smelly timber identification

[pitch pine]

A while ago I bought some timber baulks at an auction. The pieces are 12x5" section and between 10 and 12 feet long. It is a red brown colour very dense (sinks in water) and stinks when you cut it. When I say stinks I mean really bad. My neighbour thought they had been muck spreading on the fields! Any ideas as to what it is? I guess that being such large section stuff it is still green inside hence the weight. I did work out the density of an offcut at 1.15 g per cm cubed! I didn't trust my maths so put it in a bucket of water, and sure enough it sank. It is incredibly hard, difficult to saw and plane but very beautiful. The grain moves around alot too. Looking at the growth rings it came from a huge tree. I guess it must be a tropical hardwood and there is a name on the timber which appears to be a shipping port in portugal. Surely the smell alone could identify this wood!

 

[Russell]

most probably Eke (I am not sure I have spelt it correctly) it smells like sweaty feet

 

[bjm]

As Russel said it could be Ekki (Lophira alata) which does have an unpleasant smell when freshly cut but it does wear off. You could be particularly sensitive to it as well?

Brian

 

[lugo35]

had some baulks of timber(railway sleeps) like you describe. deep red colour course texture. had alot of sap pockets.
took some to a show many years ago to get it identified. most timber sellers had no idea. but little old man(sound corny but true) said it was burmeze teak ( terrible spelling) used alot for railway sleepers . not telling him that they were sleeps. sounded like he knew what he was talking about still have a little of it left

 

[pitch pine]

Sweaty feet is a good description. There is definately cheese in there.....The only contender I had from my books was Ekki so it is good to have that confirmed. This timber also has sap pockets. Many thanks for your replies.

 

[llangatwgnedd]

If it smells like dog muck, have a look at the bottom of this thread

 

[pitch pine]

Thanks for that link. Dog muck, cheese and sweaty feet. It really is that bad. I was hoping the smell might ease off.......I can see why it is used for lock gates, I can't ever imagine it rotting. Which micro-organisms would want to eat it anyway? A neighbour of mine who worked in the shipyards said it was "******* teak". It's not difficult to see how the phrase evolved.