michaelh
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Posts: 11 
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Post by michaelh on Sept 3, 2014 8:06:22 GMT
Hi, Can anyone identify this wood for me ? This test piece is just about 8 inch dia but I have about 15 blanks of 12 inch diameter x 3 inch deep so could do with knowing what it is for when I sign them. The wood is relatively soft and, dispite the pictue looking a bit dull, does polish up quite well. it sounds quite hollow and the holes go quite deep. It is bone dry so very stable. Thank you !  |
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Post by Pete on Sept 4, 2014 9:43:05 GMT
Sorry, I have absolutely no idea. the bark inclusions make me think it's sapwood, but if that is natural colour I don't think it's anything I have ever worked. any chance of a photo of an unworked piece may be easier to identify, also any origins info? I have worked horse chestnut which had similar deep bark inclusion, but the colour was lighter with a dark cream sapwood don't think I have any photo's of that but will look for it.
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michaelh
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Post by michaelh on Sept 4, 2014 13:00:23 GMT
Hi,
Thanks for the reply
This is the completely natural colour, I will grab a picture of a bowl blank and a natural edge that looks like its off the same tree.
Unfortunately I have no history to it, its part of a workshop ( full ) of wood that I inherited when we lost a dear wood turning friend last year. He used to tour the USA turning but I don't ever remember him bringing back wood, particularly as the stack is chest high ! So I think its probably from the UK.
I have turned horse chestnut that is a similar colour but the inclusions in that were longer and more like "filled splits". This feels softer and more fiberous than horse chestnut
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Post by dalboy on Sept 4, 2014 22:30:51 GMT
Try looking through some of the American and Australian web sites as I am sure I have seen something similar but can't remember which of the two counties I saw it
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Post by Rob on Sept 5, 2014 0:09:57 GMT
The first thing that sprang to my mind was Jarrah. But seasoned Jarrah is meant to be extremely dense and hard to work. Appearance wise though its a good match.
(Australian species of Eucalyptus)
If you google woodturned Jarrah and follow the images link you'll quickly see the likeness.
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michaelh
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Post by michaelh on Sept 5, 2014 13:38:30 GMT
THans very much for your suggestions, I havn't found it yet.
couple of more pictures, one of them has RR on it but I think that was the seller maybe rather than an abreviation of the species !
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michaelh
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Posts: 11
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Post by michaelh on Sept 5, 2014 13:42:46 GMT
Birds Eye Australian Jarrah is a favourite at the moment - that makes sense because Colin, from whom I inherited the wood, liked the Aus and NZ turners so he was in touch with many of them
my doubt though is that the wood I turned was soft and fiborous and I thought Jarrah was pretty hard
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Post by Rob on Sept 5, 2014 14:20:00 GMT
it might be worth tying a few different blanks from the pile, especially if they look very different ie come from a different tree. Forming the judgement after just one example is always going to be inconclusive because it may have been spalted or otherwise punky in some way which would explain the out of character lack of density. I've turned spalted oak (sapwood) before that held together (just) but was like cotton wool it was so soft. It took gallons of SS and/or ca glue to stabilise it enough to take a finish.
It still look like Jarrah to me.
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Post by Pete on Sept 5, 2014 17:54:31 GMT
Little bit of research says it's the silica content that makes Jarrah hard to cut, so same species from a different area could be very different, and as Rob says we have no idea what has happened to the timber in the mean time. Looking at the unturned blanks I don't think it is a native UK timber, that doesn't mean it wasn't grown here they have Sequoia growing at Westonbirt Arboretum currently and "garden trees" are frequently non native. Also if it is old it may be a lot darker than when first cut, I have walnut here that when it arrived was white with light speckled pattern, which is darkening year by year, plan is to turn a similar piece each year and seal it so I have an ageing reference, and because I can 
Grain patterns and bark are your best clues to finding the source wood, but when it comes to signing it off then it can be whatever you want it to be... bet the customer doesn't query it 
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michaelh
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Post by michaelh on Sept 8, 2014 7:59:54 GMT
"bet the customer doesn't query it"
Yuo are right, they don't. The ones that do question things are the wood turners - for some reason there is a type of wood turner that want to criticise or embarass other turners in front of the public ! You have probably met them - the type that stand in front of your display picking everything up and examinng in detail then asking "is that Turkey Oak or Common" while potential customers are trying to peek at the goods over their shoulders.
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michaelh
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Post by michaelh on Sept 8, 2014 8:07:49 GMT
by the way, I sold this first one on Sunday anyway, I just said I thought it was birds eye Jarrah but I was not confident enough to write on it - someone else earlier in the day asked if it was Jarrah as they had some other pieces at home.
Thank you for your help.
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Post by artslap on Aug 4, 2015 3:24:33 GMT
For what it's worth I think it's River Red Gum. Very heavy Burl.
Looks like a stump from my Back paddock.
Chris.
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