# Any guesses?



## Maverick (Mar 23, 2019)

l picked up a load of unknown burl today. Any guesses on what kind of wood it is? I live in SoCal.

Reactions: EyeCandy! 1


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## Eric Rorabaugh (Mar 23, 2019)

Inroute burl. 











In route to Virginia to me!

Reactions: Funny 4


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## Maverick (Mar 23, 2019)

LOL Erik, is that from the genus... mineminemine?

Reactions: Funny 4


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## ripjack13 (Mar 23, 2019)

I moved this here....


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## barry richardson (Mar 23, 2019)

Based on the end grain shot, I'm guessing silky oak. Looks very much like what I've seen and harvested around here.... another possibility is salt cedar (tamarisk)


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## Maverick (Mar 23, 2019)

I was thinking it might be in the oak family


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## vegas urban lumber (Mar 23, 2019)

i'm thinking tamarisk

like this https://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/salt-cedar-aka-tamarisk.206736/

bark http://rosafrei.photoshelter.com/image/I0000g7IlGO9DPbk


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## phinds (Mar 24, 2019)

Those swirls on the outside of the 4th pic looks just like some white oak I've seen, for what it's worth (possibly not much in this case) and the end grain in the last pic definitely suggests oak. Can you get a cleaned up end grain shot from that section?


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## Mr. Peet (Mar 24, 2019)

I have not seen spiky burls for oak, but can easily imagine them.

I was thinking the 'Salt cedar' group, but have never seen burl on either 'Salt ceder' or the 'Silky oaks'. So still learning...

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Maverick (Mar 24, 2019)

phinds said:


> Can you get a cleaned up end grain shot from that section?



That pic was a fresh chainsaw cut with DNA on it. What are my best options to get a cleaner look? Thanks

Reactions: Like 1


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## phinds (Mar 24, 2019)

Maverick said:


> That pic was a fresh chainsaw cut with DNA on it. What are my best options to get a cleaner look? Thanks


A chainsaw is not likely give a decent end grain no matter what else you do. You need to get a smaller piece out of the log and really clean up the end grain (planer, hand planer, sanding, razor, whatever). Also, you need a much closer image so the details can be seen.


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## Maverick (Mar 24, 2019)

Here are a couple of more closeup of the end grain after sanding with 80 grit, blowing dust off with compressor and adding some DNA


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## phinds (Mar 24, 2019)

Good job. That definitely looks like oak and the broken up rays are like some white oak I've seen. As to Barry's suggestion that it might be silky oak, I can't rule that out at this level of detail and it could well be. Same thing for tamarisk. For clarification (and a distinction between white oak and red oak, assuming that it IS Quercus spp.) you'd have to send me a sample.


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## Maverick (Mar 24, 2019)

phinds said:


> For clarification (and a distinction between white oak and red oak, assuming that it IS Quercus spp.) you'd have to send me a sample.



@phinds That would be awesome. How big of a sample do you need? PM me your address and I will send you a piece.

Thanks


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## DKMD (Mar 24, 2019)

Just rub a piece on your skin... if it’s silky oak and your luck is like mine, you’ll break out in a rash!

Reactions: Funny 2


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## Maverick (Mar 24, 2019)

Heal thyself doc!, 

So far in my woodworking life I have been fortunate not to be allergic to woods that others say they have a hard time working with.


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## phinds (Mar 24, 2019)

Maverick said:


> @phinds That would be awesome. How big of a sample do you need? PM me your address and I will send you a piece.
> 
> Thanks


I'll PM you


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## Mr. Peet (Mar 24, 2019)

phinds said:


> Good job. That definitely looks like oak and the broken up rays are like some white oak I've seen. As to Barry's suggestion that it might be silky oak, I can't rule that out at this level of detail and it could well be. Same thing for tamarisk. For clarification (and a distinction between white oak and red oak, assuming that it IS Quercus spp.) you'd have to send me a sample.



I assume you meant 'Live oak' group. Not seeing any 'ring porous' features, I'm leaning toward the more evergreen side of things. I really like seeing those trapped buds in that sea of rays. 

Looking at the ray density, I lean toward Tamarix. Secondly, the way the rays appear to widen, then decrease width and widen again I have seen in Tamarix, not not yet in Grevalia...


