Can you ID this wood?

[gregmcateer]

So, genltemen,
below a photo of the tree, flower, end grain and rough-turned.
Hope we'll get an ID, (though I'm still favouring False Acacia)

Cheers,
Greg

 

[stevebuk]

So, genltemen,
below a photo of the tree, flower, end grain and rough-turned.
Hope we'll get an ID, (though I'm still favouring False Acacia)

Cheers,
Greg

i agree, http://www.barcham.co.uk/trees/robinia- ... lse-acacia

 

[dickm]

Well, the pic of the flowers proves 100% it's not ash! Those are classic legume flowers, which says it's most likely to be in the Acacia/pseudoacacia family. One other possibility is Judas Tree (can't remember its proper specific name). I had a young one in my last garden, and it had those flowers and similar, though rather browner green, leaves. Don't know how big they will grow in time, but since the name arises from the story that it was the species Judas Iscariot used to hang himself, presumably a reasonable size.

 

[gregmcateer]

Cheers Steve and Dick,
Seems we've narrowed it down to one of two - I'm happy with that!
If I bump into my friendly local tree officer I'll ask him and let you know.
Thanks,
Greg

 

[stevebuk]

dont think its the Judas tree ( cercis siliquastrum) the flowers are mainly pink .

 

[gus3049]

Robinia pseudoacacia my in-house reference library says (the wife) So Black Locust it is.

We cut one down earlier in the year and it is rock solid and dries very quickly. Not too much character though, very yellow.

 

[dickm]

dont think its the Judas tree ( cercis siliquastrum) the flowers are mainly pink .

I've changed my mind too - although the flowers on my Judas tree were definitely more white than pink, my memory of the leaves was at fault, and the individual leaflets were more heart shaped.
Still a bit doubtful about it being Robinia, which I thought was noticeablly spiny. Had a trawl through the RHS encyclopedia, but there's so many branches of the legume family that I couldn't find a better candidate.
Will be interested to hear what the tree officer says if the OP finds him/her.

 

[jurriaan]

The leaves don't remind me of Robinia Pseudoacacia. May I offer Sophora Japonica? I've turned that as a grown tree (20" diameter) and the sapwood is very yellow - heartwood is more brown. The wood is hard, dries without much shrinking and turns very good. After storing the wood, a strange stickly residue leaks out from between the bark and the wood.

Leaves and flowers, as seen on Wikipedia here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Styphnolobium_japonicum seem to match.

One of my bowls, as seen here: http://www.houtenschalen.nl/schalen_natuurrand_geen_schors/2008502.html shows the yellow sapwood, but the colors in my pictures are a bit off and the bowl has been oiled as well. I remember the sapwood as being very yellow.

 

[dickm]

Never seen or heard of Sophora japonica before, but following your wiki-lead, I was amused to note that a Chinese emperor hanged himself from it. Must be something to do with the legume family!

 

[gus3049]

The other half say that the spikes only tend to be on new growth so on big trees they wouldn't be so in evidence. The attached pic looks pretty close to me.

 

[gregmcateer]

Gents,
Thanks again for taking the trouble to investigate.
Gordon - thanks for the heads up re the turning and bland grain.
I'll have a crack at it when it's dried - What sort of percentage moisture should it be at? (I've got a standard damp meter, so I don't know how accurate it will be).
Dick - the Tree Officer said I can call him any time, though he is 'protected' (his words, not mine!!), form the public due to abusive phone calls!
Cheers,
Greg

 

[Richard T]

Greg, an easy though very non - scientific way of checking if it's mock acacia is if it smells of pea pods when freshly cut.
Certainly looks that way to me - there are a lot of them as street trees in Solihull and I've handled a fair few.
Hard, dense, yellow/green streaks and stringy?

 

[gregmcateer]

Greg, an easy though very non - scientific way of checking if it's mock acacia is if it smells of pea pods when freshly cut.
Certainly looks that way to me - there are a lot of them as street trees in Solihull and I've handled a fair few.
Hard, dense, yellow/green streaks and stringy?

I like non-scientific!

Yep - Smells of pea pods - so reckons we've cracked 'tween us all.
Thanks again, all.
Will post up a photo when I finally summon up the courage / ability to turn something worth showing, rather than an endless row of poorly made approximations at beads and coves on old bits of windo frames!

Cheers

Greg

 

[dickm]

FWIW, I got some Robinia logs from one of the Ickworth timber sales, and also some from Westonbirt, to make up doors to match the true acacia kitchen we had at the time. It's remarkably hard once seasoned, but pretty stable. The lovely yellow colour of the fresh wood changes amazingly over time once it's been worked; goes a lovely milk chocolate brown all on its own.

 

[gus3049]

FWIW, I got some Robinia logs from one of the Ickworth timber sales. The lovely yellow colour of the fresh wood changes amazingly over time once it's been worked; goes a lovely milk chocolate brown all on its own.

Well I wish mine would, its still resolutely yellow.

How long do I have to wait?

 

[dickm]

How long do I have to wait?

Can't remember for sure, but it was almost certainly less than six months. Don't know if the atmosphere in which it sits is critical - may depend on humidity?

 

[jurriaan]

You can smoke it with ammonia, and it'll turn dark brown in a very short time. After drying, it takes longer and will only go to dark green (after 72 hrs, in my experience). So if you want the golden brown now, I'd try a diluted ammonia solution on some pieces - be prepared to rinse liberally once the color is to your liking.

Also, be sure to store the wet wood out of contact with iron, it'll corrode like with oak.

 

[gregmcateer]

You can smoke it with ammonia, and it'll turn dark brown in a very short time.

Blimey! You'd need a very big cigarette holder!

 

[dickm]

... the other way is to keep it in a stable/byre over a load of nicely urine-soaked muck!