# OOPS --- my new tool proves useful



## phinds (Dec 17, 2019)

In this thread

https://woodbarter.com/threads/looking-through-the-grains-iding-a-burl-from-the-trunk.39853/

I opined that the mystery wood was sweet gum, saying that the end grain was consistent with sweet gum as indeed it is, at 10X unless you look REALLY REALLY closely which I obviously did not do. Even then, unless you know exactly what to look for, you'll likely miss the difference so I don't feel TOO badly about it, but still ...

I just did a much higher magnification end grain pic of the mystery wood and I can see now that it definitely is NOT sweet gum. I don't yet know what it IS, but it's near midnight and I'm not going to get any more done on it tonight. [LATER NOTE: see post #2 below --- it's almost certainly tupelo]

Here's a an end grain section of the mystery wood and then one of a piece of sweet gum. Both are .022 inches square shown here at about 300X (depending on your screen resolution).

Each has large pores with a background of much smaller pores plus very obvious rays. The larger pores in the mystery wood are much less dense (that is, they are farther apart) than in the sweet gum and the smaller pores are much larger in the mystery wood and butt almost right up against each other whereas in the sweet gum they are smaller and separated by approximately their own width.

The rays appear a bit thicker in the mystery wood but I did find sweet gum areas with rays that thick so I discount that as a meaningful comparison.

The color difference is irrelevant. This microscope is terrible about correct color capture.

SO ... OOPS





mystery wood





sweet gum

Reactions: Like 1 | Way Cool 6 | Informative 2


----------



## phinds (Dec 21, 2019)

@Diver Temple, More news: found something it probably is. I looked through all my end grain pics and found that this is PROBABLY some type of tupelo. That's also consistent with the "gum" name since one of the alternate names for all but one of the tupelos is gum.

The large pores are more dense in the tupelo but the background smaller pores are a pretty good match and the rays are a good match. I don't have any idea which Nyssa spp. it is but I think it's one of them (my database lists 5 different ones)




the mystery wood at .022 across shown here at about 300X





one of my tupelo samples at .022 across shown here at about 300X

Reactions: Thank You! 1 | Way Cool 2


----------



## Diver Temple (Dec 23, 2019)

Paul, that is way cool! Who'd a thunk you could see all that in the grain? Not me for sure. That's a whole new world that is pretty interesting and I always liked looking at microscope slides, but never thought about it with wood until meeting you in the posts. Very cool hobby.

Thanks for the update and pics! Merry Christmas!
~Mo

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## phinds (Dec 23, 2019)

Diver Temple said:


> Paul, that is way cool! Who'd a thunk you could see all that in the grain? Not me for sure. That's a whole new world that is pretty interesting and I always liked looking at microscope slides, but never thought about it with wood until meeting you in the posts. Very cool hobby.
> ~Mo


You should check out the wood anatomy sticky threads at the top of this subforum, or if you just like pretty pics, check this out: http://www.phinds.com/endgrain/

Reactions: Like 2


----------



## Diver Temple (Dec 23, 2019)

phinds said:


> You should check out the wood anatomy sticky threads at the top of this subforum, or if you just like pretty pics, check this out: http://www.phinds.com/endgrain/


I've been through your links; lots to look at...


----------



## phinds (Dec 23, 2019)

Diver Temple said:


> I've been through your links; lots to look at...


Yeah but did you check out the "pretty pics" link I just gave you? It's cool.


----------



## Diver Temple (Dec 23, 2019)

Just did. I guess those are from your new toy?


----------



## phinds (Dec 23, 2019)

Diver Temple said:


> Just did. I guess those are from your new toy?


no, those are my old standard 1/4" x 1/4" shown at 12X. The new toy goes down to 300X which is a whole 'nother world.

Reactions: Way Cool 1


----------



## JR Parks (Dec 23, 2019)

Awesome endgrain pics Paul. The Macadamia is very interesting.


----------



## phinds (Dec 23, 2019)

JR Parks said:


> Awesome endgrain pics Paul. The Macadamia is very interesting.


That's an example of scalariform (scale-like) parenchyma, so-called because it looks vaguely like fish scales. It's also present in leopardwood, corkwood, lacewood, and a couple of others.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## ripjack13 (Dec 23, 2019)

Oh nice. I like the partridgewood.


----------



## phinds (Dec 23, 2019)

ripjack13 said:


> Oh nice. I like the partridgewood.


I prefer the kempas --- same general characteristics (lozenge-shaped aliform parenchyma) but more sharply defined.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## trc65 (Dec 23, 2019)

Cool pictures! 

I like the buckthorn, I see giraffes!

Reactions: Funny 1


----------



## phinds (Dec 23, 2019)

trc65 said:


> Cool pictures!
> 
> I like the buckthorn, I see giraffes!


Very cool. I never noticed that.

Here are a few more giraffes


 

And here are some seahorses

Reactions: Like 1 | Way Cool 2


----------

