# Honey hole find



## norman vandyke (Aug 3, 2016)

Piece of pallet wood I found. Strong, thick curl running the 24" length of this board. Dimensions are .75"x2.75"x24" and weighs 33.5 oz. I calculate as 73 lbs/cubic foot. Moisture meter reads 0. Wood providence is likely Southeast Asia. Face and end are as smooth as I can make them. 320 grit used.

Reactions: Like 1 | Way Cool 1


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## Tony (Aug 3, 2016)

I think I have some of that Norm. I'll look as soon as I can and get back to you. Tony


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## Mike1950 (Aug 3, 2016)

kempas? 
not that heavy though


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## norman vandyke (Aug 3, 2016)

I thought kempas at first too but the weight and color are both off. Most kempas I've seen is reddish not brown.


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## JR Parks (Aug 3, 2016)

I have a piece that look just like the second picture. Cool wood Norm!


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## phinds (Aug 4, 2016)

Kempas is the only thing I can come up with. The color is off but not so far off as to absolutely rule it out and the end grain is definitely like kempas, which is a strong indicator but not conclusive. The face grain seems even more coarse than kempas. Southeast Asis is where kempas grows so that fits. My notes have kempas at nominally 55lbs/cuft so 73 is very high (and in fact makes your wood one of the heaviest in the world).

My guess is that it's some obscure Southeast Asian wood that is related to kempas. I have kempas as just Kompassia spp. so this is likely also a Kompassia , just not the one that we usually see as kempas.


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## norman vandyke (Aug 4, 2016)

phinds said:


> Kempas is the only thing I can come up with. The color is off but not so far off as to absolutely rule it out and the end grain is definitely like kempas, which is a strong indicator but not conclusive. The face grain seems even more coarse than kempas. Southeast Asis is where kempas grows so that fits. My notes have kempas at nominally 55lbs/cuft so 73 is very high (and in fact makes your wood one of the heaviest in the world).
> 
> My guess is that it's some obscure Southeast Asian wood that is related to kempas. I have kempas as just Kompassia spp. so this is likely also a Kompassia, just not the one that we usually see as kempas.


That would make sense. The grain looks so much like the kempas I already have.


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## Nature Man (Aug 4, 2016)

Congrats on the find! Gorgeous lumber. Chuck


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## Ray D (Aug 4, 2016)

Jatoba? Every once in a while we get a pallet made of it. Very heavy. Just my guess.


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## norman vandyke (Aug 4, 2016)

Ray D said:


> Jatoba? Every once in a while we get a pallet made of it. Very heavy. Just my guess.


Definitely not jatoba.


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## phinds (Aug 4, 2016)

norman vandyke said:


> Definitely not jatoba.


Rght. The end grain rules out jatoba instantly, as does the extreme coarseness.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## ripjack13 (Aug 4, 2016)

At a glance, the second pic looks like bubinga ( but i know its not) and the last one looks like a sort of palm tree....

Reactions: Agree 1


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## norman vandyke (Aug 4, 2016)

ripjack13 said:


> At a glance, the second pic looks like bubinga ( but i know its not) and the last one looks like a sort of palm tree....


I'm doubting palm because I thought the strands in palm would be where all the color is located, so brown strands inside pale wood.


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## ripjack13 (Aug 4, 2016)

Right......that's why I said, at a glance.
Is it heavy and rock hard?


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## norman vandyke (Aug 4, 2016)

ripjack13 said:


> Right......that's why I said, at a glance.
> Is it heavy and rock hard?


It is both of those.


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## ripjack13 (Aug 4, 2016)

Ahh....interesting....


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## phinds (Aug 4, 2016)

norman vandyke said:


> I'm doubting palm because I thought the strands in palm would be where all the color is located, so brown strands inside pale wood.


There is zero possibility that this is a palm. Look at the palm end grains on my site. This is a wood. Palms are grasses.

The graininess of the face IS vaguely similar to palms, but the end grain tells the story, as it almost always does. Anyone really interested in learning to identify wood should have a look at my anatomy pages and use them as a reference.


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## norman vandyke (Aug 4, 2016)

phinds said:


> There is zero possibility that this is a palm. Look at the palm end grains on my site. This is a wood. Palms are grasses.
> 
> The graininess of the face IS vaguely similar to palms, but the end grain tells the story, as it almost always does. Anyone really interested in learning to identify wood should have a look at my anatomy pages and use them as a reference.


Are psalms grasses? I know they're monocots like bananas and grasses are as well but I didn't know they we're considered a grass.


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## norman vandyke (Aug 4, 2016)

norman vandyke said:


> Are psalms grasses? I know they're monocots like bananas and grasses are as well but I didn't know they we're considered a grass.


Answered that question myself with some research. Yes, they are. Amazing!


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## norman vandyke (Aug 4, 2016)

Pulled a piece of kempas and sanded for comparison. The kempas sample is much lighter in weight. Color in person is spot on. A little finer grain than the wood in question.


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## phinds (Aug 4, 2016)

Nice comparison. Unfortunately, the mystery wood has a wavy figure that makes the grain comparison hard but even so they look quite similar. Your kempas end grain shows very little of the lozenge shaped aliform parenchyma that most of my kempas samples show, and that your mystery wood shows but I DO have at least one kempas sample that is very similar to your piece of kempas in not having much of the lozenge shaped paremchyma. I continue to believe that this is likely a Kompassia spp. that is much heavier than the one we get as kempas, but that otherwise has very similar characteristics.

