What wood is this? Unusual characteristic open reticulated pattern.

**DXW** · 16th December 2021, 04:57 PM

What wood is this? Unusual characteristic open reticulated pattern.

I would appreciate any help y’all can offer in identifying this wood. It’s weird and not at all what I expected and, to date, my extensive web searching, reading research, and asking local experts has not provided me an answer.

I had ‘inherited’ a couple of small logs of this wood – they were labelled ‘other’ - and decided I’d use them to turn a four-piece double lidded box. The short straighter piece was going to be the body while I’d break down the longer more bent piece to make an internal sleeve and the second internal lid.

The first image shows the two logs on a bench at my club, as I am trying to identify them. The second part of that photo is intended to show the bark pattern.

image 1 unidentified timber v2.jpg

The pieces are very dry and quite heavy. They are approx. 14cm diameter and 25-35cm in length. They were labelled “other” suggesting that the original owner did not know what they were either. They had a fairly prominent radial (?medullary ray) patterning in the endgrain which had me thinking they might be a relative of Mapou (Red Matipo - Myrsine australis), although the bark is not consistent with that.

I stripped the bark off the shorter of the logs to find an unusual (for me anyway) surface under it. The log surface was somewhat pitted, but entirely covered in a delicate reticular lace-like pattern. The second image shows that surface and some of the bark. The bark is somewhat corky in character.

image 2 unidentified timber v2.jpg

I mounted that piece between centres, trued up the ends and turned it to a round. The reticular pattern appears to continue the entire depth of the log. I’m 1 – 1.5cm deep now in parts and it’s much the same as immediately sub-surface. It has a relatively open, porous, net~ or lace~ like grain or pattern. It looks superficially a bit like the patterns you get in Silky Oak (Grevillea) but the timber fibres here are separated by small air gaps, each layer seems to be a sort of open weave net.

The timber itself is moderately hard and it turns nicely when my tools are sharp. It’s very dry and I have mostly produced dust and tiny chips (like old jarrah), but the occasional threads when I’ve cut away a corner.

Image 3 shows the turned surface, and a close-up of the reticular wood fibre pattern I mentioned.

image 3 unidentified timber v2.jpg

I thought it was perhaps some weird kiwi native, like cabbage tree or something, and have been looking through resources to try and find it. No joy yet.

Another native Rewrewa (NZ Honeysuckle) can produce patterns a bit like Silky Oak, but not this sort of open weave with air pockets (Image 4 is a stock photo of Rewarewa). The same applies to Silky Oak, London Plane, various Honeysuckles, and timbers called ‘lacewood’ or similar. The relatively open lattice type of timber made me wonder about some sort of palm, but the bark does not resemble any of the palms I can think of. Not phoenix, not nikau.

rewarewa stock.jpg

Being logs, and with the dried lichen all over the bark surface, makes it highly likely to be local (NZ) although does not necessarily mean it’s a native.

No doubt it’s just a failing of my searching, as the timber seems so characteristic that I’m sure that anyone who’s dealt with it before will instantly recognise it … just I cannot.

I’d appreciate any wood-guru thoughts on what this might be, even general groupings that might help me make my online searching a little better focussed.

Cheers
Dougal

**DXW** · 17th December 2021, 04:08 PM

The fellow who gave me the pieces told me where they came from and indicated that they were from a largish palm - akin to a phoenix.

I spent today wandering around the area, urban and nearby reserves and forests, and found nothing with a bark pattern resembling this. The nearest I found was some of the gymnosperms - thick red corky tessellated bark - but their bark surface patterning was quite different. Much more angular and tile like patterns with the most prominent fissures being longitudinal, not circumferential.

I met a lot of Nikau and Cabbage Trees today and it is not from one of those types.

I also just learned that palms do not have growth rings, and this timber most decidedly does ... so perhaps his memory of it coming from a palm might be a bit misleading.

Other than the lovely forest walks, the main plus of today's research was discovering a large storm-fallen native that the rangers had started cutting. A fresh new 30-45cm thick, 1m diameter crotch and 25cm x 1.5m relatively straight log came home with me. I think I need to build myself an all-terrain tow-cart to pop in the back of the car for just that purpose

)

**aldav** · 17th December 2021, 04:26 PM

My guess would be a Banksia. If you Google 'Banksia timber' you'll get some good images and descriptions. It can be very pretty particularly when quarter sawn, but is inclined to split along the entire length of the log when drying.

Good forest find.

**DXW** · 17th December 2021, 04:41 PM

Thanks. That is a direction I never even thought of, but the knobbly bark is somewhat reminiscent of those bad old Banksia Men

Later: I think you might have it, in one ...

Online images of Silver Banksia timber look very similar
The bark of several Banksia spp look similar to my unknown, albiet with different 'knob' morphology. B serrata is getting close.

I'll try and home in on the species, but am now sold on this being Banksia. I can also now look up finishing options - I was wondering how to handle such porous timber - and proceed with my plan of using it to try make a 4-piece tea-box. If I succeed I'll proudly post the product

**mature one** · 18th December 2021, 07:11 AM

I have harvested bottle brush [can't spell the real name] and it had the same pattern was extremely beaut timber that had a pattern similar to oak but much nicer. As Aldav said prone to cupping and splitting so has to be quite a bit thicker when drying to achieve some timber when machining when dry.

**bruceward51** · 18th December 2021, 07:39 AM

I agree - Banksia. I have not turned enough to suggest species but the timber varies a lot between species in my experience. Always worth turning though and usually pretty.

Bruce

**DXW** · 18th December 2021, 04:18 PM

Given where it came from, and the bark morphology, it fits quite well with being B serrata.

**DXW** · 18th December 2021, 04:20 PM

Someone cut down a big bottlebrush (?Calistamon) near here last year and I have several logs end-treated and waiting as a result.
That's great news that I can expect similar features and nice working

**DXW** · 18th December 2021, 04:24 PM

Originally Posted by aldav

... is inclined to split along the entire length of the log when drying.

OMG, you are right. They were 30-40 year old logs with not even a hint of a split. Today, a couple days after debarking and turning to the round, that one has a web of splits showing in the end grain. Our weather has been hot (for here) so I have waved a little CA over the splits and will try prayer or something. Hmphhhh!

**IanW** · 19th December 2021, 08:36 AM

Originally Posted by DXW

Someone cut down a big bottlebrush (?Calistamon) near here last year and I have several logs end-treated and waiting as a result.
That's great news that I can expect similar features and nice working

No, I don't think you should expect to find anything like your (putative) banksia at all. Mature one may have gotten his species confused or has one that is very different from the norm if it has prominent medullary rays. The bottle brushes (now all lumped under Melaleuca spp.) are in an entirely different family (Myrtaceae) from Banksia and I have not struck any member of that family that has the prominent medullary rays characteristic of the Protaceae, which is the family bankisias belong to (along with 'silky oaks', Hakeas etc.).

The callistemon/Melaleuca I've turned worked easily, and had an even, relatively fine-grained pinkish wood with no visible medullary rays - made good, tough tool handles.....

Cheers,

**dai sensei** · 20th December 2021, 11:28 AM

There are many trees that have medullary rays, but I can't say any of the palms have them, so I tend to agree that description is a memory error.

The bark is very distinctive though and could be one of the Bansias or Cork trees that both grow in NZ and these are relative light in weight as you describe. Looking at your photo of the bark however looks more fibris like a Banksia rather than cork like like the cork tree. The outside of the bark however looks more like a Cork, rather than a Banksia, but the Banksia do vary a fair bit. When stripping the bark off Banksia the eyes as you describe are very common.

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