Can someone please ID this piece of lumber for me?

[Matt Ellis]

I was digging around in the odds and ends box, and found an 8/4 piece of whatever this is, about 18" long. It was given to me a while back, and I thought it was cherry, but seems too dark now that I've planed and ripped it. Plan was to make it into an end grain cutting board, but I want to make sure it would be appropriate for the use. For what it is worth, it is a little lighter and softer than the sugar maple pictured.

Thoughts?


http://i39.tinypic.com/ing95u.jpg

http://i40.tinypic.com/19t6yg.jpg

[Andrew Hughes]

Mahogany,does it cut nice stay straight lay flat?Maybe Honduras

[Bill Neely]

Looks like some butternut I have in my shop.

[joe milana]

My "guess" is afromosia, (some used to call it African teak) and if so, would be just fine for a cutting board.

[scott spencer]

Looks like mahogany to me, but more pics might help....

[Jeff Monson]

Looks like mahogany to me, but more pics might help....

I'd agree with Scott, looks like Mahogany

[Wade Lippman]

I took a piece of wood into a lumberyard once and asked what it was. They said they would call it mahogany, but it could be any of 50 African, Asian and South American woods that can't be distinguished from mahogany. You have one of those. Which one really doesn't matter.

I use a lot of butternut (love it with walnut...) and I've never seen a piece so plain; so that is one you can rule out.

[Art Mann]

My vote is Honduran Mahogany. I have some material that looks just like it.

[Gordon Eyre]

I immediately thought of mahogany when I saw it.

[Matt Ellis]

Thanks everyone for the replies. It seems the general consensus is mahogany of some flavor, and from my reading, it is less than ideal for cutting boards. I have some purpleheart and some thicker walnut on hand...I think I'll used one of those two instead.

-matt

[Tony Shea]

Def a mahogany of some sort. To say honduran from the pics is a huge guess, one that really couldn't be made.