# I was told its Ironwood (sigh!)



## rbhandcrafted (Sep 26, 2015)

It isnt Lignum i know. So i thought Desert Ironwood (Arizona) But id really like to nail the I.D down.
It has burl in it and curl and is extremely heavy for its size.

My best guess is az ironwood... Thanks in advance!


----------



## ClintW (Sep 26, 2015)

Not sure. Maybe DIW, just a guess, but if you can snap a couple more photos and an end grain shot, I'm sure the experts can figure it out. Clarity in the photos will aid in ID'ing. 

Also, is the color in the photo match the true color?


----------



## Kevin (Sep 26, 2015)

If not for that little patch of sap I would say there's no way to tell for sure from that poor quality image, but it does look like DIW to me just because of the sap. More and better images wouldn't hurt though. 

@barry richardson 
@shadetree_1

Reactions: Agree 3


----------



## Mike1950 (Sep 26, 2015)

I agree with Kevin but no matter- Nice chunk of wood.


----------



## Sprung (Sep 26, 2015)

I was typing something similar to Kevin's reply, then got distracted.

Could be DIW, but better pics would help. Can you take it outside and get some better pictures in the daylight?


----------



## manbuckwal (Sep 26, 2015)

Zooming in on it, it does look like DIW . There is no mistaking the dead cat smell, so take a whiff


----------



## norman vandyke (Sep 26, 2015)

That looks big compared to diw that I've seen people post. Does have that look though. End grain shot? Maybe other sides too?


----------



## phinds (Sep 26, 2015)

I agree w/ Kevin that the sapwood looks like that of DIW but the rest of it looks awfully bland for DIW


----------



## rbhandcrafted (Sep 26, 2015)

Ive only got this ipad for a camera. Would ironwood make figure like this? This is one slice 6/4 of a bookmatched pair. The color is proper...i threw in the other slab for help... Actualy, the color is like a purply, chocolatey brown. Im leaning toward D.I. I never seen pieces this big, especially in a bookmatch.



Kevin said:


> If not for that little patch of sap I would say there's no way to tell for sure from that poor quality image, but it does look like DIW to me just because of the sap. More and better images wouldn't hurt though.
> 
> @barry richardson
> @shadetree_1


----------



## rbhandcrafted (Sep 26, 2015)

phinds said:


> I agree w/ Kevin that the sapwood looks like that of DIW but the rest of it looks awfully bland for DIW


. If it is desert iw, then its a burl of it. This has no oil..just bare wood. Got to be 1000 yrs old, plus...cant count growth rings.


----------



## Kevin (Sep 26, 2015)

If it's DIW I think you have a world record or close to it


----------



## rbhandcrafted (Sep 26, 2015)

Sprung said:


> I was typing something similar to Kevin's reply, then got distracted. Its miserable outside right now..pics are worse than inslide! Lol
> 
> My apologies!
> 
> Could be DIW, but better pics would help. Can you take it outside and get some better pictures in the daylight?


----------



## rbhandcrafted (Sep 26, 2015)

Thanks everyone.. Ill just call it D.I. :) Have a wonderful day!


----------



## phinds (Sep 26, 2015)

rbhandcrafted said:


> Thanks everyone.. Ill just call it D.I. :) Have a wonderful day!


Calling it DIW isn't going to make it DIW. If you care whether it actually IS desert ironwood or not, send me or Kevin or Mark Peet a small cutoff and any of us can tell you for sure. Or, for that matter, just moderately fine-sand the end grain and compare it to the pics on my site.

Reactions: Agree 1


----------



## JR Custom Calls (Sep 26, 2015)

Seems that Joe confirmed that older DIW turns almost black. I had a piece that was almost as dark as ABW. Can't mistake that smell, although there are woods that smell similar to it. Black Naragusta for one, smells almost just like it... only it burns the nostrils slightly less.


----------



## phinds (Sep 26, 2015)

Yeah, I agree w/ older DWI turning very dark. Can't confirm the smell though because I have no nose. (Well, OK, I HAVE a nose but it's only good for breathing ... it doesn't do any smelling).


----------



## barry richardson (Sep 26, 2015)

Im guessing it's Arizona Ironwood by the marks on that one board Sure looks like it. I was skeptical at first cause boards that big are very rare, especially with figure like that, but the cracks, and every thing else look like DIW. As Tom said, it has a very distintive smell when cut. Hold a piece against a belt sander till it starts to burn and it will reek to high heaven, kinda like a dead animal... you live in Canada so postage might be expensive, but you can drop a sliver in an envelope and send it to me and I can tell you with absolute certainty....


