What is this wood?

[Rodpr]

Can anyone identify this wood? My neighbour gave me a few logs after he cut down a row of trees in his hedgerow. Could it be (diseased) elm? I have turned 4 small bowls so far and I really like the patterning!

 

[Adam Pinson]

No idea but looks great turned

 

[Adam W.]

Looks like tree wood to me.

Nice though and I like the black colour, where did you get it from ?

 

[gog64]

Holly with some spalting?

 

[gog64]

that is from a large holly I felled a few weeks ago. Fresh holly smells horrible, so that’s a clue if you noticed that when turning.

 

[gregmcateer]

Lovely wood.
Not a clue what it is. Have you got some clear view of bark, buds, leaves?

 

[Mike bryant]

It is definitely Holly!

 

[Rodpr]

I'm pretty sure it's not holly. Bark is darker. I have just cut a bigger log and flecking looks like beech!

 

[LaymarCrafts]

Spalted Beech

 

[gregmcateer]

I'm tending to holly, too

 

[dickm]

I'd go for spalted beech too. The later pics show (IMHO) the typical ray pattern of beech, and can't recall ever seeing that sort of dark spalting with holly.

 

[Mike bryant]

Is there an acrid smell when you cut the fresh wood?

 

[Rodpr]

No. No really noticeable smell. I have turned holly before and I am pretty confident that it isn't holly.

 

[Bob Chapman]

+1 spalted beech. It has the characteristic beech ‘flecks’.

 

[Rodpr]

Many thanks everyone.

 

[Rodpr]

I turned two more (slightly bigger) bowls today and the old-timers at the men's shed reckon it can't be beech (bark is wrong). They settled on bay, which seems quite likely, judging from the regrowth in the hedgerow they came from.

 

[KimG]

I have identified quite a few timbers on here over the years, with evidence for for each, but got to say, this one is completely new, the bark does look slightly like beech, but the timber (I don't think that's spalting, it's too regular) is like a toned down version of Plane which has very visible medullary rays, but it's not Plane as the bark is wrong. I agree that Holly is out of the question, the bark is wrong, the strong ray pattern is like no Holly I have ever seen, not even the colour of the timber. So the possibility of Bay is intriguing, I have never seen a large section of Bay timber before.

 

[Rodpr]

I have identified quite a few timbers on here over the years, with evidence for for each, but got to say, this one is completely new, the bark does look slightly like beech, but the timber (I don't think that's spalting, it's too regular) is like a toned down version of Plane which has very visible medullary rays, but it's not Plane as the bark is wrong. I agree that Holly is out of the question, the bark is wrong, the strong ray pattern is like no Holly I have ever seen, not even the colour of the timber. So the possibility of Bay is intriguing, I have never seen a large section of Bay timber before.

Thanks Kim. I have some more pieces from bay trees I have cut. Most have split along the full length of the log (about 3x diameter) but I also have a standing trunk yet to be cut down so I could take a slice off to compare.

 

[woodfarmer]

My guess is Horse chestnut,
https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/attachments/p1020862-jpg.37989/
but it could well be bay
https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/attachments/p1020106-jpg.25586/