Wood ID please

[Random Orbital Bob]

I rescued this from an ancient pile of branchwood in a corner of my garden which is semi woodland. No idea of the original tree but I decided to turn a little to investigate and its a beautiful grained wood. Does anyone have any ideas as I'd like to use it again? The photo shows it with bark on...then turned to a cylinder but unfinished and then finally finished with linseed oil.

The bark is very familiar somehow....rather like cherry in fact. I'm guessing it's a garden species rather than natural British woodland but unsure since as I say I have no idea of the originating tree. It looked superficially like that really old pine you get in old buildings at first ie a very striking grain and a sort of orangy brown. But I'm almost certain its a deciduous hardwood by the bark...the bark just isn't coniferous.

 

[woodfarmer]

I think your guess is correct. The bark does look like cherry. there are many forms of it. The wood grain also looks like the rich colours of cherry.. but cherry could be fruit, gean (wild cherry) or even some kind of flowering cherry. Over here they grow it commercially (wild cherry) and it is known as merisier. I sometimes get bits of it in the firewood.

 

[Bodrighy]

I'd go for cherry as well. Looks like some wood I had from an ornamental cherry. Mine was a real pain for splitting but yours seems OK by the look of it.

Pete

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

Ah right....thanks for that. I hadn't realised there were multiple forms of cherry and that's partly what was confusing because I was recently given a fair batch of cherry (the fruit) from a felled tree in a neighbours garden. I've turned a bowl from it and its quite a bit more pale in colour. The grain is interesting but it's nowhere near as striking as this one.

I know in the US they make quite a bit of furniture from Cherry so I guess that will be a non fruit species also.

Appreciate the help.

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

I think it's been in the wood pile for a hell of a long time Pete. In fact I'm certain it's been there since before we moved here and that was in 2007. I also think that until my kids disturbed that ground (to build a camp) it had been in a wood pile that was raised off the ground hence it didn't rot. So I'm guessing the previous owners did some serious pruning about a decade ago and that's the result. So it could be the fruit cherry or some kind of ornamental one.

Well, mystery solved. What a great wood for turning...I'll keep a look out for more of that.

Thanks all