Wood Identification Help

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Stray Feathers
Posts: 677
Joined: Sun Sep 08, 2013 11:39 pm
Location: Ladysmith, BC

Wood Identification Help

Post by Stray Feathers »

Free wood is a great thing - I was given some unidentified hardwood scraps passed along via a relative from a non-luthier woodworker. One turned out to be Wenge. This piece I have not been able to ID yet. At first glance it looks teak-ish, but it is very heavy. So I measured it carefully - 66.4 mm x 46.8 mm x 494 mm - and weighed it - 1464 gm. If my math is correct, that gives it a density of 955 kg/cubic metre. I have looked at a lot of wood sites. The Wood Finder page on the Wood Database site allows you to enter certain details, like density, and search the images. There is nothing really close except Chechen came up, so I looked further into that, and I wonder if that is what it is. This piece is less reddish than most of the Chechen photos I've seen, but there are some that have that teak-ish look. I'd be grateful for any thoughts on why it isn't Chechen, or why it might be something else. There is no smell to speak of. If it is this dense, I might use it for ukulele fingerboards, or instrument bridges, or even get tenor ukulele sides and a four-piece back out of it (though I have not yet tried a four-piece back. Photos are taken with a piece of Black Walnut for reference; colour of this piece is slightly more brown and less orange than in the photos. Thanks - Bruce W.
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carld05
Posts: 170
Joined: Mon Mar 19, 2012 4:19 pm
Location: Forest Ranch, CA

Re: Wood Identification Help

Post by carld05 »

Pau Ferro?
rcnewcomb
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Joined: Wed Jul 29, 2015 9:04 pm
Location: San Jose, CA, USA

Re: Wood Identification Help

Post by rcnewcomb »

Similar to Bocote
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- Randall Newcomb
10 fingers in, 10 fingers out - another good day in the shop
Stray Feathers
Posts: 677
Joined: Sun Sep 08, 2013 11:39 pm
Location: Ladysmith, BC

Re: Wood Identification Help

Post by Stray Feathers »

Thanks for the input! Neither Bocote or Pau Ferro is quite as dense as the piece I have, according to the Wood Database, but that could be an error on my part, or an unusually heavy piece of wood for its species. I looked at lots of images, and most of them (for both these species) show much more figure. There were a few images that looked more like like my piece, though, so these two species are possibilities. I planed it a little and found no distinct scent, but may do when I cut into it further, so I'll look for the "dill pickle" smell attributed to Bocote. I may never know what it is, but given the density, I think I will find uses for it.
Stray Feathers
Posts: 677
Joined: Sun Sep 08, 2013 11:39 pm
Location: Ladysmith, BC

Re: Wood Identification Help

Post by Stray Feathers »

This is an old thread, but if anyone is interested, I am now wondering if this is Ovangkol, AKA Shedua. I can get some ukulele fingerboards out of it, plus some bridges and maybe bridge plates. Luthier wood is getting so expensive I'm happy to get freebies, even little ones! Bruce W.
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