Help with ID of mystery wood

[David Wilson]

A couple weeks ago a friend gave me a piece of wood which he thought was walnut. Said he had it for 20 years and it was covered with dark film of somthing. As soon as I cleaned a little of it I was sure it wasn't walnut.
Seems to be very dense like oak and showed nice grain after plaining.
The wood stinks something terible when I plained it. Anyone have any ideas?http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=26656&stc=1&d=1133216163

[Steve Cox]

It looks like red oak to me. The stink may come from some chemical it was exposed to while in storage.

[Andy Hoyt]

I just turned a 100 year old chunk of what I'm reasonably confident to be white oak. Your grain looks similar. And if the stink from your wood is anywhere close to the stink of my wood..... eau de dairy barn

[Jim Hinze]

I second red-oak...

[Dick Parr]

Got to go with the Red Oak also...

[Chris Barton]

As other have said, just by the odds alone it is most likely red oak but, it could also be chestnut, pecan, or hickory. I don't know about the smell issue. What did it smell like?

[Steve Clardy]

Looks like something in the red oak family. There are 16 different species that fall under red oak.

[Ken Shoemaker]

Stink Stik :D

[Greg Heppeard]

Could it be Sassafrass? but it does look like red oak

[Fred Voorhees]

Sure looks like red oak to me. Grain and color are a dead on match.

[Steve Wargo]

If it stink then its sassafrass. Sassafrass smells like a skunk when you mill it. It is horrid.

[Alan Turner]

The grain and smell remind me of Elm, but the color is a bit too red for that. I worked elm once, but never again.

[Chris Giles]

White Oak. I have a piece right in front of me that has an almost identical knot in it- don't usually see one like that in red oak.

[scott spencer]

Chestnut or oak were my first thoughts when I looked at it. When you said it stinks I laughed and said chestnut. I've was working with chestnut tonight...when I came in from the garage, my 16 year daughter was near the door and said, "yuck, what stinks?". I said, "the wood I'm working with". She said, "wood smells like poop?!". I said, "yeah, kind of..." :rolleyes:

The color on the edge kind of gives it away too...does it look like it has some milk chocolate colored streaks in the edge grain?

[Mark Singer]

It looks like Oak...is your dog nearby when your planning:confused: