yet another what wood is this....this time by smell

**soundman** · 9th July 2008, 06:07 PM

It might sound weird but I have a piece of timber here I i'd real like to know what it is.

part of the problemm is that a photograph is pretty pointless, because it is about as non descript as timber gets.

But there is a distinktive smell.

when freshly cut or scratched it has this spicy almost tobaco like smell. There certainly is an aromatic overtone & if you take a deep sniff of a freshly cut surface you do get a mild vaporub sort of buzz

It is a very light timber similar in weight to cedar i supose.

not quite as light as balsa, but certainly lighter than pinus crapiata.

it is very close grained, a hardwood, fairly light and reasonably soft.

the colour is a non descript blond sort of collour, not so much yellow that you would find in pine.

there is some grain and more than a little light from the wood but it is strikingly non descript.... so much so that a picture is pointless, it woild just look like any other piece of wood.

near the end that I have cut off there is some white flecking in the grain, that my be just some white mould.

It seems to be reasonably stiff.

It would appear that it has immunity to rot and and insects becaues it was lying bby the road for months.
I saw it as i drove to and fro each day and one day while out for one of my regular walks I gave it a kick, and a few more several other times I pased it.
No one seemed to love it so I hoiked it into the van one day as i passed.

It looked very ininteresting and grey in its rough sawn state.... like any other piece of hardwood but my intereste was raised when i picked it up and it weighed diddley squat.
so i ran the thicknesser over one side & thus the identification saga began.
I've shown it to a couple of people & they either don't have a clue or they think they should know but cant bring it to mind.

I have thaughts of turning it into a pair or oars...if it is strong enough.

any clues.

cheers

**mic-d** · 9th July 2008, 06:27 PM

Soundman, do you think it is a native? If not I wonder if it could be willow. Willow was the original source of salicylic acid from which aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) and methyl salicylate (the distinctive dencorub smell) were derived. The timber description also fits. possibility

Cheers
Michael

**soundman** · 9th July 2008, 11:31 PM

I could not be sure where it came from as you would understand.

it is/ was a fairly big lump like 3 metres long 50mm thick and about 120 wide.

quite a substantial board.

I have have no experience of willow, so it is a posibility.

having cut a bit off and had a play I think it wont be strong enough for oars unless I lay up a layer of glass and epoxy...so I'll shave it for something else i think.

cheers

**Different** · 9th July 2008, 11:52 PM

If it was used in some king of packaging fro OS and dumped by the road it migh be Spanish Cedar certainlt fits the description. I use it a lot for drawer bottoms and Cabinet backs.

Cedrela odorata is a very important timber tree, producing a lightweight fragrant wood with very good resistance to termites and other wood-boring insects, and also rot-resistant outdoors. The wood is often sold under the name "Spanish-cedar" (like many trade names, confusing as it is neither Spanish nor a cedar), and is the traditional wood used for making cigar boxes, as well as being used for general outdoor and construction work, panelling and veneer wood. Note that it is now CITES -listed. It is also grown as an ornamental tree, and has become naturalised in some areas in Africa, southeast Asia and Hawaii

Ross

**Skew ChiDAMN!!** · 9th July 2008, 11:57 PM

Wouldn't be a sandalwood, would it?

The tobacco-ish scent isn't a good match, but almost everything else sounds right.

**Different** · 10th July 2008, 12:43 AM

Originally Posted by Skew ChiDAMN!!

Wouldn't be a sandalwood, would it?

The tobacco-ish scent isn't a good match, but almost everything else sounds right.

Perfect match if he smokes Menthol Cigarettes !

Ross

**Chikoroll** · 10th July 2008, 01:13 AM

you got some spanish cedar
i'll do a rip and get a photo of some for you tomorrow

**billrule** · 10th July 2008, 01:28 AM

sounds like some timber we liberated from a load of Scania truck cases, though I felt pretty sure at the time it wasn't from Sweden. Is it a little furry if cut with a coarse blade across the grain, and do the tiny little splinters hurt disproportionately to their size? I've still got no idea what it actually is

Bill

**fubar** · 10th July 2008, 09:27 AM

screw pine smells something like that used in packing frames for motorbikes when they came out of japan in the eighties seem to remember that it was lightweight and stank

**soundman** · 10th July 2008, 10:52 AM

If it's sandal wood... i'm rich

but somhow I dont think so, thats a bit more brown isnt it?
But yeh the smell si a bit more sandal ish than piney.

yeh the board was a but on th fury side as found bit it doesnt seem to splinter much.

it cuts with a knife vey cleanly.

cheers

**artme** · 10th July 2008, 05:46 PM

Don't go with Sandalwood. Colour and density arenot right.

**rowie** · 10th July 2008, 10:08 PM

A wise? man once said "a picture tells a thousand words". It may give someones (mine) memory a kickstart,

**Chikoroll** · 11th July 2008, 01:19 AM

is this it?

**rowie** · 11th July 2008, 01:46 AM

chiko, is that spanish cedar? it looks similar to the lower quality batches of NG rosewood I have had in the past.

**soundman** · 11th July 2008, 11:22 AM

no that timber looks positivly interesting and too dark.

OK I'll take a photo.

cheers

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