Originally Posted by
John K Jordan
I've turned and have on hand a variety of Cocobolo and I've seen a lot of variation in color but none yet quite like that color. You can examine the end grain with a microscope. However, for me the litmous test for Cocobolo is the smell when it is cut or sanded, regardless of color. All Cocobolo I've ever cut had the same very distinctive smell. (Some people describe the smell as "spicey.") If the second block doesn't smell like the first one it might be something else.
Another thing you can do is measure the volumes and weights and compare the densities - they should be close if both are Cocobolo. A third test is kind of crude and inconclusive: I've lit thin pieces of Cocobolo with a match and they burned like a candle. Great fire starters for the wood stove!
It's impossible to ID by photo. I have blanks of several species that look very much like that, one is East Indian Rosewood. However it does not smell like Cocobolo when cut. I have some pieces of Kingwood that are close to that color but they lack the sharp dark lines. Again, I'd cut or sand with coarse paper and smell it.
JKJ