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Thread: Mystery wood

  1. #1

    Mystery wood

    Good evening everyone,
    This wood was part of a pile of white oak I bought out of a barn. I have no idea what it is. It's light in weight like soft Maple. A grain and color of hickory. It planes very nicely and has a smell reminiscent of box elder but isnt...
    IMG_20190827_214910.jpg
    IMG_20190827_215349.jpgIMG_20190827_215336.jpgIMG_20190827_214920.jpg

  2. #2
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    Kentucky coffeewood?

  3. #3
    Never heard of that. Sorry, I should of added it.most likely was cut in South East Minnesota

  4. #4
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    Looks like ash or hickory to me but I’m not sure if those are local to your area.

  5. #5
    I was also thinking Ash.
    "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."

    “If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.”

  6. #6
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    My guess is Paulownia.
    Aj

  7. #7
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    My knee jerk reaction was Butternut.
    Andrew Gibson
    Program Manger and Resident Instructor
    Florida School Of Woodwork

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by William Chain View Post
    Kentucky coffeewood?

    2nd on Kentucky coffee wood
    Stand for something, or you'll fall for anything.

  9. #9
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    It isn't native to Kentucky, just a colloquial name. That area is consistent with the info here.

    Quote Originally Posted by Evan Meier View Post
    Never heard of that. Sorry, I should of added it.most likely was cut in South East Minnesota

  10. #10
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    My vote is for red elm.

  11. #11
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    I vote Butternut also. Is it light in weight?

  12. #12
    Join Date
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    I'm +1 on elm, pretty sure about it. The texture of the grain in the oval in the second picture is pretty definitive. A cut of the end grain will tell you. First pic is what elm looks like on the endgrain, and it is the structure that causes the flat grain characteristics I pointed out. You can see it along the right side of the flat grain picture (second pic).

    For those that guessed butternut, I agree the general color and texture is similar, but I'm pretty sure it's not. Here's the endgrain of butternut, very different and doesn't lead to the flatgrain pattern I pointed out.

    Dave






  13. #13
    Based on the pictures, I'm going to guess some kind of Elm, likely American or maybe Red. If it stinks and is hard to hand plane due to twisting, interlocked grain, those would also be qualities of Elm, although it machine-planes fairly well. Coffeetree isn't very common around MN, but occasionally can be found. Butternut will smell somewhat like walnut when cut. It could also be one of those local trees that aren't commonly cut into lumber.

  14. #14
    It does look like either red elm or butternut. However, butternut is substantially lighter than soft maple; it is about as light as pine, and planes very much like a softwood.

    Red elm is denser and is closer to the weight of soft maple.

    "Smell reminiscent of box elder" clinches it for me: elm. There's a pungent, sweet, almost animalic odor to elm and box elder. Butternut has very low odor.

  15. #15
    Join Date
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    The figure circled in the OP's picture below is very characteristic of elm, and not characteristic of butternut, ash, or coffee tree. It comes from the "W" pattern of pores in the latewood I pictured above.

    Dave

    Capture.JPG

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