----------



## Kevin (Sep 26, 2015)

Ron off the topic a bit, please insert your images in posts as full images. It's especially frustrating on a phone.

Reactions: Agree 1


----------



## rbhandcrafted (Sep 26, 2015)

Kevin said:


> Ron off the topic a bit, please insert your images in posts as full images. It's especially frustrating on a phone.


 Kevin, im sorry. Im using an ipad and im not very good with it.


----------



## rbhandcrafted (Sep 26, 2015)

barry richardson said:


> Im guessing it's Arizona Ironwood by the marks on that one board Sure looks like it. I was skeptical at first cause boards that big are very rare, especially with figure like that, but the cracks, and every thing else look like DIW. As Tom said, it has a very distintive smell when cut. Hold a piece against a belt sander till it starts to burn and it will reek to high heaven, kinda like a dead animal... you live in Canada so postage might be expensive, but you can drop a sliver in an envelope and send it to me and I can tell you with absolute certainty....


Hi Barry. Im going to put it to the sander.
Great tip!


----------



## rbhandcrafted (Sep 26, 2015)

phinds said:


> Calling it DIW isn't going to make it DIW. If you care whether it actually IS desert ironwood or not, send me or Kevin or Mark Peet a small cutoff and any of us can tell you for sure. Or, for that matter, just moderately fine-sand the end grain and compare it to the pics on my site.


 I a actually do care what it is. I guessed D.I. From the get go, its just the size of it that made me question it.. (It was sold to me as ironwood) So i thought id ask you guys what you thought. Ill do the smell test. That seems to be the sure test...other than that i dont know how anyone could positively id it. Before inasked you guys i was about 95% sure its D.I. With burl. The other 5% was leaning towards Desert Rosewood...so rare that info is almost nil on it.


----------



## Mr. Peet (Sep 26, 2015)

Tom, that was simply a dead cat smell, not a burning dead cat? Have a farm background and want to be sure. From the growth rings that I think I saw from the end grain shot, those would be some of the biggest I've seen if it was DIW, but not big if "Koa". Look forward to better pictures and smells from the test,,,,....


----------



## rbhandcrafted (Sep 26, 2015)

Mr. Peet said:


> Tom, that was simply a dead cat smell, not a burning dead cat? Have a farm background and want to be sure. From the growth rings that I think I saw from the end grain shot, those would be some of the biggest I've seen if it was DIW, but not big if "Koa". Look forward to better pictures and smells from the test,,,,....


Impossible to count the growthrings with the naked eye, and i have better than 20/16 vision.
And its as heavy as Guaicum.


----------



## Mr. Peet (Sep 26, 2015)

So then you need a better end grain picture and I assume the saw kerf cuts are what I erroneously mistaken as growth rings. Sorry.


----------



## JR Custom Calls (Sep 27, 2015)

Did I see @phinds tell someone a scanner was good for end grain pics? Maybe I'm mistaken, but if so, perhaps you could slice off that rough edge, sand it real well, and scan it with a scanner or copy machine. Most copy machines let you email it to yourself.


----------



## ripjack13 (Sep 27, 2015)

I edited the pix into posts as fullsize....


----------



## nateturlo666 (Nov 2, 2015)

If it is *not* ironwood. It would be mesquite. It is *not* dark enough to be bog oak though. Bog oak is immensely darker like ebony but far lighter in density.


----------



## rbhandcrafted (Nov 4, 2015)

Kevin said:


> Ron off the topic a bit, please insert your images in posts as full images. It's especially frustrating on a phone.


I apologize for that. Im using an ipad and to top that off, im not very computer savy.

Its desert ironwood, i contacted the artist i bought the locker of exotics from. Many of the pieces are exceptional examples of the species....he used to work for Macbeath hardwoods some 25 yrs ago and instead of a paycheck, he took wood instead. He was moving back to the US from Vancouver B.C. And couldnt take his collection with him. It would have taken me a lifetime to amass this amount of material and cost me 4x plus what i paid.


----------



## phinds (Nov 4, 2015)

JR Custom Calls said:


> Did I see @phinds tell someone a scanner was good for end grain pics? Maybe I'm mistaken, but if so, perhaps you could slice off that rough edge, sand it real well, and scan it with a scanner or copy machine. Most copy machines let you email it to yourself.


A good quality scanner, if it can be set at high resolution, is just as good as most cameras and better than a lot , BUT ... what matters far more is that the end grain be sharply cut and then fine sanded so that the characteristics are clearly visible. Being able to see growth rings is just the first step and not yet particularly useful. You have to be able to see the arrangement of the pores and parenchyma.

Reactions: Like 1


----------

