# Wood I.D. help



## Ray D (Dec 11, 2016)

I recently received some wood from a hunting buddy of mine. it has been in his Grandfathers possession for quite some time....he lives in Michigan. I'm hoping to get some help in trying to I.D. some of it. This piece was among a lot of exotic woods but I was thinking it may be Texas ebony??


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## Mike1950 (Dec 11, 2016)

Is it hard and heavy


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## Ray D (Dec 11, 2016)

I know the pictures are not what's required for a positive I.D. but I was hoping it would be enough to get me there. I will do the required photos if need be. Thanks in advance . 
Ray


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## Ray D (Dec 11, 2016)

Mike1950 said:


> Is it hard and heavy


Yes it is Mike. Kind of in the purple heart range....if that helps any.


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## Mike1950 (Dec 11, 2016)

Ironwood? -one of those crazy texans will come along and know

Reactions: Agree 1


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## phinds (Dec 11, 2016)

Ray D said:


> I recently received some wood from a hunting buddy of mine. it has been in his Grandfathers possession for quite some time....he lives in Michigan. I'm hoping to get some help in trying to I.D. some of it. This piece was among a lot of exotic woods but I was thinking it may be Texas ebony?


Yeah, it does look a lot like Texas ebony. Check the end grain against what you see on my site. It's very easy to distinguish between desert ironwood and Texas ebony with the end grain.

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## Tony (Dec 11, 2016)

@Ray D, it looks like it to me but let me check when I get home against what I have. Tony

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## Tony (Dec 11, 2016)

Ray, this is what I have. Not sure if this helps you, but it's all I got. Tony

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## Tony (Dec 11, 2016)

I can tell you if it is Texas Ebony sharpen your tools. This stuff is rock hard and dense, about like Purpleheart like you said. I just sold a bottle stopper I made out of it no finish at all, it polished up beautifully just with sanding. Tony

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## Tclem (Dec 11, 2016)

Just went and looked at a block of diw and te and if I had to choose. I would say ebony

Reactions: Thank You! 1 | Agree 1


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## DKMD (Dec 11, 2016)

I've looked at this a few times, and I don't know what it is. It doesn't look like Texas ebony to me... TE seems to have a more greenish color and the sapwood seems a bit more yellow in TE. I can't say for sure, but I'd bet against Texas ebony.

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## Tclem (Dec 11, 2016)

DKMD said:


> I've looked at this a few times, and I don't know what it is. It doesn't look like Texas ebony to me... TE seems to have a more greenish color and the sapwood seems a bit more yellow in TE. I can't say for sure, but I'd bet against Texas ebony.


Glad you ain't working on my bones. My knee may look like my elbow to you. Lol. All I have is some blocks of heartwood so no sapwood to look at but you made me go back out to the shop and look for greenish wood.

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## Ray D (Dec 12, 2016)

Thanks for all the help guys. Im going to clean up some endgrain and compare it to @phinds web page. It may very well be something other than Texas ebony, that was just my first guess. Every other chunk of wood I received from this building has been exotics so I suppose this also could be exotic. 
Thanks again folks, 
Ray

Reactions: Like 1


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## phinds (Dec 12, 2016)

Ray D said:


> Thanks for all the help guys. Im going to clean up some endgrain and compare it to @phinds web page. It may very well be something other than Texas ebony, that was just my first guess. Every other chunk of wood I received from this building has been exotics so I suppose this also could be exotic.
> Thanks again folks,
> Ray


Sounds good Ray. If it remains a mystery, post your best end grain shot and I'll see what I can do about pretending that I know what it is

Reactions: Thank You! 1 | Funny 2


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## DKMD (Dec 12, 2016)

Tclem said:


> Glad you ain't working on my bones. My knee may look like my elbow to you...



Since you Mississippians just recently started walking upright, I'm betting your knees and elbows aren't much different. Plus, when your head is up your other end, they're awfully close together...

Reactions: Great Post 1 | Funny 4 | Informative 1


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## Tclem (Dec 12, 2016)

DKMD said:


> Since you Mississippians just recently started walking upright, I'm betting your knees and elbows aren't much different. Plus, when your head is up your other end, they're awfully close together...


