New turner - Wood ID

[Keith Nordyke]

485092485093485093

[Keith Nordyke]

I hit send before I added my message. I saw this on the side of the road this evening and with HO permission, grabbed a few pieces. One small piece was turned round and I think it's pretty although there are a few small cracks. The HO didn't know what this was and I plan to go back ask his wife to see if she knows. I realize this is very slim information but can anyone get me in the ball park as to what this may be? Does anyone know of a top rated I phone app that could possibly identify these from a photo? Thanks

[John K Jordan]

I hit send before I added my message. I saw this on the side of the road this evening and with HO permission, grabbed a few pieces. One small piece was turned round and I think it's pretty although there are a few small cracks. The HO didn't know what this was and I plan to go back ask his wife to see if she knows. I realize this is very slim information but can anyone get me in the ball park as to what this may be? Does anyone know of a top rated I phone app that could possibly identify these from a photo? Thanks

Wood, even from the same species, and sometimes even from the same tree, can vary considerable in appearance. For some idea of the variability, pick a candidate species and find the page for it on this web site: http://www.hobbithouseinc.com/personal/woodpics/

You can get lots of guesses from a photo of the wood and they will all be wrong except for one, if you are lucky. Fortunately, you have a picture of the bark too which might help. If you can go back and get some leaves, you probably can hit the mark.

With just the wood, the best thing to do first is look at the end grain and see if it's ring porous or diffuse porous (or semi diffuse porous). That will eliminate a lot of possibilities.

Section 7 of this page gives instructions for looking at the end grain: https://www.wood-database.com/wood-articles/wood-identification-guide/
If interested in becoming a wood ID I recommend this book: Identifying Wood by R. Bruce Hoadley. https://www.amazon.com/Identifying-Wood-Accurate-Results-Simple/dp/0942391047

[Dwayne Watt]

It might also be useful to know the general whereabouts you rounded up this wood to at least eliminate some possibilities.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

It looks like Soft Maple, slightly spalted.

[Keith Nordyke]

This came from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. I'm going back to see if I can get a cross section photo to post. Thanks all for the help.

[Patrick Morris IV]

I have had some magnolia that looks a lot like that.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

Poplar is my 2nd guess.

[Keith Nordyke]

485127485128I cut a log of this stuff in half today. The cross section may give some clues. Thanks all.

[John K Jordan]

485127485128I cut a log of this stuff in half today. The cross section may give some clues. Thanks all.

The sawed end of a log doesn't usually help much since the saw marks mostly hide the end grain. To ID, the rings and pores should be clear. Here are a some examples of end grain prepared with a razor sharp edge (I use a single-edged razor blade as Hoadley and others instruct) and viewed at about 10x. The species are some guesses I saw in the thread:

485137 485138 485139

These are from the online Wood Database, an excellent resource.

JKJ