Quote Originally Posted by Steve Mathews View Post
But what about the odor mentioned before? I don't recall anything like it with walnut and oak.
I've never experienced any "purple staining" when working with walnut or oak, but then I've never worked with them outside of an air conditioned environment, re sanding etc. (I don't like to work in an uncomfortable shop.) It's hard to diagnose an issue like this by remote sensing, it can (and should?) require a laying on of hands.

A few options: if your local college or university has a forestry department, take a sample there and ask. Alternatively, go to your local library and check out a book by Bruce Hoadley called "Identifying Wood". Or buy it, it's a fun read.