Scored some cool wood today...Er...What is it exactly? Bowl roughout inside.

[Jeremy Leasure]

As I was trying to figure out who owned a particular lot in town with several downed trees that have been laying on the ground for over a year now, a neighboring lady came over and asked if I'd be interested in some wood her husband had cut last year. He unfortunately passed early this year. I took a look at it and it was in quite rough shape, but had a high hopes since it was in a shaded and fairly moist area. Spalting, I thought. So I loaded up a piece and took it home to check it out. I photos of everything left that might aid in ID. You can see some of the normal characteristics of the wood left around the heart area. Needless to say I went back and got what was left. I brought the roughout with me to show her and she was amazed that that bowl was hidden in some rotten old firewood. I plan on giving her a finished bowl from the wood in a few months. After I explained the roughout wasn't a finished bowl she reluctantly gave it back.

As far as turning it went, it was really nice. Basically no tearout (except in the (new word, nested parenthesis) spaltiest areas) even with heavy roughing cuts and the surface is fairly smooth. I didn't go back and clean it up at all so the surface left is what came off a final 1/4" or so pass.


http://i.imgur.com/aW5te.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/M6bL2.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/fTAMv.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/17iJn.jpg

[Roger Chandler]

looks a bit like spalted sycamore to me.........some of the darker grain looks as if it might have some lace figure in it, but I am subject to being wrong on this one.......

Additional:
...the bark does not look like sycamore to me...........so I am not sure...........my comment at first was just from looking at the grain structure............

[John Keeton]

Nice score, Jeremy, but definitely not sycamore given the bark in the last pic. It sure is going to have some character!

[Roger Chandler]

Nice score, Jeremy, but definitely not sycamore given the bark in the last pic. It sure is going to have some character!


Looks like you posted John when I was revising my remarks...........after seeing the pic of the bark, I did not think it to be sycamore either............really interesting grain structure, though!

[Reed Gray]

The grain pattern in the second picture makes me think of elm. Wet it smells like the cats have been spraying it. Dry, it has kind of a spicy river bottoms smell to me. Inter locking grain that doesn't split much. Most of what we get here in the north wet tends to have way bigger growth rings and feels very light when dry.

robo hippy

[Sid Matheny]

The wood looks like sycamore to me and I have seen bark similar to those in the pictures in very old sycamore. Young sycamore bark is a smoother bark but the trees can change with age.

Sid

[Jim Burr]

Looks like wood to me!;):D

[Curt Stivison]

Looks like Elm to me. The bark and the grain are very similar.

Curt

[Bruce Markwardt]

I also think it looks like elm.

[Jamie Donaldson]

Honey Locust.

[Steve Vaughan]

Yup, Honey Locust.

[Bernie Weishapl]

I am pretty sure that is Elm. I just cut up a little honey locust. Bark doesn't look close to me. Elm smells like a wet dog when turning wet. It is a nice turning wood and that spalting when finished. Here is a pic's of honey locust bark.

[Donny Lawson]

I'm not sure with the ID but the spalting is great.

[Robert Henrickson]

Honey locust. I turned some a couple weeks ago.

[Bob Bergstrom]

Sure looks like Elm, especially the face gain. The end grain does look like Sycamore but that bark is way too thick. You guys are really being nice about the smell of wet Elm. It is more like setting in the middle of a overcrowded cow pasture just after a good rain.

[thomas prusak]

99.999% sure that it is elm.

[robert baccus]

Elm for sure----Older forester

[Jeremy Leasure]

The only other thing I can add is the wood does have a spicy scent that Reeds description fits well. There is no cat urine component to it though, even when turning the dead center. It definitely isn't sycamore, although the normal grain does like like QS sycamore. Honey locust and elm are both woods I haven't turned yet. Well, I guess I've turned at least one of them now. I'll post some more rough outs later today in the thread.

[Reed Gray]

The flecking pattern in the grain in your picture is similar to sycamore, but in the pic, it is in the end grain. To get the flecking on sycamore, you have to quarter saw it and the pattern is in the flat grain.

robo hippy

[Jeremy Leasure]

I've turned a few pieces of sycamore, and have a lot more to turn. Just can't bring myself to do it with walnut, cherry etc piled around at the moment. I've finished a few pieces made from sycamore but they just seem quite boring to me. Nobody picks them up or takes a second look at them like they do other pieces. I have a platter I made from a QS piece that isn't quite there dry yet. Anyway, I did a few more yesterday afternoon.

http://i.imgur.com/F6MU3.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/9mFB9.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/X1pbF.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/5zsxP.jpg

[David DeCristoforo]

"Wet it smells like the cats have been spraying it. Dry, it has kind of a spicy river bottoms smell..."

"Elm smells like a wet dog when turning wet..."

Where's Al Borland when you need him???

Whatever you got there, it sure is nice looking wood!

[Scott T Smith]

It is not sycamore; the bark does not match and also the growth rings are too wide spaced to be an older tree.

It appears to be either pecan (hickory) or honey locust to me.

[Nate Davey]

I'm leaning towards honey locust as well, I have a piece that could be this ones twin.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Real pretty wood! My first thought was that it looked like Elm and I based that on the closeup photo of the bowl! Whatever it is - sure is pretty stuff!

[Jon Nuckles]

The end grain sure looks like the honey locust I have turned. You'll know if it is locust when you go back to it dry: it will resemble concrete!

[Rob Price]

Looks like some really nice bowls down the road to me.

[Jeremy Leasure]

Finished most of it up today. Got two shallow crotch "bowls" too. Have two more pieces left to see if they are salvageable.

http://i.imgur.com/O0lYp.jpg


http://i.imgur.com/ETg3k.jpg


http://i.imgur.com/gRDbT.jpg


http://i.imgur.com/vp1xL.jpg


http://i.imgur.com/E7x3l.jpg

[Pat Scott]

I LOVE the wood! What a score. Maybe I'll be lucky enough to run into some logs like that some day.

[Del Hollingsworth]

The bark, the smell as described (I usually say it smells like cow dung) and the figure in photo 2 all add up to elm.

[Salem Ganzhorn]

Spalted sweet gum (or some other gum). I am judging it based on the end grain and the dark almost purple heart wood.
Salem

[curtis rosche]

locust of some sorts.

[robert baccus]

See the squwiggles on the heartwood endgrain. looks like arse feathers on a widgeon. also all theW"s in the sidegrainshot. definitely elm!---------------------old forester

[Bill Wyko]

Well, the bark looks like Mesquite but the wood while similar, doesn't look quite like it.

[Craig Powers]

No doubt it's elm.

[robert baccus]

Notice the squigly lines in the heartendgrain--dead giveaway. also the "Ws" in the outside sidegrain pic. looks like the rear quarter feathers on a wigeon. fly tiers lovem. Elm fo sho.