Wood ID please.

[ozzpoz]

Hi. Can anyone help ID this. A friend gave me it. It's the bottom of an old mangle.
Wondering if it's worth cleaning up and using for some little projects.
The one on the right I've given a quick sanding. Didn't take much effort to clean up.
Thanks.

 

[Myfordman]

Could be Iroko

 

[ozzpoz]

Give it a run through my new planer. Cleaned up nice. We still thinking iroko.

 

[niall Y]

If it is off a mangle of some age then it might well be Teak,

 

[ozzpoz]

It was out of a friend's late father's house. He thinks it was early 1900s, as far as he knows the boards are original

 

[niall Y]

If you look to the likes of "George Ellis" in his book - Modern Practical Joinery, for a list of contemporary hardwoods that were readily available in the early 1900's. there is little mention of African hardwoods and none at all of Iroko, The only one we would recognize from the list. now is Khaya.
Looking at what else was available the closest likely candidate given its performance in wet conditions is Teak which, then was more plentiful than it is now.

 

[squib]

Looks like Teak to me.

 

[pat from Marck]

Beautiful grain

 

[meccarroll]

There are people on here that are far better placed at identifying wood than me and I am sure they will come along in time. If you could take close up photos as well as the ones from a distance but also end grain photos it will help identify the wood.

I did work in a yacht building company for 3.5 years and Teak was used extensively on some yachts (decking, doors, handrails, outdoor lockers etc, and was a prominant feature on others. Teak is nice to work so will finish well through a planer is is also oily when worked so if you run your fingers across it after you plane it you should be able to pick up the oily feel, because of the oil in teak the sandpaper in an orbital sander will clog even hand sanding will clog the paper very quickly. Teak also has a distinctive smell unlike other hardwoods, we used asetone to clean the joints before gluing.

Mark