Well..... ain't much I can say....pretty good post lol

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1 | Funny 3


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## Mr. Peet (Dec 12, 2016)

Looked like a walnut family first glance, but smell during milling would answer that. Then I saw bark on a piece lower posted, not typical walnut bark and pretty damn big for Texas ebony or DIR. Should I assume that is another wood?


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## DKMD (Dec 12, 2016)

Mr. Peet said:


> Looked like a walnut family first glance, but smell during milling would answer that. Then I saw bark on a piece lower posted, not typical walnut bark and pretty damn big for Texas ebony or DIR. Should I assume that is another wood?



The pics Tony posted are definitely Texas ebony, but it's different wood from that in the original post


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## Ray D (Dec 13, 2016)

Mr. Peet said:


> Looked like a walnut family first glance, but smell during milling would answer that. Then I saw bark on a piece lower posted, not typical walnut bark and pretty damn big for Texas ebony or DIR. Should I assume that is another wood?


Thanks for taking a look at it. Does resemble walnut, but like you said, the walnut smell was not there...actually no smell at all. The log in the picture is about 7 inches in diameter.


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## phinds (Dec 13, 2016)

Ray D said:


> Thanks for taking a look at it. Does resemble walnut, but like you said, the walnut smell was not there...actually no smell at all. The log in the picture is about 7 inches in diameter.


You also noted in post #4 that it is way more dense than, and harder than, walnut, yes?


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## Ray D (Dec 13, 2016)

Yes. Definitely harder than walnut.


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## Ray D (Dec 14, 2016)

not ideal photos. I know. Just trying it with my phone. My wife has a nice camera to try later. See what you think @phinds.


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## Ray D (Dec 14, 2016)

Well, Lol. They looked a lot better on my phone.


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## Ray D (Dec 14, 2016)

Hope these look a little better.


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## phinds (Dec 14, 2016)

Definitely not texas ebony or walnut, looks a lot like desert ironwood. Compare the actual end grain to that shown on my site and I think that's what you'll conclude. If you're still not sure, get better end grain pics

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## Ray D (Dec 14, 2016)

@phinds ....Thanks for all your help. In the interest of learning about end grain structure, what gave it away as not being Texas ebony?


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## phinds (Dec 14, 2016)

Ray D said:


> @phinds ....Thanks for all your help. In the interest of learning about end grain structure, what gave it away as not being Texas ebony?


check them out on my anatomy pages


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## Mr. Peet (Dec 14, 2016)

I don't think it is 'Dessert ironwood' either. It lacks the layered banded parenchyma. It has some banding, but the aliform look more like 'Acacia'. Maybe _Acacia greggii_ var. _wrightii_ ???

Never seen 'Berlandier acacia' (_Senegalia berlandieri _(Berlandier Acacia, Guajillo Acacia, guajillo, huajillo))Acacia berlandieri, Benth.), however it is most often just a small shrub. Not sure how many acacias it could be. I'd rule out 'Sweet acacia' (_Acacia farnesiana_).

I'm still out near the fence on this one....


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## Ray D (Dec 15, 2016)

@phinds and @Mr. Peet. I appreciate you folks taking the time to follow this thread. I am not familiar with the Acacia family of trees...as well as many other trees.


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## phinds (Dec 15, 2016)

Mr. Peet said:


> I don't think it is 'Dessert ironwood' either. It lacks the layered banded parenchyma.


Mark, you're right. I was taking too superficial a look and was predisposed to think it was either DI or Texas ebony.

It could well be an Acacia but they are all over the map on characteristics and with just the info we have I couldn't pin it on any one of them.



> I'm still out near the fence on this one....


Yeah, me to at this point.


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## Ray D (Dec 15, 2016)

I do wish I had better background info for you guys. The guy that gave me all this wood said it has been in his Grandfathers building for many years. I will ask him for more info but being he's not a wood guy, it's doubtful he could give any history. Another piece he gave me was some beautiful "rosewood " that I was going to post later.


