Is this oak?

[Nick_]

I’ve taken apart an old bunk bed that was very heavy and looks to be nicely made. I’m planning to keep the wood and use it when I have a suitable project.

I am assuming this is oak, but I’d appreciate it if someone could confirm, but also how to identify it.

 

[Cabinetman]

First off, sorry I don’t know what it is but fairly sure it isn’t Oak, just the feel of it really, and the growth rings are too large compared to your thumb in the pic, the face of the board does look a bit like Oak but I bet it would be carroty to work.
Ian

 

[Amplidyne]

Looks like oak to me. It's cut from near the outside of the log though. Quickly grown as well by the look of it (French?) Internal pores in the grain and so on make me think it is as well.
But having said all that, timbers are hard to identify by just looking.
If you can take a shaving off the back somewhere if you can, what does it smell like?
What's it off? (I've just read that)

 

[meccarroll]

It does not look like Oak to me> Where are the medullary rays for a start?

Why do you ask?

 

[Keith 66]

It is Ash. No medullary rays & the end grain is typical.

 

[Nick_]

Thanks everyone.

I wanted to know because so far I’ve just been using 18mm hardwood ply for most things so if I’m going to do a project with solid wood, I thought it would be useful to know what it is so I could start to understand the properties of the wood. That way if I hate working with it, I’ll know not to buy it in future, or vice versa.

Any more bids after Ash, or has @Keith 66 nailed it?

 

[Co1]

First off, sorry I don’t know what it is but fairly sure it isn’t Oak, just the feel of it really, and the growth rings are too large compared to your thumb in the pic, the face of the board does look a bit like Oak but I bet it would be carroty to work.
Ian

What do you mean by “carroty”?

 

[Phil Pascoe]

If oak I'd expect see evidence of medulary rays somewhere even if rift sawn on the endgrain. Put a shaving or two in some vinegar with a nail and see if it goes blue black.

 

[meccarroll]

I don't think may people (Cabinet Makers) or firms (Mass production companies) would make bunk beds out of Ash or Oak so I am guessing it is not native Oak or Ash but I do apoligise to Keith for my personal opinion ( No offence intended or taken I hope!).

 

[Mel769]

Mango wood perhaps ?

 

[Amplidyne]

Certainly worth a try that is. Looking at it with fresh eyes, it indeed looks like the colour and figure are ash like. An ash desk I made 30 years ago has gone like that.

 

[Cabinetman]

Mango wood perhaps ?

Came across Mango wood for the first time yesterday- coincidence.
Carroty wood, it’s weak along the grain, easy to snap and like cheap quick grown Pine- imagine trying to chop through it for Dovetails.

 

[isaac3d2]

My first reaction to the surface was that it might be oak (plane sawn from near the outside of the tree, as already suggested) but the "keyhole" cut close up shows annular rings which look way to wide for oak (again as already mentioned). I might agree with ash except for the colour. It doesn't look pale enough for ash to my eyes.
The acid/iron test would confirm that it's not oak if the shavings don't darken. If they do darken, then maybe horse chestnut?

 

[Nick_]

Thanks for the continued discussion. I remember my wife buying this bunk bed setup, and me being astonished at the price, but didn’t do any woodworking then, so didn’t see the value.

The person that made it, was a one man business, and personally came to build it in-situ. That was maybe 18 years ago, I imagine. At the time it annoyed me how hard it was to move when just moving it a feet to paint the room.

Couple more pictures if it helps, and I’ll also do the acid/iron test tomorrow too.

 

[Fitzroy]

First picture looks ashy but it is very dark, it could be olive ash but it would have to have been a wide board to see that with no lighter sap wood. Another option is chestnut (sweet), which looks very like oak but has no medullary rays.

 

[Cabinetman]

Those steps are without doubt Ash.

 

[Chubber]

Turkey Oak?

https://www.uk-timber.co.uk/new-unt...-economy-turkey-oak-landscaping-sleepers.html

 

[spanner48]

It does not look like Oak to me> Where are the medullary rays for a start?

Why do you ask?

No Medullary Rays visible,because it has clearly been tangentially-sawn. The wide 'cupping' of the annual rings makes that clear. So you are only seeing them side-on. And the end-grain is the decider. It's oak, as Amplidyne says; fast-grown; but probably not European Oak.

 

[RobinBHM]

View attachment 190689View attachment 190690View attachment 190691I’ve taken apart an old bunk bed that was very heavy and looks to be nicely made. I’m planning to keep the wood and use it when I have a suitable project.

I am assuming this is oak, but I’d appreciate it if someone could confirm, but also how to identify it.

if it is dense and heavy it is american white ash

but there are some very very similar timbers to ash which are much lighter in weight -basswood can be similar, maybe some of our American members know of the alternatives

its 100% not oak

 

[Yojevol]

No Medullary Rays visible,because it has clearly been tangentially-sawn. The wide 'cupping' of the annual rings makes that clear. So you are only seeing them side-on. And the end-grain is the decider. It's oak, as Amplidyne says; fast-grown; but probably not European Oak.

There are 4 ring porous European species - oak, ash, chestnut and elm. It's not elm which has a certain lustre and irregular grain. It's not chestnut which is usually a uniform, mid brown, straight grained timber, pretty boring really. It's not oak, no sign of medullary rays anywhere and colour not rich enough. That leaves ash. The rather sallow appearance in the first pic and the more yellow tint in the 2nd pic are typical ash.
Brian