What wood have I used ??

[joethedrummer]

Good afternoon woodspinners,

Got to making a lidded pot and thought "what wood have I used ?".

Your help will be greatly appreciated,,

,,,,joe,,,,

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Walnut?

 

[nev]

walnut was my guess too (before phil posted )

 

[joethedrummer]

It cut like lime, if that helps,

,,,joe,,,

 

[user 17340]

Could be apple.

 

[KimG]

What did it smell like?

 

[Kalimna]

If it is a non-native blank, then the heartwood looks quite like Tasmanian Blackwood.
Walnut otherwise, maybe laburnum?

Adam

 

[KimG]

Definitely not Laburnum.

 

[Neil Farrer]

Any chance of a close up of the sides of the pot? Bit negative as I dont have any firm ideas but agree with Kim, its not Laburnum and I dont think its Walnut, the sapwood is too white and there appear to be many very clear distinguishing rings if that is indeed sapwood. Could it be a severe case of olive Ash?

 

[KimG]

Olive Ash is a fair punt, but I think I can see medullary rays (the highlighted portion of the base in image 2), you don't see them all that clearly in Ash often and I am wondering if it is a bit of unusually coloured Sycamore which does show off the rays a lot more obviously.

It would be similar to Lime for cutting at least, Ash is pretty hard wood when dry, Sycamore is softer and easier to cut like Lime.

Nothing definitive though, all based on assumption, previous experience and guesswork.

 

[joethedrummer]

Good morning woodspinners,

Many thanks for your help.

I took a couple more pictures, may be a bit washed out due to being too close, and you can see that the heartwood is light and the sapwood is dark. I looked thro" Terry Porters WOOD book and most woods are the other way round.

Kim, re the smell of the wood, due to working with some pretty aggresive adhesives in the past I have very little sense of smell, so I took some shavings wrapped in a piece of rag to the pub when I went for my supper and asked Betty the barmaid to have a sniff but she just said, "you are not catching me with the chloroform trick again !!".

The wood cuts freely so I"m leaning towards Sycamore.

Adam, it was not a foreign wood , I am fairly certain, all of which will teach me to mark up pieces of wood more consistently in future

,,,,joe,,,,

 

[Neil Farrer]

You're right it was a punt, and I think you're right, sycamore. Here's a piece I cut about a month or so ago, same sort of colour, sadly the colours faded after a week or so and became the same brown as in the lidded pot.

 

[Neil Farrer]

Joe,

Think you'll find that the colour difference does not distinguish between the sap and heartwood, the colour is discoloured heartwood, the light is normal heartwood.

 

[joethedrummer]

Neil,
That is a tasty piece of wood and you will be able use it well.

The colours in your piece are what I would expect, but my bit has sapwood and heartwood colours the other way round.

Thanks for your help.

,,,,joe,,,,

Sorry Neil, I think our posts crossed,,