Wood Identification. What is this?!!

[Phil Pascoe]

In case anyone missed the reference to syphilis, the dust from Lignum Vitae was once thought to cure syphilis - hence the Wood of Life.

 

[IWW]

Australian Blackwood [Acacia melanoxylon];

Does this look about right?

No. Blackwood (A. melanoxylon) doesn't have such a coarse grain nor does it have that white fleck in it; none of the Acacias that I've seen do. Most acacias also havequite tight growth rings with small pores, particularly the very dense types that grow in dry-country. The only Australian wood I can think of that looks like that is Coolibah (Eucalyptus coolabah), which is an unlikely wood to turn up in your neck of the woods as it's not a commercial species.

I've seen something just like it somewhere, it was an African wood, iirc., but it would just add another possibility - too many woods look similar to other unrelated species, hence the profusion & confusion of common names!

Cheers,
Ian

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Australian Blackwood [Acacia melanoxylon];

Does this look about right?

I think the weight counts that one out.

https://www.wood-database.com/australian-blackwood/