What do I have and why so much ?

So I noticed this wood getting tossed out. Hard and heavy. Hmmm nice brush maybe? Now I am in no hurry to start up another project but I grabbed a ton of it anyway. My second thought and why I grabbed so much was I also want a cool butcher block. A big one. Started thinking this wood may not be the best choice after all. I have taken it to Rocklers and the guys there were stumped and told me to come back when so and so was working. Of which I found out , no one knew when that would be. Then it dawned on me I have some pretty smart friends around here :<0)

Attachment 272074

Attachment 272075

What do you think ? Is it going to kill me to cut beef jerky or make a sandwich on it ? In trying to ID it on my own I come up with mahogany or walnut. Not sure if it came from South America or Washington. It is sticker material from a lift of Luan at HD store which makes me think mahogany. I cut off a piece and ran it across the belt grinder with 80 grit to see what's inside better. The crack/inclusion will take a paring knife all the way through. That was a small surprise.

Mahogany would be my guess.

Looks like mahogany to me also.

Cant help but it looks like a nice chunk of wood. I'd have grabbed it too.

Hey pups,

I'm no wood expert however have you tried sanding Lengthwise? I'm sure that you are aware that Mahogany is an 'open grain' wood and the 'pores' would still be very visible as they are quite noticeable.

Just a thought.:shrug:

I am not convinced that it is mahogany, however mahogany is an interesting wood in that it comes in quite a few colours. I have a bunch in my crawl space and the grain is super tight on yours. There are so many different hardwoods that it could make your head spin. They publish large, multivolume books with just grain pictures and densities. If it is non pours enough to make a nice cutting block out of it then go for it. It will be an amazing butcher block, and you won't find hardwood for less.

It has open grain on the side but the end cut looks the best to me. I have a few light colored sticks and a couple with a reddish hew, maybe 20 in all 4' long.

The 2 sides and end you see on the small piece are sanded 80 grit on a platen .

I think it smells like mahogany too. Been 40 years since I worked it but the smell is familiar.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by cudarunner

Hey pups,

I'm no wood expert however have you tried sanding Lengthwise? I'm sure that you are aware that Mahogany is an 'open grain' wood and the 'pores' would still be very visible as they are quite noticeable.

Just a thought.:shrug:

---

Just like oak :<0)

Mahagony ...wood is relatively soft...f properly worked sanded and laquerwd it makes nice scales...brush handles...hell if you have enough of it you can even get a carpenter to bind it and make a cabinet for razor storage...the wood is a pleasure to work with and has realy perlescent grain in the light if laquered....if you make it into razor storage cabinet or box I sugest leaving the inside unlaquered...for moisture absorbance...beeing relatively soft and porous wit variable dwnsity...it takes up a bit more oil finish and laquer qould be more apropriate for it.

Nice catch! Make some scales from it they rrealy look nice...I did some in CA finish with black liners and brass spacer and washers... and I loved them

Teak......I could be wrong but I've seen Teak look very similar to this.

That is probably lauan, genus Shorea, sometimes called "Philippine mahogany," although it isn't real mahogany -- genuine mahogany comes (came) from the Americas. This stuff would come from East Asia, probably the Philippines or Malaysia. It's made into thin plywood typically and sold in home centers, so lots of people call any thin dark plywood with a surfaced side "luan." The reason that stack of lauan plywood at HD was stickered with it is that it probably comes from the same timbers used to make the plywood.

There are lots of different species in the genus (like, over a hundred identified) and they have different qualities for working. The plywoods have a reputation for being made from soft wood, but you might have gotten something like dark red meranti, which is fairly durable and not as soft as some other varieties (although none of them are really hard).

What you have is beautiful wood, with a cool grain pattern and color. If I had it, I wouldn't use it outdoors and I wouldn't expect great strength or hardness. I'd cut 4/4 or 8/4 planks and let them stabilize indoors for a few weeks, check moisture and then plane and work with it. Boxes, razor scales, picture frames -- but not a cutting board. Shorea is kind of soft and there are so many species, you just don't know what you have there. Probably whatever the mill could get cheap.

