What kind of wood is this?

[Brian Kent]

I brought home a trunk full of logs from a retreat in Julian, California. By the bark I first thought of Eucalyptus. Texture is similar to wet eucalyptus I've turned before, but the color is different (lots of Eucalyptus species though).

Then I saw this parking lot tree and it had similar bark patterns. Any thoughts?

I cut the small logs into blanks and sealed the end. The bigger logs are a couple of inches too big for the bandsaw so I need to get the chainsaw out and at least remove the pith and seal.

[Brian Kent]

Another small log of a different kind. I have no idea what this little one is.

[Jeff Gilfor]

The smooth barked stuff looks like birch to me, but I am no expert.

[Dennis Ford]

Your wood looks like sycamore to me, the other small log looks like some type of oak. The tree with similar bark is something else.

[Adam Blanton]

Sycamore would be my guess.

[Brian Kent]

This is really funny because I have a sycamore tree in my back yard and have turned a lot of brown, dried out sycamore firewood. I am surprised I didn't recognize it, but I think you are right.

[Bob Bergstrom]

Looks like Sycamore here also. No clue on the other one?

[Robert Henrickson]

First should be sycamore, based on the bark and grain pattern in the fourth photo.

[Prashun Patel]

+1 sycamore.

[robert baccus]

Bark looks like sycamore but also eucalypus. The small leaves and branching looks like euc. perhaps. Check a perfectly cut radial surface--the sycamore will show very strong ray figure.

[Brian Kent]

Yes, the radial cuts do show rays.

[John Keeton]

Definitely sycamore on the cut pieces! And, excellent wood to turn, BTW, though rather plain sometimes.

[Reed Gray]

The wood does look like sycamore or london plane, which is more common out west here, but the leaves are not sycamore. Like Robert said, it could be an eucalyptus of some sort. The other does look like oak.

robo hippy

[Brian Kent]

I am not certain that the living tree photos are the same kind of wood as the cut pieces. I just took that tree photo because I saw bark that I wasn't used to, but was similar to the log.

[Mel Fulks]

Looks like Japanese Stewartia . Not saying it is...

[Brian Kent]

Mel, it looks a lot like that and I certainly am not able to prove that it is not Japanese Stewartia. Until right now I did not know Stewartia was a real word.

[Mel Fulks]

Brian,it is a beautiful tree we first saw at the local botanical garden, I bought a small one and I'm told we should have blossoms in a couple of years. Been looking for a reference about wood uses ,but don't see any.

[robert baccus]

They sell better if you label it Siberian rosewood.

[Mike Cruz]

Not that you "needed" another +1 on sycamore, that is exactly what it is. A fairly boring wood, but the quartersawn flecks are pretty...

[Brad Peceimer]

It's definitely sycamore!

If it was eucalyptus it would have a distinctive smell to it.

[John Beaver]

Brian,

These are the two main native Southern California Hardwoods.

The first wood is definitely Sycamore. There is a Eucalyptus with very similar bark to the Sycamore, but the wood is darker and not great to turn. The tree photos are a different tree. Sycamore has a very larger broad leaf.

Sycamore turns really nicely, but it does move a lot. Leave yourself a little extra thickness on the walls if rough turning, and seal or turn it quickly as it will crack if left alone. Very wet wood, but dries rapidly. Don't let it spalt, as it just gets an ugly greyness to it.

The wood in the second is a California Oak. (There are about 10 varieties and I'm never sure which one is which). It too will move and crack easily. Decent wood to turn, but not too attractive usually. If you balance it well, you can get some interesting rays. It responds well to bleaching, ebonizing and fuming.

[robert baccus]

Could very well be Japanese stewartia as well as a eucalypus. It is natural to jump on sycamore but remember it is not native in the far west. Another reason is it looks like a parking lot tree and they are usually a exotic especially in California. The leaves are not a sycamore. Remember the Euc. family has more than 500 species in tremendous variety. Really need a good leaf photo.