# mystery wood - recognize it?



## duncsuss (Aug 21, 2009)

I did a wood swap with Gus (forum member Robocop52). Along with the bog oak and yew that he sent me came this piece which he didn't have an ID on -- only hint was "it was brought back from Africa".

The nearest I can tell on Paul's wood ID site is Silky Oak -- anyone have a better idea?

The photos show all 4 faces of the pen blank plus one with a 1" section of a tape measure to show scale. (The ends are waxed, if it's important to see end-grain I can slice a piece off.)

Thanks in advance for any suggestions :smile:


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## slicksqueegie (Feb 9, 2011)

check this out. 
It looks a-lot like the wood I found one day. People here say its silky oak.
Does that wood feel kinda waxy? or kinda like it is plastic?


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## duncsuss (Aug 21, 2009)

slicksqueegie said:


> check this out.
> It looks a-lot like the wood I found one day. People here say its silky oak.
> Does that wood feel kinda waxy? or kinda like it is plastic?


It looks the same to me -- thanks for the confirmation.

I can't really tell about waxy/plasticky, it's kind of rough from being sawn. When I've turned it (or cut it with a good TS blade) I'll be able to say better.


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## phinds (Mar 25, 2009)

Yeah, silky oak would be my guess but there are a couple of other possibilities (probably long-shots). European plane is one ... it's a close relative of sycamore (I'm moderately confident that what you have is not sycamore). See a discussion of most of the all on one page at:

http://www.hobbithouseinc.com/personal/woodpics/_discussion_sycamore.htm

There's another one, fairly obscure, that is not shown in the link above and I'm having a senior moment just now and can't remember what it is. It it comes to me I'll re-post.

Paul


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## duncsuss (Aug 21, 2009)

Thanks Paul.

The problem is, each time I look at your "*lacewood, leopardwood, planetree, sycamore, silky oak and others*" page I get less confident about calling it silky oak ... but I don't get any more confident about calling it something else :laughing:


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## phinds (Mar 25, 2009)

duncsuss said:


> Thanks Paul.
> 
> The problem is, each time I look at your "*lacewood, leopardwood, planetree, sycamore, silky oak and others*" page I get less confident about calling it silky oak ... but I don't get any more confident about calling it something else :laughing:


Unfortunately, I know exactly what you mean, else I would have been more forceful/confident about saying that it IS silky oak. There's just something about it that seems the tiniest bit off but like you I can't think what ELSE it might be. One of these days I'll think of that other wood ... maybe that's it.


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## duncsuss (Aug 21, 2009)

phinds said:


> Unfortunately, I know exactly what you mean, else I would have been more forceful/confident about saying that it IS silky oak. There's just something about it that seems the tiniest bit off but like you I can't think what ELSE it might be. One of these days I'll think of that other wood ... maybe that's it.


would a clear shot of end grain help?


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## fgvanatta (Jul 24, 2011)

Looks like lacewood to me.


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## phinds (Mar 25, 2009)

duncsuss said:


> would a clear shot of end grain help?


Definitely can't hurt and might help pin it down.


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## phinds (Mar 25, 2009)

fgvanatta said:


> Looks like lacewood to me.


It does look a bit that way, but it isn't.


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## MGP Roofing (Jul 10, 2010)

Looks like Rewarewa, which is a New Zealand native. However, I have a board that looks just like that, from a pallet which came with a recent delivery of US-made roof shingles. I have no idea what it is, looks nothing like the silky oak we have here.


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## hughie (Mar 22, 2008)

Yep looks like Silky Oak to me I have a chunk in the shop that looks identical. 
There are many varieties of Silky Oak, we have a restaurant here that is lined with around 60+ varieties of Silky Oak, great stuff to turn one of my favourites.


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## duncsuss (Aug 21, 2009)

*end grain shots*

Here are a couple of end-grain shots -- one taken straight on, the other at 45* to the corner so it includes the end grain and the long grain of two faces.

Thanks everyone for your help!


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## phinds (Mar 25, 2009)

Yep, continues to look like silky oak. One thing you can do to further the ID is clean up the end grain a bit and see if it has the little lines that go perpendicular to the rays. I see a hint of them in your pic but it's too rough-cut to tell. Here's what I'm talking about. The long right-leaning lines are the rays just in case you're not clear on that.


