Mystery timber

[peter-harrison]

Hi, can anyone help me to name this wood?
It was part of an antique wardrobe.
the grain is very fine. It’s on the lighter side of medium density.

 

[AndyT]

It could be walnut. Widely used for furniture, lovely to work and can have that sort of quite variable grain.

 

[profchris]

Purely a guess without seeing it in person, but it could be some species of Acacia.

I've used Hawaiian acacia koa, and also Tasmanian Blackwood (acacia melynoxon), in making musical instruments. I'm pretty sure it's not koa - even the simplest grain figure in that tends to be wavier! I've never seen Tasmanian Blackwood so light in colour either.

But it does have a family resemblance, and there are European acacias which might fit. The end grain looks about right, though a view of the pore structure would help.

 

[peter-harrison]

Hi Andy, it's definitely not walnut, unless it's an exotic such as African. Judging by the finish (brown shellac) it seems to be one of those timbers such as tulipwood that were used as a mahogany substitute. For this reason I'd doubt that it was Tasmanian blackwood. Could be acacia- I've never used it so couldn't say either way. Thanks for the suggestions both!
PS there is no visible pore structure. It's as fine a timber as any I've seen.
Pete

 

[BEE13]

I've seen several timbers that look stripey like that including wild cherry (Gean) but your best bet is to consult the wood database and use a strong magnifying glass on the end grain.
https://www.wood-database.com/Brian

 

[profchris]

Ah, the acacia I've worked with all had noticeable pores. I'm stumped then.