My dear parents, knowing that I'm interested in taking large bits of wood and turning them into progressively smaller (and occasionally more attractive/functional) bits of wood, recently gave me a few lumps they acquired off some chap who was going to set fire to them. He described them as English oak, having apparently inherited them from a retiring joiner, and for most of them I'd agree. Well, I don't know my oak well enough to tell whether it was English, Welsh, French or whatever, but I'm fairly sure it's oak! ;-)
One of the largest bits, though, I really don't think is - but I also have little idea what it could be:
At a very rough estimate, without carefully working out the volume and weighing it, it feels about two-thirds the weight of oak (which was the first thing that gave it away for me). It's rough-sawn in that photo, I haven't had the time to plane a bit up. The end-grain has a texture that I can only describe as "like MDF"... it's a little more resistant than MDF would be to a fingernail pressed into it, but not much - nowhere near the hardness of oak or ash or something. It smells... like nothing in particular (although of course, this may change once it's cut).
My vague guess based on what I've read, what I've heard of and what I'm sure it isn't, is meranti; which - I've never seen any in person - I'm sure I recall being described as a relatively soft hardwood... the colour seems similar to pictures online, the long grain isn't too dissimilar, but the end-grain doesn't look that similar to pictures I've seen, so I'm still fairly unsure. Anybody here got any idea?
One of the largest bits, though, I really don't think is - but I also have little idea what it could be:
At a very rough estimate, without carefully working out the volume and weighing it, it feels about two-thirds the weight of oak (which was the first thing that gave it away for me). It's rough-sawn in that photo, I haven't had the time to plane a bit up. The end-grain has a texture that I can only describe as "like MDF"... it's a little more resistant than MDF would be to a fingernail pressed into it, but not much - nowhere near the hardness of oak or ash or something. It smells... like nothing in particular (although of course, this may change once it's cut).
My vague guess based on what I've read, what I've heard of and what I'm sure it isn't, is meranti; which - I've never seen any in person - I'm sure I recall being described as a relatively soft hardwood... the colour seems similar to pictures online, the long grain isn't too dissimilar, but the end-grain doesn't look that similar to pictures I've seen, so I'm still fairly unsure. Anybody here got any idea?