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## Tony (Dec 15, 2016)

Whatever it is Ray, as long as it looks pretty that's the main thing. Tony

Reactions: Agree 1


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## phinds (Dec 15, 2016)

Ray D said:


> I do wish I had better background info for you guys. The guy that gave me all this wood said it has been in his Grandfathers building for many years. I will ask him for more info but being he's not a wood guy, it's doubtful he could give any history. Another piece he gave me was some beautiful "rosewood " that I was going to post later.


Well, if you can send me a modest sized cutoff I can process it and see what Mark and I think after that. "Modest sized" means at least 1/2" thick, at least 2" wide and at least 3" long. A bit bigger in all dimensions is preferred.


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## Ray D (Dec 15, 2016)

phinds said:


> Well, if you can send me a modest sized cutoff I can process it and see what Mark and I think after that. "Modest sized" means at least 1/2" thick, at least 2" wide and at least 3" long. A bit bigger in all dimensions is preferred.


If you don't mind taking the time to process it I can definitely send you a piece. I guess it's just my personality, maybe yours as well, it's hard for me to make something with this wood and tell someone I don't know what it is. Lol. Hope that makes sense. PM me your info and I'll get it 
out as soon as I can. 
Thanks


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## phinds (Dec 15, 2016)

Ray D said:


> If you don't mind taking the time to process it I can definitely send you a piece. I guess it's just my personality, maybe yours as well, it's hard for me to make something with this wood and tell someone I don't know what it is. Lol. Hope that makes sense. PM me your info and I'll get it
> out as soon as I can.
> Thanks


Done


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## phinds (Dec 15, 2016)

@Ray D, Mark (@Mr. Peet) just let me know that he has been pouring through my Acacia pages and has found a very likely match. Check your piece against the pic on my knobthorn page and see what you think. I agree w/ Mark that the end grain match for that is good and he also tells me that it is grown as an ornamental in Texas in frost free areas.

I'll still do a full process on the sample piece you send.


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## Ray D (Dec 15, 2016)

Interesting. End grain looks just like it.


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## phinds (Dec 28, 2016)

Ray D said:


> Interesting. End grain looks just like it.


So did you decide not to send a piece after all? Just asking because I haven't gotten anything.


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## Ray D (Dec 28, 2016)

Got it cut and boxed....along with that mystery wood I was telling you about. Just need to get it to the P.O.
Ray


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## phinds (Dec 28, 2016)

Ray D said:


> Got it cut and boxed....along with that mystery wood I was telling you about. Just need to get it to the P.O.
> Ray


OK, cool.


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## phinds (Jan 2, 2017)

Ray, I got the box today and have done preliminary processing. This does not include the end grain fine sanding so I don't really know anything yet, just wanted to let you know it arrived.

Paul


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## Ray D (Jan 2, 2017)

Thanks Paul. Glad the box arrived safely. Looking forward to your thoughts.
Ray.


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## phinds (Jan 17, 2017)

OK, the wood that @Ray D sent, the wood shown in the first few posts of this thread, is definitely Texas ebony. Here are some shots:

1/3" x 1/3" end grain cross sections of Texas ebony and then Ray's wood:



 

 

And here are 1/3" x 1/3" face grain areas of a piece of Texas ebony and Ray's wood. This particular piece of TE was chosen because it has a branch spike and sapwood just like Ray's wood but unfortunately it's out of focus. I checked on other pics and Ray's wood's face grain clearly looks like TE (as if the end grain wasn't enough)

Reactions: Like 1 | Thank You! 1


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## Ray D (Jan 18, 2017)

I must of missed this post earlier. Texas Ebony....cool. Thank you very much for all your help @phinds.


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## phinds (Jan 18, 2017)

Always happy to try to figure out mystery woods. These two turned out to be pretty easy, although I'm still flummoxed by the general look and feel (aside from the end grain) of the live oak piece.


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## Ray D (Jan 18, 2017)

Paul, when I get the opportunity to get back into the woods where I found it at I plan to take some pictures and post em. I know where there is at least one more chunk. There's a very large tree, I know it's live oak now, that has been down for many years. Probably 30 in diameter. A chunk of this dark wood can be seen amongst the rotting wood. Hard to describe without photos.


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