# Don't have a clue what this is...



## Don Ratcliff (Oct 15, 2016)

I got a large tree section of this stuff but not sure what it is. Any help is appreciated.

The heart is fairly hard, the sap is soft..

If I had to guess I would say purple heart but I would only be guessing.

Reactions: Like 2 | Way Cool 1


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## Don Ratcliff (Oct 15, 2016)

This is the Spalting on the sap wood.


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## Don Ratcliff (Oct 15, 2016)

Zoom in on the end grain pic.


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## phinds (Oct 15, 2016)

That one strong purple-colored end grain macro shot plus all the end grain characteristics say it IS purpleheart, but what's with the orange color in the end grain closeups? Is that just the photography?

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Don Ratcliff (Oct 15, 2016)

That was when I got it wet in the direct sunlight light


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## Don Ratcliff (Oct 15, 2016)

Thank you for your help @phinds


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## Tony (Oct 16, 2016)

Does purpleheart grow there Don?


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## Don Ratcliff (Oct 16, 2016)

Tony said:


> Does purpleheart grow there Don?


The research I can find says it does not. Also the people I have asked say it does not. The old Italian I got all the wood from must have imported it

Reactions: Like 2


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## Jim Beam (Oct 16, 2016)

I bought some Cuban mahogany from a guy in Hawaii that looked a LOT like that.


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## phinds (Oct 16, 2016)

Jim Beam said:


> I bought some Cuban mahogany from a guy in Hawaii that looked a LOT like that.


Then you were misled. That does not look anything like Cuban mahogany (or Honduran for that matter).


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## Palaswood (Oct 17, 2016)

That's some cool wood! How hard is it?

Reactions: Useful 1


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## phinds (Oct 17, 2016)

Palaswood said:


> That's some cool wood! How hard is it?


If it is indeed purpleheart then the formal Janka hardness rating is "Damn Hard!" 

Actually, Janka ratings for purpleheart range from 2,000 to 4,000 depending on the species.

Reactions: Funny 1 | Informative 1


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## deltatango (Oct 17, 2016)

Whatever it is, it's very cool. Love that spalting. Stabilize that and you've got the icing on the cake.
Great find Don!

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Jim Beam (Oct 17, 2016)

Well it would be easy enough to mislead _me_, I am not one of the world's leading experts in wood identification like _you_. Heck, I can't even find my way around a web site.

Reactions: Funny 1


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## Don Ratcliff (Oct 17, 2016)

The heart is hard for sure.


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## Palaswood (Oct 17, 2016)

Don Ratcliff said:


> The heart is hard for sure.


Do you have any woods you would say are harder than it? If so, what are they? Or does its hardness rival that of anything you have?


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## Don Ratcliff (Oct 17, 2016)

Palaswood said:


> Do you have any woods you would say are harder than it? If so, what are they? Or does its hardness rival that of anything you have?


I have only cut it log into thirds so I could move it. I realized how hard it was sanding the end grain for the pic. It's harder than koa but not as hard as ironwood... close to ohea would be my quick assumption.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Palaswood (Oct 17, 2016)

The face grain has quite a distinct grain pattern for purpleheart. The hardness of ohia isn't that far off from purpleheart, at least relatively speaking.


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## phinds (Oct 17, 2016)

Don Ratcliff said:


> I have only cut it log into thirds so I could move it. I realized how hard it was sanding the end grain for the pic. It's harder than koa but not as hard as ironwood... close to ohea would be my quick assumption.


What is ohea?

EDIT: I see from your next post that it is ohia. What speices do you have in mind? "Ohia" is a common name used by over 20 different species, most of them not even in the same genera. They are all over the map.


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## Don Ratcliff (Oct 17, 2016)

phinds said:


> What is ohea?
> 
> EDIT: I see from your next post that it is ohia. What speices do you have in mind? "Ohia" is a common name used by over 20 different species, most of them not even in the same genera. They are all over the map.



Paul, I'll get you some pics of what we call ohea in Hawaii. Right now on the big island they are having a real problem with the ohea dying off. It's so bad they will not allow any of it to leave big island. If you Google "ohea tree hawaii" That's what we have here.


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## Palaswood (Oct 18, 2016)

_Metrosideros kermadecensis_ possibly- According to folklore, Ohi’a was the name of a warrior that was transformed into a tree


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## Don Ratcliff (Oct 18, 2016)

_Metrosideros kermadecensis_ possibly- According to folklore, Ohi’a was the name of a warrior that was transformed into a tree
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metrosideros_polymorpha


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## Palaswood (Oct 18, 2016)

Right on Don. You got such a wealth of exotic trees near you. I'm so jealous

Reactions: Like 1


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