Identifying my timber

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Some pic to work with
 

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Probably a tropical hardwood of some description. As Tom says, maybe utile. Maybe sapele. Those photos are so far away and so indistinct that we'll really just be guessing. The end grain helps, if you can get a photo of that close up.
 
Yes it could be dark red meranti AKA Philippine mahogany. Only the end grain may help narrow it down, numerous species can look surprisingly alike on the long-grain surfaces.
 
dbarber20":21o32ntq said:
Here a partly finished example

As ED65 said, there's a lot of "mahogany" timbers such as Sapele, Utile, Keruing, and Meranti that look identical from a distance and very similar up-close. There are subtle differences to tell the timbers apart but the majority of the tell-tale signs are in the end-grain.

If I were to hazard a guess though, I think it looks like Utile.
 
Right then I finally have a end grain shot is it me or does it kind of look like Cuban mahogany?
 

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I'm no expert but cuban or real honduras mahogany has more of a redder look to it.
I would think the face grain which could be pictured a whole lot better, would give better results as the end grain on these tropical species look similar sometimes.
I suspect you would need a ruler for more of an idea on this end grain.
Some better, as in closer photos of the grain and not the overall display of that ribbioning would be what I'd want to see
if someone were asking me for i.d on iroko, or meranti for example.
I'd know these a mile away, but would be surest seeing the pores, the hairlines that you see in the face grain.
With something small to give an idea of perspective might help if its a photo with nothing else but the plank in it.

For starters though... are you sure all the timber you have is the same?
You could successfully i.d the first few, and start making something, and not realise the bottom timbers in the pile might be something else.
Its all good stuff if you don't need it to be a consistent, although you could probably mix it to good effect if you planned it.
Tom
 

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