I need a wood detective. :)

[Scott Rowe]

I normally turn local (TX) woods for pens, or reclaimed wood, but I mentioned in passing to the wife that I wouldn't mind playing with some exotic hardwoods, and my birthday was coming up, soo..

Well, she jumped on rockler and PSI, and got me a grab box of pen blanks and exotic scraps. I spent some time this evening turning a couple bits of each, just to see if I can tell what's what.

http://rowelab.com/misc/wood_spread2.jpg

I know the pecan, pear, maple, mahogany, and cedar are right (most were trees I cut myself) and black palm, purple heart, red heart, and yellow heart are pretty straight forward, but katalox and zebra wood are a guess, based on the sheet PSI put in with the blanks.

Here are a few pictures of the others- I'd love some opinions on what they are:

1. Turns well, no significant tear-out- rather a soft wood, comparatively speaking. Nice figuring.
http://rowelab.com/misc/wood_1.jpg

2. A bit of tear-out, slivers like a white oak.
http://rowelab.com/misc/wood_2.jpg

3. Bright orange. Like traffic cone orange. Day-glo orange.
http://rowelab.com/misc/wood_3.jpg

4. Quite dense, very straight grain with lots of open pores.
http://rowelab.com/misc/wood_4.jpg

5. Tight grain, turns well, no tear-out.
http://rowelab.com/misc/wood_5.jpg

6. This wood is awesome. Turns like butter, naturally oily, so it burnishes almost to the point of not needing a finish. It has a nice smell, almost like you're walking down the spice aisle at the supermarket.
http://rowelab.com/misc/wood_6a.jpg

http://rowelab.com/misc/wood_6b.jpg

[Michael Armstrong]

#3 looks like padauk to me.

Michael

[Brian Brown]

#3 is Paduak. Turns a reddish brown with time and exposure to light. Will stain your skin a safety cone orange, even through clothes. You can imagine what it does to your clothes.

# 4 Might be osage orange, or mulberry, but I am likely wrong.

# 5 Looks like canary wood.

# 6 Looks like Lignum Vitae (sp) from argentina. Your description really clinches it.

# 2 has some similarities to tulip wood but ???

# 1 has a grain pattern like mahogany, but the color????

Remember this information is worth exactly what you paid for it. I may be wrong on all of them.

[Scott Rowe]

Yeah, googling padauk, the results seem to line up. Thanks!

[Scott Rowe]

It figures I'd love the expensive stuff. :)

Verawood ('argentine lignum vitae') - it turns like basswood carves. *sigh*

[David Brimm]

#1 looks really similar to a lot of the Mango that I've used in the past.. the grain and the tone both match.

[robert baccus]

Roger that on the mango and padouk. I suspect #5 is white meranti and #6 is possibly camphor or a relative.