# Another mystery wood...



## chatometry (Jan 22, 2022)

Hello again
For this one I know absolutely nothing, except that it's not a very expensive wood. It looks fairly chatoyant, with evident but not very large flecks (beech-sized, I'd say). Flecks are visible in picture 3 below.
My first thought was Meranti, and Bilbo's pictures look similar to mine, but I'd be happy to hear your opinion as I am quite unexperienced on this task...
Thanks again!
Paolo

Reactions: Like 1


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## barry richardson (Jan 22, 2022)

I have some Keruing/apitong that looks very similar, both the end grain and q-sawn face.....


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## chatometry (Jan 23, 2022)

I forgot to mention density = 36 lb/ft3.

So this is my endgrain (1/4"x1/4"):




This is Meranti from the Hobbithouse (again cropped to 1/4"x1/4"):







This is Keruing from the Hobbithouse (again cropped to 1/4"x1/4"):










It seems to me that my piece lacks the rays which are visible on Meranti and Keruing...


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## Mr. Peet (Jan 23, 2022)

chatometry said:


> Hello again
> For this one I know absolutely nothing, except that it's not a very expensive wood. It looks fairly chatoyant, with evident but not very large flecks (beech-sized, I'd say). Flecks are visible in picture 3 below.
> My first thought was Meranti, and Bilbo's pictures look similar to mine, but I'd be happy to hear your opinion as I am quite unexperienced on this task...
> Thanks again!
> ...


Shorea got a challenge there. Need *m*or*e* pictu*r*es ple*a*se. *N*eed *t*o show us the s*i*de view of the wood in picture three. Thanks.

Reactions: Funny 2


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## Mr. Peet (Jan 23, 2022)

Mr. Peet said:


> Shorea got a challenge there. Need *m*or*e* pictu*r*es ple*a*se. *N*eed *t*o show us the s*i*de view of the wood in picture three. Thanks.


No, serious, let's see the other side...


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## phinds (Jan 23, 2022)

Paolo, "meranti" is a very untrustworthy name since it is used for many widely varying species in the genus Shorea. That doesn't mean your analysis is wrong, I'm just saying ...

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## chatometry (Jan 23, 2022)

These two pictures are from the same side, to show how chatoyant this is.







These are one each from the other three sides - I don't know if this is what you were looking for.

Reactions: Like 1 | Thank You! 1


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## phinds (Jan 23, 2022)

Oh, and the weight is very consistent with the lighter Shorea species. The only meranti I've ever bought in good-sized plank form was much heavier but was also much darker in color.


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## chatometry (Jan 23, 2022)

phinds said:


> Paolo, "meranti" is a very untrustworthy name since it is used for many widely varying species in the genus Shorea.


Thanks. I read about this on your website.
I was planning to put all shorea togerher in one group and then split it if I get enough samples from each of the "varieties" (white, yellow, etc).
So, even just identifying this as shorea would be very helpful.
Paolo


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## phinds (Jan 23, 2022)

Definitely could be a Shorea but I don't know how you would get positive confirmation other than an actual DNA test (which is very expensive)

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## chatometry (Jan 23, 2022)

Thank you. I will compare the smell to that of other confirmed shorea samples I have and see if it matches...


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## Mr. Peet (Jan 23, 2022)

Paolo,

Thank you. Your weight of 36 matches many Shorea species. Picture 2 of post #1 clearly shows faint vertical lines that are common in many Shoreas. These lines are often a shade of white and contain lots of LATEX. See if it breaks down to confirm latex.

Without these lines, and if the wood was heavier (40-45), the African wood Niangon, _Tarrietia utilis_, would have matched well (likewise for a few others in the Tarrietia genus)..

Reactions: Agree 1 | Great Post 1 | Informative 1


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## chatometry (Jan 24, 2022)

Thanks for the deep insight! Very interesting!
Do you mean these faint lines?


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## Mr. Peet (Jan 24, 2022)

chatometry said:


> Thanks for the deep insight! Very interesting!
> Do you mean these faint lines?
> 
> View attachment 221338
> ...


Yes


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## phinds (Jan 24, 2022)

Yep. Marginal parenchyma lines. Nice photography.

Reactions: Agree 1 | Great Post 1


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## chatometry (Jan 24, 2022)

Thanks Mark and Paul.
I did not even notice them before!
Cool!
Paolo


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## Karl_TN (Jan 24, 2022)

chatometry said:


> Thanks for the deep insight! Very interesting!
> Do you mean these faint lines?


Agree with Paul on the really nice photography. What camera & scope setup do you have for getting these pics?


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## chatometry (Jan 25, 2022)

Mh... Just my phone on a box pointing at the wood piece. My phone is not the one show in the picture, it's a Realme GT. (and it does automatic white balance very badly...)

Reactions: Useful 1


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