What wood

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les chicken

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Hope you all had a nice christmas and wish you a happy NEW year.

I need some help in identifying some wood, it is very heavy and hard. I am reclaiming it from a pile obtained from a lorry yard. Apparently it was used to make the cradles for transporting steel coils.

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The second image shows a flaw that was not visible from the outside and only became apparent when it was cut.

Any help would be useful
Many Thanks

Les
 
Les,

Could you post a picture of the long grain, its quite hard to identify wood from just the end grain.
 
les chicken":3upeglp2 said:
I need some help in identifying some wood, it is very heavy and hard. I am reclaiming it from a pile obtained from a lorry yard. Apparently it was used to make the cradles for transporting steel coils.

Looks like pitch pine to me!!!!
 
My first thought was pine . Maybe its heavy because its soaking wet ?
 
As requested pics of long grain

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The wood is very dry been in my wooden storage shed for about 12 months. The confusing bit is the black lines around the growth rings different to the pitch pine that I already have and is harder and heavier :?: :?:

Les
 
I'm not able to identify the wood type, but when in transport and regularly moving steel out of the docks and steel works in South Wales, the wood being used was always referred to as 'green heart'. Was used as ship buffers on the dockside pillars as well.
 
Hi
Looks far too open grained and grey in colour for greenheart.
Try a piece in water, if it floats its not greenheart!
No idea what it could be I'm afraid.
If you search Bench on here you can see some of mine planed.
Regards and Happy New Year
Martin
 
Thanks guys I will have to try and do some research somewhere as this is now beginning to niggle me. :roll:

Les
 
The first picture of the end grain looks like Douglas Fir. What does it smell like when you cut it (I always think Douglas Fir smells a bit sweet and buttery)?
 
I think its Southern Yellow Pine - very dense pine (IIRC its the most dense commercial softwood) often used in construction, decking etc in the US esp where termite resistance is required..

Its also susceptible to a blue stain - which is not always blue (often black) and is caused by a microfungus - a bit like the effect of beefsteak fungus on oak.

Cheers

Tim

edit: dug this up for more info: http://www.southernpine.com/blued.shtml
 
i agree with tim, im pretty confident it is southern yellow. as it has very distinctive end grain, and the tiny surface checks along the length
 
Hi guys

Thanks for all your help. I managed through a friend to get help from corus steel about the type of wood.

The wood is called "keruing" and is a native of Burma classed as a medium hardwood with a fairly straight grain, the weight according to spec is 801kgs / cubic metre. :shock: :shock: :shock:

I now need to find out if any is left or if they have burnt it all. :cry:

Many thanks

Les
 
it's southern yellow as a few people have said. know this coz have made enough stair cases out of it. it's certainly not a hard word. horrible to work due to the hard and soft growth rings.
andy
 
les chicken":1g7vh8wo said:
The wood is called "keruing" and is a native of Burma classed as a medium hardwood with a fairly straight grain, the weight according to spec is 801kgs / cubic metre. :shock: :shock: :shock:

If you click on Phillys link - you'll see it looks quite unlike the timber shown in the picture. Here's me using some Keruing.

https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?t=2953

Out of interest the dust was evil I won't use it again ever.

This is keruing on the left, yeah yeah, my master dovetails (not).

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Adam
 
thats the wood they use as lorry beds didnt recognise the spelling :?

have used it for a garden bench slats but it oozed sap out all the time hope you dont get same prob's after all your hard work .
like the light strip through the middle sets it off nicely
andy
 
lugo35":i958uhhi said:
thats the wood they use as lorry beds didnt recognise the spelling :?

have used it for a garden bench slats but it oozed sap out all the time hope you dont get same prob's after all your hard work .
like the light strip through the middle sets it off nicely
andy

No this was at least 50 years old, if not 100, so it was fully seasoned! (it was the planks of a packing case that had come to the UK sometime inthe early part of the 1900's I believe and then dismantled and the planks had been indoors ever since. :p I had no trouble with sap at all - it took a nice finish in fact and the only think thats a problem is that dust.
 
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