What other woods smell strongly of pine?

[tekno.mage]

I've just been roughing out some boxes and found some wood that wasn't what I thought it was. It started life as a log that came with a load of acacia & holly I acquired a while back. This odd log was heavy and gnarly and at the time I thought it looked liked hawthorn. My partner processed it into blanks on the bandsaw and they were left to dry...

So I put one on the lathe and started to rough it out and was surprised at the very strong smell of pine resin that was released. A closer look at the wood convinced me it wasn't hawthorn at all - in fact if not for the strong pine smell I would have wondered if it was yew from the colour of the wood (cream & slightly orange). It's hard, fairly fine grained, with very swirly/gnarly figure and apart from the smell is nothing like any pine I've seen before.

So - is there some other wood that would smell strongly of pine when cut? Or is there some kind of very hard pine with colouration similar to yew?

 

[Bodrighy]

Could be some kind of cedar. I have had cedar with those colours in it. Looks like a pine grain, very strong smell that can get overpowering in fact after a while. Turns well but you can get a tear out on the end grain if the tool isn't really sharp.

Pete

 

[T. Walton]

Sounds like mimosa, i had some from a tree surgeon a couple of years ago, smells like pine orange coloured hart wood and cram coloured sapwood.

 

[DOOGYREV]

It could be BC Pine (British Colombia) from a Douglas fir, its technically classed as pine but is more like a hard wood, both to work with and for its durability, the smell it has when cut is by far my favoutite of all woods, and you can get some really nice wiggily grain.
Although if it was from a log is unlikly.
Have you got a picture of the grain?

 

[tekno.mage]

Here's a pic of the two boxes I've roughed from the unidentified wood. The colours look true to life on my Mac, dunno how they'll show on other machines.

 

[DOOGYREV]

Well its definatly not BC Pine, Looks a bit like Maple, but that doesnt smell of pine, so sorry you've got me stumped (excuse the pun)

Although, I am sure someone else will be able to identify it.

 

[Bodrighy]

Macrocarpa? This one is a bit darker with a finish on it but is lighter when naked

Pete

 

[jumps]

Macrocarpa? This one is a bit darker with a finish on it but is lighter when naked

Pete

Pete - you're thinking Platymiscium pinnatum? (macacauba)

Certainly looks about right, and could well have been named for the fragrance (and then again it could have been named for a whole lot of other reasons!)

 

[Bodrighy]

Macrocarpa? This one is a bit darker with a finish on it but is lighter when naked

Pete

Pete - you're thinking Platymiscium pinnatum? (macacauba)

Certainly looks about right, and could well have been named for the fragrance (and then again it could have been named for a whole lot of other reasons!)

No I am thinking Macrocarpa, Monterey Pine I've used a ton of it this last year all from o huge tree that had to come down a few years ago.

Pete

 

[tekno.mage]

I think Pete might be right with the Macrocarpa. Having studied the pic of his bowl and some pics of Macroparca timber from some New Zealand timber supplier's websites they do look like the wood I have. Lovely smell from the wood while turning those roughed boxes

All I know about the original tree is that it grew in Mid Wales - and probably was originally in someone's garden before it was felled.

 

[jumps]

juniperous 'skyrocket' would be another possibility as a garden tree - smells more like pine than pine!

 

[tekno.mage]

Now I've looked into what Juniper is like - I'm tending more in that direction - especially as it's a fairly common garden tree.

 

[gus3049]

Hi Kym,

The attached bits are definitely Juniper. Sadly, just about all the wood I got was already split right up the middle but I turned the bark off anyway just to have a look. Ir did smell pretty strongly of pine so it could be a good bet

 

[tekno.mage]

Hi Gordon,

The two bits on either end in your photo look very much like the wood I've got. I processed my log quite quickly after getting it, but some of the pieces still split badly. I got enough for the two small roughed boxes and another larger box which probably won't work as there is a dead knot in part of what will be the lid and I'm not sure if it will stay glued in or not!

 

[nev]

near Storey Arms on th A470 there's a woods that smells strongly of pine :lol: :lol: :lol: #-o

 

[sue denim]

I think it's cedar.

Turned some today and the colour / grain pattern is identical.....could the pine smell be mistaken for cedar ?

 

[tekno.mage]

How hard was your cedar? My mystery wood ( which I now suspect is juniper) is hard like yew - in fact if not for the strong pine smell I would have thought it was yew - it even takes a high polish like yew does. I've only ever turned Cedar of Lebanon, which is much softer and smells completely different (but rather pleasant).

 

[gus3049]

How hard was your cedar? My mystery wood ( which I now suspect is juniper) is hard like yew - in fact if not for the strong pine smell I would have thought it was yew - it even takes a high polish like yew does. I've only ever turned Cedar of Lebanon, which is much softer and smells completely different (but rather pleasant).

The cedar I've turned was quite soft too. whereas the juniper was very dense and hard. I still reckon its Juniper. As you say, the smell of cedar is pine like but softer somehow.

Hate to disagree with a fellow ex-pat.