Mesquite. Found chiefly in Arizona, Texas, and Oklahoma. Also called Ironwood. It is small to medium sized with a short trunk and crooked limbs which accounts for the narrow widths of lumber it produces. Mesquite grows wild and can usualy be found on fence lines, in the open, or on the plains. It's hard and heavy ( 55 lbs. per cubic foot ). The color is rich milk-chocolate with a reddish cast. The grain is straight to wavy. The wood was used by cowboys and sheepherders as fire wood because it burned hot and slow. It has now entered into the lumber market. I use it for the soles of the hand planes I make. It can be polished to a fine luster and needs no finish. There are many woods called Ironwood. That's my best guess without seeing it. Jim S

 

[commercialbuilder]

What we call Ironwood is Bodock, it has green small grapefruit size apples in the fall. They were used as insect repellent years ago, they would place them on the floor in closets. The wood was once used to make concrete floats becaue the wood was so tuff. You can split and work the wood when it is green but once it dries it eats saw blades and anything else that is sharp. The color is green and yellow when green but then the yellow fades as it dries to a real pale color.

 

[The Penguin]

What we call Ironwood is Bodock, it has green small grapefruit size apples in the fall. They were used as insect repellent years ago, they would place them on the floor in closets. The wood was once used to make concrete floats becaue the wood was so tuff. You can split and work the wood when it is green but once it dries it eats saw blades and anything else that is sharp. The color is green and yellow when green but then the yellow fades as it dries to a real pale color.

I think you mean Bois d'arc, bodark, or horseapple - all names for the same tree here in TX.

my immediate thought was that was what he was describing, except the color of the wood is wrong for bodark.

 

[JasonM]

Thanks for all the input. If it makes a difference, the logs we pulled out ranged from about 8-12" in diameter and were fairly straight four their 3-4' length. (which is why I wasn't thinking mesquite originally - though I really didn't have any idea.)

 

[ren-lathe]

Range of American Hornbeam