Thread: inspired guesses sought

1st one has gotta be Silky Oak. Pass on number 2 though

White oak ?

Agree with Elan on the first one and you're right, it is too nice for a clamp rack.

Thanks Elan, Aldav. I had a look on web at Silky Oak, and it certainly looks like all the pics and consistent with the available info . So Silky Oak it is!
Yes, back to Plan A (3/4 ply) it seems for the rack. The Silky Oak I think will be destined for a tool cabinet.

1st I'm pretty confident that it is Northern Silky Oak - Cardwellia sublimis. 2nd ? what sort of density? At a guess I would lean towards Meranti if its weight suits, mainly say that on how the grain shows in the housing. If it is quite light may be pencil cedar.

As I always say, id'ing wood from pics is a mug's game, but I'm a bit of a mug...

For #2, I would consider Elm (Ulmus spp.). Those jagged grain lines are suggestive.

For #1, I would not be at all confident it's C. sublimis from the picture - it could be, but the medullary rays just don't look right to me. Moutain Ash's suggestion of Oak is a good one, especially since it's from an old bit of furniture which may well have been imported, but Oak shouldn't be 'light'. There are a couple of other members of the proteacae that could also be candidates. If you have any experience of Cardwellia, it has a characteristic odour, though it's not strong, & wood of that age may not retain much of it anyway....

Cheers,

Originally Posted by IanW

As I always say, id'ing wood from pics is a mug's game, but I'm a bit of a mug...

For #2, I would consider Elm (Ulmus spp.). Those jagged grain lines are suggestive.

For #1, I would not be at all confident it's C. sublimis from the picture - it could be, but the medullary rays just don't look right to me. Moutain Ash's suggestion of Oak is a good one, especially since it's from an old bit of furniture which may well have been imported, but Oak shouldn't be 'light'. There are a couple of other members of the proteacae that could also be candidates. If you have any experience of Cardwellia, it has a characteristic odour, though it's not strong, & wood of that age may not retain much of it anyway....

Cheers,

Ian, Board #2 appears to be two joined boards @ 2/3 + 1/3. With #1 the medullary fleck is consistent with NSO cut about 10-15 degrees of true quarter cut.

I've used reclaimed and new meranti from various sources and tend to agree with Mobyturns on the 2nd type. I think the name covers more than 1 species and it can vary in appearance but those pics look very much like meranti that I've seen, both in the housing and on the surface.

Elm pieces that I have harvested from Golden Elm prunings have a denser grain and less red colour - although other elms may be more like the pics.

#2 possibly white cedar. If #1 is NSO then it is possible that the complimentary birds are white cedar from the same area.
Lyle

Originally Posted by Mobyturns

Ian, Board #2 appears to be two joined boards @ 2/3 + 1/3.......

Yep, I noticed that, MT. My poor expression, what I was trying to describe is the ragged pattern you get when ring-porous woods are cut across arching grain lines.

Like I said, it's a mug's game, and I'm prepared to be dead wrong.

Bob, indeed 'meranti' covers a multitude of sins, and is a distinct possibility for #2 (it would fit the description of not being very dense, too). However, colour is the least reliable guide with most aged woods, and even less useful under an aged finish and less still if the picture was not taken in white light or with a camera that has very good automatic colour balance! So I wouldn't let that put you off your id.

The irony of all this is that many of us could probably make a pretty accurate diagnosis if we had the pieces in our hands...
Cheers,

Originally Posted by IanW

Like I said, it's a mug's game, and I'm prepared to be dead wrong. ,

Well I think you're dead right - it IS a mug's game

The one on the left looks a bit like Fijian Cedar, which we used extensively in the early ‘90’s of last century for hotel fitouts. Edit: now that I’ve looked at the photo of the groove, it’s pacific maple.

Originally Posted by riverbuilder

The one on the left looks a bit like Fijian Cedar, which we used extensively in the early ‘90’s of last century for hotel fitouts. Edit: now that I’ve looked at the photo of the groove, it’s pacific maple.

I had thought about Pacific Maple, also known as Lauan, Meranti, Seraya, Pacific Maple, Philippine Mahogany, with the face grain as it was used extensively as face veneer on internal doors. Don't you just love "trade names" and how certain suppliers in the trade arbitrarily reserve those names for certain applications or on the basis of weight.

We knew them as
"Meranti" - light weight, paler colour, rather featureless, didn't perform well under chisel for cutting housings etc, split easily when nailing near ends of boards, mostly used as skirtings, architraves, pelmets etc;
"Pacific Maple" - moderate weight more "guts" to the wood nice face figure hence veneers,
"Phillipine Mahogany" - darker reds, the heaviest denser woods, much easier to work with chisels etc, used more for furniture or internal joinery, book cases etc.

However the "trade names" are all "synonyms" of the same collective group of "Shoreas."

About the only thing that is certain is that its wood!

From jjw. Com. Au:

PACIFIC MAPLE

Botanical Name: Shorea spp. light hardwoods

Lauan, Meranti, Seraya, Pacific Maple, Philippine Mahogany

Pacific Maple is the common trading name for a number of S.E.Asian hardwoods marketed in Australia. Sometimes just called Maple, the individual species names are also used when identified. The species are;Lauan,Meranti and Seraya

Edit: posted before seeing Moby's info above.