What is this wood?

[albus16]

I am a complete beginner so forgive me if this is uber-obvious, but I just found this amongst my dad pile of "oak". I may be a novice but I'm fairly sure this isn't oak.

I had a play with it and it is quite coarse, and even when planed gently, it is still pretty rough.

Can anyone tell me what it is? And if so, what are its properties and uses etc?

Sorry if the pictures aren't hi-res enough, I had to downsize them in paint to upload it so thought I'd try and put them all on the same canvas

Thanks,

Alex

 

[tomatwark]

Looks like Iroko

Tom

 

[adidat]

Looks like Iroko

Tom

+1


its pretty tough stuff and i used alot for outdoor furniture


adidat

 

[albus16]

Thanks guys, my initial reaction was teak but it looked a little light for that. Other than that my knowledge of tropical woods is non-existent.

It's a very small and thin piece so not much use for anything major. Maybe a picture frame. Would you suggest I treat it like teak? What's the best thing for finishing it?

Thanks again,

Alex

 

[adidat]

its quite hard to finish nicely, but just sand it down and whack on a couple of coats of danish oil. make sure to wipe off the excess after each coat and then polish.

adidat

 

[Deejay]

Morning Alex

Can anyone tell me what it is? And if so, what are its properties and uses etc?

I've never worked with Iroko myself, but it does have a bit of a reputation for causing problems with rashes etc. No need to panic, but be aware.

There's a thread about it here ...

iroko-dust-health-problems-t36709.html

Cheers

Dave

 

[devonwoody]

It hand planes quite well for me (iroko) so I might suggest your plane blade is blunt or not set quite right?

 

[RogerS]

Sapele?

 

[devonwoody]

Sapele?

Not red enough?

 

[RogerS]

Sapele?

Not red enough?

Colour of the photo depends on the lighting perhaps?

 

[Toolie]

Could it be mahogany, might be a little light though?