Genuine mahogany (like from South America) is difficult to get hold of these days, and it's critically endangered. I have only ever dealt with it when repairing old furniture, but it's well-documented to be wonderful stuff, exceptionally stable, durable, workable. I don't think you would find it in a home center and if you did they would probably be violating some laws at the source.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jmabuse

Genuine mahogany (like from South America) is difficult to get hold of these days, and it's critically endangered. I have only ever dealt with it when repairing old furniture, but it's well-documented to be wonderful stuff, exceptionally stable, durable, workable. I don't think you would find it in a home center and if you did they would probably be violating some laws at the source.

---

Thank you very much for the information. :bow:

Now I have to wonder what it was that had such an open grain and we were told was Mahogany when I was in High School Wood Shop from '68 to 71' :shrug:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by cudarunner

Thank you very much for the information. :bow:

Now I have to wonder what it was that had such an open grain and we were told was Mahogany when I was in High School Wood Shop from '68 to 71' :shrug:

---

That was probably real mahogany from Brazil or Peru! Brazil didn't stop exports until 2001 and there is still a lot of illegal logging in Peru.

On my screen the top pic shows a purple hue on the cube. Could be purpleheart ?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by onimaru55

On my screen the top pic shows a purple hue on the cube. Could be purpleheart ?

---

Seems unlikely to me -- purpleheart is an American wood, and the grain is pretty regular and straight unlike this stuff. I don't think it would show up being used to sticker Asian plywood at a home center.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by 10Pups

So I noticed this wood getting tossed out. Hard and heavy. Hmmm nice brush maybe? Now I am in no hurry to start up another project but I grabbed a ton of it anyway. My second thought and why I grabbed so much was I also want a cool butcher block. A big one. Started thinking this wood may not be the best choice after all. I have taken it to Rocklers and the guys there were stumped and told me to come back when so and so was working. Of which I found out , no one knew when that would be. Then it dawned on me I have some pretty smart friends around here :<0)

Attachment 272074

Attachment 272075

What do you think ? Is it going to kill me to cut beef jerky or make a sandwich on it ? In trying to ID it on my own I come up with mahogany or walnut. Not sure if it came from South America or Washington. It is sticker material from a lift of Luan at HD store which makes me think mahogany. I cut off a piece and ran it across the belt grinder with 80 grit to see what's inside better. The crack/inclusion will take a paring knife all the way through. That was a small surprise.

---

Looks like mahogany, but I doubt it considering what it was being used for.
Should turn out nice if seasoned correctly, 2 years per inch minimum.
Would make a very nice end grain butchers block if there is enough without the void.

That looks exactly like a pile of boards I got from a friend when he moved several years ago. I never did identify it for certain. The stuff I had came from the decking that made up the floor of rail boxcars. Seems a terrible waste of what turned out to be beautiful wood. I too thought it was mahogany at first, but can't imagine they would use something that expensive for decking. So I like the suggestion of an alternate mahogany-like hardwood. I found it a bit splintery to work with, and just in case it had the same potential dangers as mahogany (I heard its dust could be pretty nasty stuff), I always made sure to use a mask when working it.

I made a table out of it and will attach a couple of pics. It has been quite a while, but I think this was finished with tung oil.

Attachment 272557

Attachment 272558

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Cangooner

That looks exactly like a pile of boards I got from a friend when he moved several years ago. I never did identify it for certain. The stuff I had came from the decking that made up the floor of rail boxcars. Seems a terrible waste of what turned out to be beautiful wood. I too thought it was mahogany at first, but can't imagine they would use something that expensive for decking. So I like the suggestion of an alternate mahogany-like hardwood. I found it a bit splintery to work with, and just in case it had the same potential dangers as mahogany (I heard its dust could be pretty nasty stuff), I always made sure to use a mask when working it.

I made a table out of it and will attach a couple of pics. It has been quite a while, but I think this was finished with tung oil.

Attachment 272557

Attachment 272558

---

That is a really nice piece!

Harry -
Teak was another guess I was making. The color had me toss that idea. Soooo maybe ? The color looks exactly like a redwood. The texture oak. And it is VERY heavy.
You know when you pick up a piece of wood and think " oh this stuff is solid". It's like that x2 .

JMAbuse -
I read all that on a search and gave it much consideration. I use a Diablo blade on a circ saw and have cut everything from concrete , metal , balsa, and tons of other woods with it. This stuff is very hard. I think the part about it being a different species in that particular forest is dead on. I was also thinking if the company cutting tremendous amounts of lumber had a certain tree they could not sell it would easily go in the cull and be made into stickers. Illegal to sell, endangered, make stickers out of it.

