Yet another “What wood is this”... sorry!

[Sawdust=manglitter]

I recently won a box of random pieces of wood at an auction. These two interesting pieces of wood are both beautiful and I would love to get more of them if I can, but unfortunately I have no idea what they are!

The first piece is very dense and heavy. Definitely some kind of exotic...

And the second piece is fairly lightweight and was pretty rough looking until I planed some of it. Beautiful (quilted?) figure though. It does have some white spirits on some of it...

 

[Trevanion]

Oh, some really interesting ones here!

The first one looks a bit like Purpleheart, but in some kind of weird hollow log form. I can't say for certain though as the grain doesn't look to familiar to the stuff I've got, but there aren't many purple woods around :?. It's seriously hard, dense and difficultish to work so that sounds a bit like you described.

The second one, I think it's Sweet Chestnut, but It's so hard to tell with such wild grain! Very beautiful piece of whatever it is!

 

[Ttrees]

First looks like Indian rosewood, or east indian rosewood.
I hear the latter is a lesser grade and used to shelter coffee or tea plantations
Lesser grade as in less purple colour and much wider grain lines that it makes a stripe pattern.
It looks like it might be the good stuff by the colour, but am unable to tell you how big the old trees were.
Big enough for half a guitars worth anyway and that looks to be small if it is.
Looks tasty
That's my guess, and no clue what the second example is

 

[thetyreman]

the first one looks quite a lot like some kind of rosewood species, second one no idea but it reminds me a bit of quilted maple.

 

[Peri]

Not a clue - but that second piece is stunning.

 

[MikeG.]

Isn't that second one maple?

 

[thetyreman]

what do you plan on using the woods for?

 

[Droogs]

+1 for rosewood and quilted maple

 

[Sawdust=manglitter]

I wasn’t sure whether the first one was something like Kingwood. It’s lovely stuff though. Possibly destined to become some hand tools or parts for some, but this will be kept for when i’m happy i could do it justice.

The second piece, I thought it could have been maple, but feels a bit light for that. I’ve had some similarly coloureds chestnut before though. It could be either of them at this point. Really would love to get more of it though.

Thanks for the suggestions

 

[ED65]

First, no clue but a dalbergia does seem like a somewhat safe bet!

And pomelle/quilted ash?

 

[--Tom--]

My first thought was a rosewood

I’d be surprised if the second was sycamore/maple due to the bark

 

[Woody2Shoes]

I guess the first one is some kind of rosewood.

I guess the second could be oak - if you plane perpendicular (e.g. down that cleaved face) to the growth rings are there any medullary rays?

Cheers, W2S

 

[Suffolkboy]

Hi Ron.

No idea where to start with the first one...

Could you post a front on picture of the bark from the second?

 

[Sawdust=manglitter]

Hi Ron.

No idea where to start with the first one...

Could you post a front on picture of the bark from the second?

More photos of the bark...

This is it next to the bark of what I know is Maple

And if it helps, the density of it is approx 570kg/m3, which appears to be in the ballpark of both Maple and Ash.

Also, the possible rosewood one has a density of approx 1100kg/m3, which again is in the ballpark for a type of rosewood

 

[ED65]

Bark isn't at all diagnostic. I believe some pros will discount it entirely as it can basically tell big fat lies about what the species is. Microscopic examination of the end grain, cut very smooth or sanded finely, is the thing to always fall back on; sometimes it's the only sure way to know. Other times it'll at least rule out things from the list of tentative IDs that were based on the overall appearance, colour and grain.

 

[Trevanion]

 

[Suffolkboy]

Bark isn't at all diagnostic. I believe some pros will discount it entirely as it can basically tell big fat lies about what the species is. Microscopic examination of the end grain, cut very smooth or sanded finely, is the thing to always fall back on; sometimes it's the only sure way to know. Other times it'll at least rule out things from the list of tentative IDs that were based on the overall appearance, colour and grain.

Bark can be very helpful. It certainly builds a picture and can help to confirm a picture based on grain etc.

I'd argue that it is probably as helpful as a low resolution photo of grain on a website viewed on a phone screen.

There are many species of tree that have very distinctive bark and can quite easily be identified from Bark alone.

Douglas Fir springs to mind as an example of a tree that I would be confident of identifying from bark 100%.

That said it's not really helping me in this case #-o except to say that I would discount ash based on those pictures.

 

[ED65]

There are many species of tree that have very distinctive bark and can quite easily be identified from Bark alone.

I'd have thought so too until I moved out to the country and started walking through the local park :lol: A good example I filed away for future reference: there is a young oak in a row of trees of similar age that has bark most unlike its neighbours'. And actually you could mistake it for a birch in certain areas unless you looked up at the leaves :shock:

Douglas Fir springs to mind as an example of a tree that I would be confident of identifying from bark 100%.

With trees of any age though? Even the one species can have two (or more?) distinct phases in the development of the bark, with young trees completely different from the gnarly fully developed bark of the mature tree. Or I should say, typical of the mature tree

 

[Suffolkboy]

I can understand just walking through a country park may not be the background in tree identification needed. I've worked with in and around trees my whole life.

I work in Forestry. If I couldn't identify at least native trees from bark in my line of work I'd look fairly stupid.

and yes. At any growth stage. I see them go in the ground as saplings and lying by the side of the road as timber.

All that said. It didn't help me identify the timber in this particular thread so I'm obviously not that good at it!