Help Identifying Wood

Back to: Wood and Wood Preparation9 Replies

Welcome! / Forums / General Woodworking Discussions / Wood and Wood Preparation / Help Identifying Wood

  • Author
    Posts
  • Austin Conner
    5 March 2020 at 5:28 pm #651889

    Can you help me identify this wood?

    This was found at an estate sale and was mixed in with a large lot I purchased.

    I’ll likely post a few more photos of its found siblings as well.

    Larry Geib
    5 March 2020 at 6:47 pm #651900

    Post a picture of freshly planed end grain. If it looks like pic I post Santos Mahogany is in the running, especially if the shavings have a perfume balsam scent.
    The wood will be hard and hard to plane. You can get a high polish, though

    If it is softer and easier to plane Khaya ( African Mahogany) is in the running.

    If it is softer yet, it could even be Spanish cedar. It will smell like, well, cedar.

    None are are true mahogany ( swietenia)

    Austin Conner
    5 March 2020 at 7:18 pm #651906

    Thanks for the response Larry. I didn’t notice a scent when I cleaned this board up, but it planed fairly easily.

    I also snagged pieces of what I believe to be African Mahogany. The board pictured above is much more dense than those pieces.

    I’ll post more pictures when I get back to my garage. I had to drop these off quickly.

    Larry Geib
    5 March 2020 at 7:32 pm #651910

    Could also be Jarrah, which can have that interlocking grain and boat flecks.

    Austin Conner
    6 March 2020 at 12:15 am #651950

    Here’s the end grain of that previous board.

    Austin Conner
    6 March 2020 at 12:17 am #651953

    This is another board from my find. Is this African Mahogany?

    Austin Conner
    6 March 2020 at 2:00 pm #652018

    I’ve looked a bit more, and I’ve about convinced myself the board in my original post is Padauk.

    I’m also fairly certain my latest post is African Mahogany. I’d love to be told I’m incorrect though if someone knows better than me.

    Rodrigo Rivero
    6 April 2020 at 5:51 am #655941

    Hi Austin.

    Regarding your last post, I was thinking that may be it’s sapele….specially because of that end grain look. Did have a kind of spicy smell?

    Again it’s difficult to say from here but to my eyes looks pretty close to it.

    Stijn Bossuyt
    7 April 2020 at 8:32 am #656056

    Hi Austin,
    I can confirm that the first few photos you posted are indeed Padauk, 100% sure. It smells a bit like chocolate and cardboard.
    I’m not sure about your last 2 photos, though. It looks a bit like Afrormosia to me, but that’s just a guess.

    Austin Conner
    7 April 2020 at 1:58 pm #656086

    Thank you for the replies Rodrigo and Stijn.

    I’m happy to know I was correct on the Padauk, it made a lovely accent as part of an entryway tabletop.

    Rodrigo, I think you are correct. I’ve never seen Sapele in person, but it seems pretty available in this area and would make sense.

  • Author
    Posts
  • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.