It will make a great brush and lots of other cool stuff. Even if I make a block out it I will have plenty of left overs. I will take some more pics under different light and maybe spin some on the lathe. I thought this was going to be easy for you guys :<0)

[QUOTE=Cangooner;1767736]That looks exactly like a pile of boards I got from a friend when he moved several years ago. I never did identify it for certain. The stuff I had came from the decking that made up the floor of rail boxcars. Seems a terrible waste of what turned out to be beautiful wood. I too thought it was mahogany at first, but can't imagine they would use something that expensive for decking. So I like the suggestion of an alternate mahogany-like hardwood. I found it a bit splintery to work with, and just in case it had the same potential dangers as mahogany (I heard its dust could be pretty nasty stuff), I always made sure to use a mask when working it.

I made a table out of it and will attach a couple of pics. It has been quite a while, but I think this was finished with tung oil.

Nice table and great save of some cool wood. There are lots of woods used for decking and you might do a search for such woods. I mean it is used for that and not much else. IE apitong which os another wood mine might be. Lots of different grain patterns in this species and although once plentiful, not so much anymore.

+1 to the apitong suggestion. I think the endgrain in particular is similar.

Mahogany would be my first guess but it also looks like a chuck of Walnut. Either way wear a mask when sanding and shaping.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Cangooner

That looks exactly like a pile of boards I got from a friend when he moved several years ago. I never did identify it for certain. The stuff I had came from the decking that made up the floor of rail boxcars. Seems a terrible waste of what turned out to be beautiful wood. I too thought it was mahogany at first, but can't imagine they would use something that expensive for decking. So I like the suggestion of an alternate mahogany-like hardwood. I found it a bit splintery to work with, and just in case it had the same potential dangers as mahogany (I heard its dust could be pretty nasty stuff), I always made sure to use a mask when working it.

I made a table out of it and will attach a couple of pics. It has been quite a while, but I think this was finished with tung oil.

Attachment 272557

Attachment 272558

---

looks like Teak. Teak, teak, teak.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MisterClean

Mahogany would be my first guess but it also looks like a chuck of Walnut. Either way wear a mask when sanding and shaping.

---

Whatever it is MrClean is correct:

Toxic Woods - Shave Library

The toxic thing is why I was concerned in the first place. Hate to cut up a hazmat sandwich on new butcher block and go hiking in the wilderness :<0) The breathing thing I got covered. Two respirators hanging on the power switches.

I am in the Teak camp too Harry. Thinking exotic Philippine type from somewhere weird where they think it's trash wood. Sure is colorful.

I've seen pallets with bananas on it that looks like rough cut mahogany. They had the original Chiquita Banana Slip Sheet stapled to it. :shrug:

Aloha!

I'm not a woodmeister by any stretch of the imagination. But I do have a record cabinet that my aunt shipped to my grandfather from China in the 50's when she was over there on some sort of teacher exchange gig for her Masters degree. This is a big cabinet and it must have cost her a fortune to ship to the US even back in the 50s.

The cabinet is Mahogany. The inside looks just like your raw wood samples. But Teak also looks like Mahagany to me (depending on the type of Teak as it can range from honey to darker brown).

So my guess would be Mahogany as 1st guess, Teak as 2nd.

-Zip

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by HARRYWALLY

looks like Teak. Teak, teak, teak.

---

Oh great. Now I feel worse about being separated from my stockpile!

:(

Man! You could make a LOT of brush-handles using that table! :hmmm:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by cudarunner

Whatever it is MrClean is correct:

Toxic Woods - Shave Library

---

Every time I see those lists, it makes me look at my favourite wood to work with, Yew, and it is tricky and deadly, but so beautiful.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by RezDog

Every time I see those lists, it makes me look at my favourite wood to work with, Yew, and it is tricky and deadly, but so beautiful.

---

Every time I look at my little black book, it makes me look at my favorite female to work with, blonde, and she is tricky and deadly, but so beautiful. Sorry, the analogy just came to me. Was thinking us men have a tendency to cherish such things sometimes and it popped out.

Speaking of tricky and a little dangerous,,,I think I am going to need a planer to get started on this. Have to plan my scrap to include a few brushes too :<0)