Help needed indentifying wood type

[lemonjeff]

Firstly hello to all,

I'm sure this will the first of many questions as I'm just starting woodworking.

The wife wants some bedroom furniture in this wood, I'm not sure what type it is.

The furniture in the pictures is I think MFC, but I want to use a combination of sheet and hardwood.

Jeff

 

[Alf]

Welcome, Jeff. I'll just assist you in defeating the Spaminator...

Cheers, Alf

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Lemonjeff,

Welcome to the forum

I think you'll find that wood is steamed beech. Natural beech is a bit whiter - the steaming process makes it go pink.

Cheers
Brad

 

[pidgeonpost]

Hi Lemonjeff...from the top pictures I would have said it was possibly ash, but looking at the shot lower down with the reflection on it it could be oak. No doubt you'll get a few more suggestions too!
Good luck with the project!

 

[PowerTool]

Welcome to the forum

Going from the third picture,I'd agree with Brad's idea that it's beech.

Andrew

 

[Anonymous]

Beech 8)

Its a nice wood to work especially planing and paring with chisle's. Hardwaring, takes stain or paint well.

 

[MooreToolsPlease]

it isnt oak is it?

 

[Escudo]

I used to have a telephone like that....about 20 years ago....tee hee :lol:

 

[Colin C]

Hi Lemonjeff

I would say it was oak from your pictures but it can be a little hard to see properly with MFC type stuff unless you are looking at it yourself

 

[wrightclan]

Really everyone, it's just plastic. :lol:

Seriously though, I'm going to have to add to the oak votes. The grain pattern is much more reminiscent of oak than beech. But the colour has some kind of effect that is giving it a slight whitened tone. Not exactly limed oak, but something along those lines. (Or maybe it's an effect of the digital camera. I find that digital photos can have odd effects on colours.)

Brad

 

[Anonymous]

I'm having second thoughts.

On my crappy screen at home last night (the kids get to use the good one!) it looked like beech. This morning in the workshop it looks like oak-grained plastic-covered chipboard coloured to resemble steamed beech!

I would take a guess that it is the colour that your good lady likes the look of and therefore suggest that you use steamed beech and/or steamed beech veneered MDF for your own furniture.

Cheers
Brad

 

[wrightclan]

I would take a guess that it is the colour that your good lady likes the look of ...


Cheers
Brad

That's a good point that us woodies (at least this one) can sometimes forget. When a non-woodie says they like the look of something wood ( or in this case, faux wood) we can get caught up in all the properties of the wood. If someone wants something 'matched, ' we should ask enough questions to ascertain exactly what they mean. Sometimes it may be as simple as the colour.

By the way, Welcome to the forum, Jeff.



Brad

 

[lemonjeff]

Thanks for all the replies,

On your advice I think it's going to be either light steamed Beech or Oak. (subject to the wifes approval)

The furniture needs to be a light colour so what type of Oak do you suggest ?

Jeff.

 

[Sgian Dubh]

Without doubt Jeff, it's faked up oak. However, if you look carefully at the 'grain' patterns they're not at all like true oak. It's a photographed oak then sort of Photoshopped on to a flat surface. You'll notice that the grain sort of swirls from one 'plank' into the next 'plank' in many instances. There's often not really a straight line where two planks would really be joined together. Secondly, the surface of the MFC is, in all probability, as near as damn it flat. Real oak wood naturally has a coarse, open grain that you can feel as you run your fingers over it.

No real wood will properly match this material. European oak can be polished up to roughly emulate the colour and flatness of the MFC material if you use the right finishing routine, but you state you are a beginner and that might be a bit tricky for you.

Beech is the wrong colour, lacks the grain pattern, and doesn't look at all oak like.

Have you considered making your new pieces out of 'oak' faced MFC the same as, or close to the same as the originals in your images? Slainte.

 

[Rob_H]

I agree - oak veneer type fake stuff, which would tie in as it looks as though the photo was taken in a hotel so they're unlikely to have gone for the real deal - unless, I suppose, it was the Savoy or similar.

 

[woodbloke]

Agree here - looks like a fake oak surface - Rob