Can anyone identify this wood?

[Brain Coral]

I am in the Mahogany camp. There are lots of different mahoganies with different densities and characteristics. That looks like Honduran Mahogany to me. I worked with it 10 years ago or so.

Brian

 

[randyjaco]

It is good to see we all agree 8^)

You'd probably do better to try a wood worker's site.

Randy

 

[Dave Smith]

It is good to see we all agree 8^)

You'd probably do better to try a wood worker's site.

Randy

Randy---I think there are a lot of us woodworkers on this site:rubbinghands:-----and I think it possibly may be KOA wood from the islands---it looks very similar to Mahogany and is good for carving and furniture-------Dave

 

[silence dogood]

I checked with my copy of "What wood is that?" by Herbert L. Edlin. What is neat about this book is that it has actual wood specimens. No. 1 is Honduras Mahogany. No. 2 is African Mahogany. No.3 is Padouk. I'm going with Honduras Mahogany. Mark

 

[Dave Paine]

Sand the end grain to about 600 grit and then use this site to match the end grain pictures with the pictures from the site.

This site has the best collection of pictures of wood species I have come across so far.

http://hobbithouseinc.com/personal/woodpics/

End grain is the best way to attempt to ID the wood.

The end grain picture looks to me like teak or ipe, but you mentioned this is soft and easy to turn which is not like these two species.

It could be sapele, which is in the family of mahogany species.

 

[Seaco]

Just to throw in my two penny's worth I'd bet this is sapele I've used it a fair bit and it does contain areas of open grain as shown...

Lee

 

[rd2012]

Just based on your picture and not much further info, I'm pretty sure it might be Jatoba (aka "brazilian cherry"). It looks dense and hard, and the end grain looks right for Jatoba. You could confirm that if you have a local place that sells hardwood, or even flooring, as it is used a lot for that.

rd2012

 

[Isberg]

It looks very similar to Iroko aka "Indian oak". I have used it a lot since I got a few m[SUP]3[/SUP] at a foreclosure sale a couple of years ago. The pores in Yours are a little coarser than I remember though. It was used as a cheaper substitute for teak, but is used less now because of health problems caused by the wood dust.

 

[joshua43214]

I've been a woodworker for all my life both professional and semi-professional.

I'm going for Honduran Mahogany, or possibly farm grown Cuban Mahogany. Cuban Mahogany has a tighter and more dramatic grain, but it is commercially extinct. In fact the old growth timber is so valuable that folks actually takes mules miles into the jungle to poach trees (the tress are so huge they poke up out of the canopy). Honduran Mahogany has become quite expensive, and often what you buy now as "Mahogany" is from Africa and is not even the same family, vastly inferior and sucks to work with.

Your added description is the clincher. Honduran mahogany has a pleasant heft and solidity to it, but not exceptionally heavy like the jungle exotics. You can press a finger nail into it with medium to heavy pressure, it will dent with moderate force.

The most notable thing about it is that it is so pleasant to work with. There is probably no wood that machines better, and cuts better with hand tools. It is favored by pattern makers because it carves very easily, holds tight edges, and is dimensionally very stable.

 

[Cadillac STS]

Here is a close up of the end grain, little blurry



Here is one of the side grain close up. Can see the small holes all through it. Can also see some scratches from touching other wood in the box (It is easily marred)