Wood identifcation ..

[Keithie]

I obtained some seasoned (I hope) wood without really knowing what it is. I thought it was all oak, but some is almost certainly iroko, some chestnut, some walnut (even I can spot that when turning!) and some beech. I'm not sure about this piece, I think it's oak but not sure and certainly dont know what type of oak. I was wondering if anyone with better wood-spotting skills could help..

and after one dunk in tung oil the finished item looked like this ..

thanks

 

[LancsRick]

What was it like to turn?

 

[Beau]

Yes it's oak

 

[Keithie]

Really smooth and easy to turn, even on the end grain the wood was peeling off in translucent strips maybe a foot long.

Interestinglythough rock hard to hand sand in its unturned rough form.

Thanks Beau... any idea what type of oak ?

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

Not the spindle blank but the bowl blank that has wound up as that bangle type thing looks suspiciously like Brown Oak. This is regular oak that has been down on the ground for a long time (sometimes decades) and has been infected by the bracket fungus. It turns a delightfully nutty brown colour and turns almost like chocolate. It's ont of my favourite woods in fact as I acquired a fair bit (about half a tree) from a neighbour doing a lot of building works next to me. When he was clearing his 5 acre site, I was filling my boots with all manner of excellent woods and there was an Oak that had come down in the 1987 hurricane which I salvaged the majority of. It goes through different stages as the fungus colonises it...one of those is called Tiger Oak as it has very distinct broad stripes rather like a Tiger's coat. Truly a beautiful wood and when turning it's very forgiving as it changes texture to a much less rasping nature unlike normal oak which is a pig on the tools.

If it is that rather than the finish....get as much as you can because it's rare and expensive.

The spindle blank is regular Oak. Could be English, French or even AWO but it's regular stuff, told by the lighter colour and tell tale end grain.

 

[Keithie]

lol Bob ...the spindle blank and the bracelet are the same piece of wood. If you look on my blog link below you can see the process.

I got about 8 foot of this wood (4x1ft + 2x2ft) ..all 4x4" .. for £5 per foot!! ...looks like its all heartwood too...you can just about see the pith in the corner of the blank..I think it's whats called 'quarter sawn'....it'd been sitting in a large woodshed for quite some fair time, buried in dust! No more to be had from there now

I was wondering about 'tiger oak' ..so I'm glad you mentioned it ..makes me think its more likely. The big tiger stripes over the cross grain and the other 'rays' through it made me look it up! I guess the fresh tung oil on it probably highlights the grains ...will be interesting to see how it changesover time!

It's lovely to turn, thats for sure!

cheers

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

Righto. In which case I would need to see more photos of the blank pile to make a more educated guess as to Brown or not because based on the photos you've published, the spindle blank looks like standard oak whereas the bowl blank and in particular the bangle, look more like brown or tiger oak. By showing more of the blanks it may be possible to see enough colour detail to make a better diagnosis. The end of the spindle blank, ie the darker section is just where it's been waxed to seal the end grain to slow down drying.

I do hope it is a stash of brown oak because as I said before, it's wonderful stuff. But having heard what you've just said I'm now suspicious its not

 

[Keithie]

I think in the first pics I posted (above) you can see that the medullary rays are visible in the waxed end and match those in the mounted bowl...but maybe I dont really know the difference in the definition of a spindle blank and a bowl blank...is it just a matter of how they're supported when on the lathe ?

Having just taken some pics it looks like 3 of the 4 '1 footers' are the same while the others are darker...and dont seem to be the same as each other either...though they all seem to have medullary rays in the end grain (except maybe the one which is nearer to 5x5.. bott right in first pic)..but that might be in part how they're cut. I'd definitely be interested to know what they are if poss . not sure how great the pics are tho...

 

[Keithie]

and the smaller pieces (except the chestnut which I've used for honey dippers) are ..

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

Re your PM - tell your Missus to stop worrying

Here's a few snaps from my own collection showing the contrast between regular English or American White Oak (AWO) and English Brown Oak. What I'm hoping can be seen is the stark colour difference between the two. As the name suggests, Brown Oak really is a much deeper, darker, more nutty colour.

 

[Keithie]

Thanks again Bob. The comparison thing is a good way of telling ... my lateral thinking needs an upgrade!

I've got a couple of uk shop bought (white) oak blanks and they are noticeably whiter than the ones in my pics above. Also the turnings are definitely brown in colour so thats another clue (very obviously so compared to the pine turnings in my dustbin that they went onto).

I think I'll reserve the other pieces for when I'm a better turner!

Excellent log collection you have there !