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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Location
    Melbourne
    Age
    54
    Posts
    380

    Default Mystery timber identification

    Hi All,
    I realise this is probably a long shot but I have a curious mystery timber that I'm hoping to identify.

    Mystery Wood 03.jpg

    I've had this wood for about ten years after salvaging it from packing material that came with some equipment that was shipped from Germany. The hardwood timber was new at the time and the colour was so striking I decided it was too nice to throw out and decided to keep some. It has sat outside since bringing it home and has faded to grey on the outside but is still the same lovely colour after a light sand.

    The other day my son was looking for some wood for a knife handle and I thought of this and cut him off a length. It was then that the woods weirdest property emerged. While he was drilling a deep hole lengthwise into the wood it gave off a smell like a rubbish tip on a warm day. The wood has no smell when sanding, being cut by hand or with a circular saw but when being drilled and allowed to heat up a bit it gives of a damp, mouldy musty smell.

    I'm not concerned in any way as the wood has no odour at other times, it's just a weird property I've not encountered before and I though it worth asking If anyone on here might have and could identify the type of wood.
    Cheers,
    Greg.

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  3. #2
    Join Date
    Jul 2014
    Location
    Brisbane
    Posts
    932

    Default

    Ovangkol? Any chance of a shot of the cleaned up end grain?

  4. #3
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    Lambton, Newcastle, NSW, Australia
    Posts
    4,957

    Default

    From a NSW point of view it could be Blue Gum or Red Mahogany. Down in Mexico I would lean toward the Red Hog.
    Instagram: mark_aylward
    www.solidwoodfurniture.com.au


    A good edge takes a little sweat!!

  5. #4
    Join Date
    Mar 2004
    Location
    Brisbane (western suburbs)
    Age
    77
    Posts
    12,093

    Default

    As you say, a looong shot!

    Provenance is about 80% of identification. A crate shipped from Germany could be made from just about anything, from anywhere on the planet. My first thought was it would be a tropical wood of some sort, but the end-grain shows distinct & regular growth rings, which makes that less likely (but far from impossible). The colour & what appears to be a ring-porous or semi ring-porous structure could fit something like Walnut, but Walnut usually has a slight, pleasant odour when cut/planed. However, there are so many woods that could look like your sample, I couldn't even hazard a guess.

    If it has lived outside for 10 years, the musty smell you describe could be due to fungus? (A mild infestation may not be be visible to the naked eye).....
    Cheers,
    IW

  6. #5
    Join Date
    Apr 2015
    Location
    Warragul Vic
    Posts
    1,093

    Default

    There is little benefit in attempting an id when one can see so liitle clean wood from fresh clean cuts … not sanded aged wood. Although it looks vaguely familiar, I just cant see distinguishing features as these are just not visible. Agree with points made about provenance BUT a packing case could be made from wood grown from anywhere but this looks tropical to me (not a European wood) maybe South East Asian or even African. With so much trade from Asia that seems likely.

    Better pics Greg ... make the effort and you will get a better result

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