mystery wood id

[Charlie Knighton]

my brother-in-law brought me this wood from staunton va
the wood was 7 or 8 inches wide but i do not know if it grows any wider
the moisture content was about 13%, it was very dusty and gummy to turn,
and it cut very cleanly with even my limited skills, it needed very little sanding
the log did not have any cracks in the pith but since i turned it with the pith in, the finished vase has radial cracks

anybody got any ideas????????

 

[Keith Krebs]

The color and grain looks a lot like a willow species we have here in central California that is called Australian Willow. I got the leftovers from a fallen tree in a city park 2 years ago and did several pieces. It turned like you described. I remember the wood slightly darkening about 2 weeks after finishing. That's my best guess.

 

[Steve Worcester]

Since you probably don't have any leaves, a closor view of the log and bark would be helpful.
From this view, I am going with hickory.

 

[Charlie Knighton]

mysery wood id

i only had 1 piece of log, i tried to make a final out of the top 2 1/2 inches but had an , after shaping the outside i drilled a 3/8 hole to use for hollowing and trying to get my drill bit out broke off the top 3 inches of the oxide bit, like i say it was a little gummy anybody else ever broke off a bit inside a vase? now i know when the real fun begins!!!

here's part of the log that i split off for the final

the color of the vase is darker than the picture, i guess i could not help myself but to use a little brightness button

my brother in law is very good at finding me wood, i have a hard time convincing him about pith, but since this is their late xmas gift maybe he will believe me about the pith, but then again i probably would never have turned this wonderful wood, i am on the hunt for some more

 

[Charlie Knighton]

mystery wood final id

here is the broken final, without oil

 

[Dale Bright]

Looks like Hickory to me.

 

[Jim Keenan]

If it was in Hawaii, I would call it silver AKA sliky oak. Especially the bark.

 

[Gretch Flo]

gumminess

Charlie, was the gumminess a problem on the finished piece?? Have worked on 2 different pine burls and it gave me fits, Gretch

 

[Charlie Knighton]

gumminess

was the gumminess a problem on the finished piece

??

no, i really did not notice it til i broke off the 3/8 drill bit before hollowing, the outside face cut very cleanly. getting the broken bit out was when i noticed the gumminess

one other thought the bit was in the pith and with 13% moisture the wood just did not seem to want to let go of the broken bit

 

[MichaelMouse]

??

no, i really did not notice it til i broke off the 3/8 drill bit before hollowing, the outside face cut very cleanly. getting the broken bit out was when i noticed the gumminess

one other thought the bit was in the pith and with 13% moisture the wood just did not seem to want to let go of the broken bit

Second mention of 13% MC as something significant. You do know that 13% is what wood de/re/hydrates to when the relative humidity is at 70%, right? May not be as dry as wood in a heated space at the moment, but come summer unless you're dehumidifying, it's likely to be as good as it gets. Is it a new moisture meter that makes you so concerned?

BTW, might help to have some general info on the density and hardness of the wood to start. With that bark, we've heard hickory to willow. First time I looked I thought it might be bass. How heavy, how hard, did it have any odor (at 13% probably not) when wet, all might help.

 

[underdog]

I'm going to guess Sweet Gum. It has pretty deeply striated bark like that. If it was Hickory, you'd be complaining about how hard it was...

 

[Charlie Knighton]

mystery wood

Second mention of 13% MC as something significant. You do know that 13% is what wood de/re/hydrates to when the relative humidity is at 70%, right? May not be as dry as wood in a heated space at the moment, but come summer unless you're dehumidifying, it's likely to be as good as it gets. Is it a new moisture meter that makes you so concerned?

BTW, might help to have some general info on the density and hardness of the wood to start. With that bark, we've heard hickory to willow. First time I looked I thought it might be bass. How heavy, how hard, did it have any odor (at 13% probably not) when wet, all might help.

13% is what wood de/re/hydrates to when the relative humidity is at 70%, right i did not know that, thanks for the tip, the whole moisture % is something i am measureing but do not know what it implies, i have found that if i turn a vase with less that 20% mositure it will hold its shape

Is it a new moisture meter that makes you so concerned?, i have had it less than a year, i am not very experienced with it. i found it on sale at HF, i like to measure the wood moisture.

How heavy, how hard, did it have any odor (at 13% probably not) when wet, all might help the wood was about the same weight as virginia soft maple, the wood was not very hard again about like maple but dusty, and i could make very clean cuts with very thin ribbons with very little effort unlike maple. because of the clean cuts i enjoyed very much turning this wood and would like to turn some more. there was no odor(from the wood!) i would consider dry mesquite hard, but managable.

hope this helps and i appreciate yalls effort to help me:cool2:

 

[rightuppercut]

Thats not Hickory

With that bark, it is not hickory. Least none that I ever saw. I would go with Underdog and say sweet gum. My first thought was pear, but the barks not right for that either.

 

[MichaelMouse]

People who acquire a new item try to use it all the time, even when, as with the MC of this wood, the results are pretty meaningless. Soft maple density, puts it out of the willow/bass category, certainly.

I'm inclined toward the sweetgum if no odor. Don't have it here, but I've seen the lumber.

Trouble with trees harvested in urban areas is they might be anything. Easier if they come from the woods. Don't know if this is urban or natural.

 

[Charlie Knighton]

mystery wood

Don't know if this is urban or natural.

well, my brother-in-law and sister where visiting his parents, and they live either on the outskirts or outside stauton, evidently they live up the side of a hill or the start of the mountain... i may have to make a trip up there the next time they come up ...(i will be on the scout) they live just miles north of you mm oviedo