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## phinds (Mar 24, 2019)

Mr. Peet said:


> I assume you meant 'Live oak' group. Not seeing any 'ring porous' features, I'm leaning toward the more evergreen side of things.


Good point. The white oak I saw it in was not, as I recall, a live white oak just a regular white oak

Since John's going to send me a piece, we'll find out.


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## Karl_TN (Mar 24, 2019)

Throwing out a wild guess if this out to be something else besides oak. This is not based on anything from experience, but the pics just remind me of California Pepper tree burl pics I've seen. End grain pics remind me of oak though.


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## Mr. Peet (Mar 25, 2019)

Karl_TN said:


> Throwing out a wild guess if this out to be something else besides oak. This is not based on anything from experience, but the pics just remind me of California Pepper tree burl pics I've seen. End grain pics remind me of oak though.



Good point Karl, but 'California pepper tree', _Schinus molle_, has uniserate rays, very narrow, hard to see with the unaided eye. Now 'Brazilian Pepper', _Schinus terebinthifolius_, has rays easily seen with the unaided eye, just at a lower density than the unknown with common grained wood.

And the wait begins...


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## Lou Currier (Mar 25, 2019)




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## vegas urban lumber (Mar 25, 2019)

Karl_TN said:


> Throwing out a wild guess if this out to be something else besides oak. This is not based on anything from experience, but the pics just remind me of California Pepper tree burl pics I've seen. End grain pics remind me of oak though.



bark is all wrong for CA pepper, and bud burl on pepper shrinks so bad that it is usually visibly cracked when cut across the log


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## Mr. Peet (Mar 25, 2019)

Lou Currier said:


>



The e-mail notice simply states popcorn, and I was going to say, "Popcorn burl is not a real burl, just a bunch of sunflower seed shells crushed together in a glued state". Now seeing the E-moe-G here on the actual WB site, I realize your point...


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## Maverick (Mar 26, 2019)

Paul, I did not get a chance to get the sample off to you yesterday. Unfortunately I had to take an old 4 legged friend to the vet for the final time. Looks like it will be tomorrow before I can get it headed your way. Thanks. Looking forward to your analysis.

Reactions: Sincere 3


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## Nubsnstubs (Mar 30, 2019)

I'm 99% certain it's Salt Cedar or Tamerisk. The picture below shows nearly identical rays. 

 

This next picture shows bark. 


 

More bark and burl stuff. 


 

This Salt Cedar above was collected near the Salton Sea in Ca. I know where there is a Salt Cedar tree here in Tucson that has to be about 10 feet in OD, and the bottom 4' of that is wrapping the tree with burl. It's a landscape tree....... Jerry (in Tucson)


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## Maverick (Mar 30, 2019)

Definitely a very real possibility Jerry. Mine has a lot of the same characteristics as the pics you just posted. Paul got the sample that I sent him today.....so I am hoping he can close the gap on that final 1%.


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## phinds (Mar 31, 2019)

John, yes I did get the sample. Haven't done anything w/ it yet since I'm still recovering from a very sudden and nasty illness from several days ago but I do expect to get to it soon.


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## Maverick (Mar 31, 2019)

No problem Paul. No rush, hope you get well soon.


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## phinds (Apr 1, 2019)

Well, I took a very quick pass at it and VERY preliminary results suggest tamarisk far more than oak or silky oak. I have to go at it in more detail and then I'll do pics.


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## phinds (May 7, 2019)

@Maverick, OK, "soon" turned into "quite a while". Sorry about that. It's definitely tamarisk / Tamarix spp.

Here's a 1/2" x 1/4" sample of tamarisk followed by the same size sample from your piece.

Although the light areas in your piece are clearly thicker, I think that's just a tree variation (and perhaps a different species in the Tamarix genus). I do worry slightly about the fact that the pore sizes are so different but I don't think it's an ID killer. I'm only showing one of my tamarisk samples, but your piece looks like a lot of them.

Important perfect matches are

Pores are only in the dark wood
Pore multiples are numerous and go in all directions, not just radial
Pore distribution is roughly the same

Reactions: Like 1


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## Maverick (May 7, 2019)

Perfect, thank you Paul. I appreciate your confirmation. And also a shout out to the others that contributed to the ID of this mystery wood. It now has a name that I can call it besides FOG (found on ground). '

Much appreciated.

Reactions: Like 1


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