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## Robocop52 (Jul 25, 2011)

I'm prepared to go with the silky oak Duncan, another mystry solved, 
Gus


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## Corbin3388 (Jan 22, 2011)

If a better idea is oak then yup.

Sent from my iPhone using Wood Forum


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## phinds (Mar 25, 2009)

Corbin3388 said:


> If a better idea is oak then yup.


Huh ??? What does this post mean?


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## Corbin3388 (Jan 22, 2011)

phinds said:


> Huh ??? What does this post mean?


Op said if he thinks it's silky oak and asked of we have any better ideas. 
I said yup if a better idea is silky oak. 
You getting slow on me old fella

Sent from my iPhone using Wood Forum


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## duncsuss (Aug 21, 2009)

Corbin3388 said:


> You getting slow on me old fella


Paul isn't the only one getting slow ... I couldn't figure out if your post was serious but got chopped in half, or was just a joke I didn't get


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## duncsuss (Aug 21, 2009)

*end grain (sanded)*

I sanded the end grain with 50, 100 and 150 grit -- it's very interesting but I'm not sure it really helps ... :blink:


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## phinds (Mar 25, 2009)

duncsuss said:


> I sanded the end grain with 50, 100 and 150 grit -- it's very interesting but I'm not sure it really helps ... :blink:


Excellent end grain shot ... I wish all the folks who send me wood pics did anywhere near that well.

Very odd thought ... I was sure it would look like sikly oak, but it doesn't, and I can't think what it DOES look like.

LATER: well, the end grain definitely looks more like Brazilian lacewood than silky oak and the rift cut surfaces that you show in the other pics does look a bit like one piece of rift cut Brazilian lacewood I ave a pic of so apparently despite my strong early belief that it was silky oak, it looks like fgvanatta was right after all. 

Out of over 100 pics of lacewood that I have on my site, a lot of them ones I took myself, this is the ONLY one I could find that looks like your wood (other than the end grain). What do you think? I still have a hard time seeing this as lacewood, but end grain doesn't lie (it does stretch the truth sometimes though :icon_smile


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## Corbin3388 (Jan 22, 2011)

Renig, 
 I've never worked with lacewood but have to agree end grain definitely does not fit with silky oak. A+++++ 1 again phinds

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## bond3737 (Nov 13, 2009)

I have no idea what kind of wood that is, All I know is that the end grain shot made me do a whoda, howsit, I dont, oh my, I just, its so gaaaaaah do you have any left??? would love to trade for something:yes:...


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## phinds (Mar 25, 2009)

bond3737 said:


> I have no idea what kind of wood that is, All I know is that the end grain shot made me do a whoda, howsit, I dont, oh my, I just, its so gaaaaaah do you have any left??? would love to trade for something:yes:...


I've got some very small planks of silky oak if you're interested and have something to trade that I could use for my site.


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## duncsuss (Aug 21, 2009)

bond3737 said:


> I have no idea what kind of wood that is, All I know is that the end grain shot made me do a whoda, howsit, I dont, oh my, I just, its so gaaaaaah do you have any left??? would love to trade for something:yes:...


Gus (Robocop) sent me just one pen blank of this ... I haven't used it yet, so technically I still have some left, but I plan to turn it into a pen. Hope you can work something out with Paul.


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## bond3737 (Nov 13, 2009)

Is there a wood swap place btw? if there isnt then Ive got to start a site. I feel like it would be an awesome way to get new exposure to new wood/ people. Anyway... love your stuff... turn it! and show us!!! happy turnin, 
Bond


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## sawdustfactory (Jan 30, 2011)

Check it out: http://www.woodbarter.com/


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## duncsuss (Aug 21, 2009)

bond3737 said:


> Is there a wood swap place btw?


Good question -- I don't know _(edit: but sawdustfactory does!)_

But there seems to be an informal wood swap on this forum -- somebody (e.g. sawdustfactory) will post a gloat about scoring some great spalted maple and offer some in trade.

Details are usually worked out in private messages.

Or somebody will mention a special type of wood (e.g. ancient kauri) and another person (e.g. robocop) will post "wossat? anything like bog oak?" and then somebody (e.g. me) will message robocop with an offer to score some kauri in exchange for some bog oak ...

I suppose it could be more formal than this, but I'm not sure it needs to be.


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## phinds (Mar 25, 2009)

I think I've already posted a piece of silky oak for barter at the http://www.woodbarter.com/ forum


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