Thread: So many 'walnuts'

This is a pure shot-in-the-dark, but if we number the saws left to right as 1 through 5, I would nominate 1 and 3 as being the real Walnut?

I agree with MM, 1 & 3, but only because I've been paying attention elsewhere......which only says that my timber ID skills are inferior to my forensic skills

I recognise some of those saws!

I had better exclude myself from the comp owing to insider information, but it does also give me an idea.......



Regards
Paul

Well done, MM. The closest handle (on left) is indeed J. nigra, aka American W/nut, and the third one in is J. regia (Persian, English, or edible w'nut). The handle behind that is Qld Walnut (formerly Endiandra, now Cryptocarya palmerstoni). The one at the back is Blackwood (A. melanoxylon), which was once known as "Australian Walnut".

That leaves the one second from the front, & to be truthful, I don't know what it is! All of the handles came from scraps I'd chucked in my box of potential saw handles, and because they've been accumulating for years, I can't always remember what's what or where it actually came from, & sometimes I just cannot be sure of what a particular piece is. I cut that handle from what I thought was a bit of Qld. Walnut, left over from a board I bought several years ago, but after working with it, I'm fairly certain it's not - I think it's a bit of Black Wattle out of my backyard, or the neighbor's. We have at least 3 species, and the wood of one of them can look so like Qld Walnut it can fool me (obviously!).

Some woods are easy to identify macroscopically, many are not!

And Brett, memory & cunning are both very useful attributes, so no marks deleted for using the forensic approach.....

Cheers,

Not quick enough to get a go. Only would have scored 50% in any case.
All pretty nice handles.
Regards
John

Originally Posted by orraloon

...... Only would have scored 50% in any case......

John, 50% would've been a very good mark, I reckon, given that I deliberately gave only one clue. I'm usually very reluctant to even offer suggestions on pics unless it's one of those very obvious woods, or the poster includes a few good clues. Being certain of the origins of the wood is one of the most helpful aids! Occasionally, just occasionally, I see something that I think is characteristic enough to be worth a suggestion, but I'm never surprised if it turns out I'm way off.....

Cheers,