Yet another wood identification

[RichardG]

I had a load of wood dropped off by a local landscape gardener which he‘s just removed from a garden. Some Cherry but also another wood that appears to be purple inside when cut, both trees were removed due to rot which is a shame as the purple wood trunk would have otherwise been a decent size. After chainsawing outside it’s left me with a horrible taste…Yew?

 

[Cabinetman]

Hi, the bark on the first photo looks like cherry to me, can’t comment on the timber itself except to say not Yew in my opinion. Ian

 

[Fitzroy]

My overgrown lilac was that same purple colour when cut. Soon faded, but awesome at first.

 

[heronviewer]

Plum ?

 

[Robert]

Plum / Damson with silver leaf (fungi) stain?

 

[IanA]

When my parent's house was sold up there was a lilac tree in the front garden and a plum tree in the back garden. Both in a poor condition so I seasoned some of the wood to make a chess set. The lilac grain was absolutely beautiful and contained a similar delicate shade of purple as in Richards photo. Unfortunately as in Fitzroy's experience the purple has faded. On the other hand the plum wood was a rich brown and provided a marked contrast between the two opposing sides of the set, photos attached. ( The box is neither lilac nor plum but spalted silver birch) Ian.A

 

[RichardG]

Thanks everyone for their thoughts, obviously not a straightforward one. I’ll cut and plane a piece up to see if that gives any more clues. The purple seems to be fading already…..

 

[Suffolkboy]

Plum / Damson with silver leaf (fungi) stain?

This would be my guess. Maybe even blackthorn. It's a fruit wood of some sort.

It's definitely not Yew.

 

[RichardG]

An update, after having a discussion with the Landscape gardener he said it was definitely from the Prunus family and if he had to go further, a type of Gauge. For info here’s a bit planed up.

I particularly liked the shavings, I almost convinced someone I’d dropped a bag of Smokey Bacon Frazels.

 

[thetyreman]

I would guess plum as well, I like the bacon shavings

 

[Woodchip Wilbur]

An update, after having a discussion with the Landscape gardener he said it was definitely from the Prunus family and if he had to go further, a type of Gauge. For info here’s a bit planed up.

I'd agree with the Prunus sp too - though I think it would be a "gage", rather than a measuring instrument!