Thread: Mahogany Planks "I Think"

Originally Posted by Tahlee

It has a CNF stamp on the ends Attachment 420640

Reckon that's just the Mill's logo

Originally Posted by Tahlee

It has no smell ...

If it's Western Red Cedar it will smell sort of like bananas when cut or planed. It's a very distinctive and quite strong smell - you can't miss it.

Originally Posted by Tahlee

and is smooth as silk to feel. Some straight grain ... some wicked ..
Attachment 420641Attachment 420642

The straight grain looks like ¼sawn pine, and the "wicked" grain looks like backsawn pine (or fir). When I say pine/fir I just mean generic.

Originally Posted by doug3030

I would bet my left one that the timber in this thread is not Oregon.

Agreed.

Originally Posted by doug3030

I would bet them both but I lost the right one in a bet last week.

I have a spare if you want.

Originally Posted by aarggh

I've not normally seen oregon with such tight ring patterns?

Yep, and even tighter. Slow growth - thing of the past and rarely seen since the 1960s.




Western Red Cedar is not a true cedar:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thuja_plicata

Some of the classifications there seem to indicate it could be called a pine, and it is in the Cypress family.

One thing that would help is to work out the density or specific gravity. If Rob could weigh a piece and post it with the EXACT dimensions (mm) then that can be ascertained easily. It would possibly also help to post a pic of the piece being weighed. This may not nail it right down because IIRC the density can vary a bit. I have a supply of WRC planks and seem to recall some being significantly heavier than others. However, it would be useful to know the density - it may not rule WRC in, but may rule it out.

Another thing is that WRC is crazy soft - probably the softest timber I have used. Softer than Douglas Fir, but not as soft as Balsa.

Originally Posted by nine fingers

It's Red Pine Similar to Western Red Cedar. NF

I have no experience with Red Pine (Pinus resinosa). Does it have much of a smell? I'm thinking that you may be on the money in that it sure looks like WRC but has been described as no smell, and it also looks more red than WRC.

P. resinosa has a specific gravity of 0.545 when dried (around 12% mc) or 545 kg/m³.
Thuja plicata (WRC) is significantly lighter at around 0.37 (12%mc). It feels very very light in the hand, regardless of the size of the piece.
Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) is about the same as P. resinosa at 0.51 (so would feel the same in the hand despite the 0.03 difference).

Originally Posted by FenceFurniture

Originally Posted by doug3030

I would bet them both but I lost the right one in a bet last week.

I have a spare if you want.

Thanks for thinking of me Brett. No need for you to make the sacrifice though. I won it back a couple of weeks ago.

Cheers

Doug

All good Doug, I'll put it back in the bottle then.

Looks like Californian redwood to me, not WRC.

From Redwood | The Wood Database - Lumber Identification (Softwood)


Allergies/Toxicity: Although severe reactions are quite uncommon, Redwood has been reported as a sensitizer. Usually most common reactions simply include eye, skin, and respiratory irritation, as well as asthma-like symptoms. See the articles Wood Allergies and Toxicity and Wood Dust Safety for more information.

I agree - sequoia AKA Californian Redwood. Called Red Pine in Australia because we can’t help ourselves

Originally Posted by nine fingers

It's Red Pine Similar to Western Red Cedar. NF

Originally Posted by seriph1

I agree - sequoia AKA Californian Redwood. Called Red Pine in Australia because we can’t help ourselves

A classic example of everything that is wrong with common names. These two trees are not just a different species, they are a different genus, and even their family is different. The point of convergence is in their Order, and that is a fair way up the chain.

Sequoia sempervirens, family is Cupressaceae, Order is Pinales
Pinus resinosa, family is Pinaceae, Order is Pinales

It's pretty much the same as calling a Cat an Elephant Seal or Polar Bear or Hyena - they are all members of the Order Carnivora.


Edit: not having a go at anyone, btw.