Reactions: Like 1


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## norman vandyke (Aug 4, 2016)

phinds said:


> Nice comparison. Unfortunately, the mystery wood has a wavy figure that makes the grain comparison hard but even so they look quite similar. Your kempas end grain shows very little of the lozenge shaped aliform parenchyma that most of my kempas samples show, and that your mystery wood shows but I DO have at least one kempas sample that is very similar to your mystery wood in not having much of the lozenge shaped paremchyma. I continue to believe that this is likely a Kompassia spp. that is much heavier than the one we get as kempas, but that otherwise has very similar characteristics.


I'm fairly certain you are correct. I have another sample of kempas that shows the lozenge shape paremchyma very well. A little misrepresentative in these examples. If it is indeed kempas, it's definitely the heaviest one I've come across. Must be a regional difference.


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## Mike1950 (Aug 4, 2016)

I had a piece of redwood that was twice as heavy as most redwood. It was also very curly. It is wood- anomalies can and should be expected.....


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## ripjack13 (Aug 4, 2016)

norman vandyke said:


> Are psalms grasses?



Yea as I walk through the valley of forests, I shall fear no wood.
Psalms according to rip....

Reactions: Like 1 | Funny 1


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## norman vandyke (Aug 4, 2016)

Paul, I think I'm just gonna have to send you a piece to examine. I still have your address.

Reactions: +Karma 1


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## Blueglass (Aug 4, 2016)

Not Asian but the face grain reminds me of the Brownheart I got a bit back. I think the end grain is different but I have not compared that much end grain.


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## phinds (Aug 4, 2016)

norman vandyke said:


> Paul, I think I'm just gonna have to send you a piece to examine. I still have your address.


OK, I look forward to processing and analyzing it.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Kevin (Aug 5, 2016)

I need someone to send me some exotic wood to process and analyze. I do require blanks somewhat larger than Paul however - my blanks need to be at least 12" x 12" x 3" the larger size allows for a more accurate analysis.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1 | Great Post 2 | Funny 2


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## CWS (Aug 5, 2016)

Kevin said:


> I need someone to send me some exotic wood to process and analyze. I do require blanks somewhat larger than Paul however - my blanks need to be at least 12" x 12" x 3" the larger size allows for a more accurate analysis.


I could send you some S.E. Ohio white pine if you like.


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## norman vandyke (Aug 8, 2016)

@phinds I neglected to mention I did send you a sample. Should arrive today or tomorrow.


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## phinds (Aug 8, 2016)

norman vandyke said:


> @phinds I neglected to mention I did send you a sample. Should arrive today or tomorrow.


Excellent. I'll get it processed fairly soon and report my finding.

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## phinds (Aug 9, 2016)

Norm, I just got the piece and although I rarely (as in this case) consider anything conclusive until I've done the end grain fine sanding, here's what I have observed so far.

1) the color is EXACTLY like kempas. I was somewhat misled by the color in the pics
2) the graininess is EXACTLY like kempas. I was again, misled by the pics but it was entirely my fault. You clearly stated the size of the piece and I just failed to take that into account when looking at the graininess.
3) the piece you sent pro-rates out to 67 lbs/cuft, so still very heavy for kempas but entirely believable.
4) a look at the unprocessed end grain says it's most likely identical to at least one of my kempas samples, although again, I never trust looking at the end grain until I've processed it.

SO ... in short, I'll be very surprised if the end grain processing leads me to any other conclusion than that it is kempas.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1


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## norman vandyke (Aug 9, 2016)

phinds said:


> Norm, I just got the piece and although I rarely (as in this case) consider anything conclusive until I've done the end grain fine sanding, here's what I have observed so far.
> 
> 1) the color is EXACTLY like kempas. I was somewhat misled by the color in the pics
> 2) the graininess is EXACTLY like kempas. I was again, misled by the pics but it was entirely my fault. You clearly stated the size of the piece and I just failed to take that into account when looking at the graininess.
> ...


That seems the most likely culprit to me as well.


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## Palaswood (Aug 19, 2016)

So wavy grained kempas then? That's a gnarly board! What will you do with it?


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## norman vandyke (Aug 19, 2016)

Palaswood said:


> So wavy grained kempas then? That's a gnarly board! What will you do with it?


It's already been done. It's one of a few other pieces of pallet wood going into to an entertainment center build.


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## Palaswood (Aug 19, 2016)

Awesome! got any pics? @norman vandyke


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## norman vandyke (Aug 19, 2016)

Palaswood said:


> Awesome! got any pics? @norman vandyke


Not yet. Still a working progress. Well, a learning process. First time trying this style out. Already made big mistakes but it will still function as it should.


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## Palaswood (Aug 19, 2016)

norman vandyke said:


> Not yet. Still a working progress. Well, a learning process. First time trying this style out. Already made big mistakes but it will still function as it should.


Mistakes are best made on stuff you will be keeping. That's how I feel anyway. I don't mind if theres some flaws in it cause it will work as intended.


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## norman vandyke (Aug 19, 2016)

Palaswood said:


> Mistakes are best made on stuff you will be keeping. That's how I feel anyway. I don't mind if theres some flaws in it cause it will work as intended.


For sure. If it wasn't for my own house, I'd have started over. Lol


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## phinds (Aug 31, 2016)

Norm I finally got around to doing the fine sanding on the end grain and as expected, no surprize. It's kempas.

One of my samples and your "mystery" wood, both 1/4" x 1/4" cross sections shown here at about 12X. Other than minor color difference and the fact that your piece came out more clogged with the fine sanding dust, they are clearly identical, even to the fact that this particular wood exhibits small cracks from the heat generated by the sanding (that's what the bold white vertical lines are; the rest are rays)

Reactions: Like 3


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