Any Guesses

[Peter Blair]

I have a fair quantity of this unknown (to me) wood.

I gathered if from a Green House construction site about 15 years ago and recently decide to try to spin some. This wood was the bottom sections of narrow pallets that I believe came from Holland and I think was used to ship the glass.

It is quite heavy, has very little aroma and takes details really well! I know it is not Elm as I did collect some Dutch Elm at the same time. The pieces are about 3" square and between 12 and 18 inches long. They did have nails in them and as a result I have to work between the old nail holes or trim the pieces to about 2" square to use them.

Here are a couple of 'phone' photos of the mystery wood.
IMG_1090.jpgIMG_1094.jpg

[Jim Burr]

For lack of anything of substance...cherry!

[Barry Elder]

Eurowood?

[Ryan Mooney]

Looks like it could be Lyptus or some other eucalyptus (or bybrid thereof) to me, but I'm sure there are other similar enough woods that I wouldn't bet a lot of money on it. Some of the eucalytp I've used has been somewhat brittle, lyptus especially so

[Peter Blair]

Thanks Ryan. I think you nailed it. It looks to me to be Lyptus.

[Richard Jones]

My vote is also for lyptus.

I have gotten some pretty nice pieces from pallets, although nothing recently. The word must be out!!

[Don Nicholas]

Interesting start on your turning, what will be the end product ?

[Peter Blair]

HI Don.
Recognize anything here?
IMG_1110.jpg
Sorry about the phone photo . . . .

[Jeff Belany]

My first thought was Cherry too, but since you mentioned that it was heavy, could it be Jatoba (Brazilian Cherry)? Since you mentioned it was imported -- just a thought.

Jeff in northern Wisconsin

[allen thunem]

i have gotten some pallets that were mahogany. probably fillipino mahogany
just a guess

[Jim Underwood]

In my "never to be humble opinion" it is not Cherry. Cherry has very small pores, and this example has very prominent open pores.

[Reed Gray]

Well, the Lyptus is a hybrid that Weyerhauser developed, and last I heard, it was grown only in Brazil. The stuff I got seemed to have bigger growth rings. It was rather brittle, and tended to chip a bit, but would polish out nicely. There are a number of 'mahogany' woods that are that color and not mahogany at all. I think apitong is one type, and is an eastern Asia wood, and there are a number of varieties of it out there. Pallet wood for sure.

robo hippy

[Peter Blair]

Greetings. A couple of things.
1. It definitely is not Cherry, or at least any Cherry I ever came across in my flatwork days or from local trees that I have turned.
2. By my calculations it weighs between 58-61 lb a cubic foot
3. I doubt that it is a wood from South America because as I said it was found on a Glass House Construction site here in Delta BC. I'm pretty sure that the glass was from Holland but again I could be wrong there as well. I suppose the crates could have been made in South America and shipped to Holland but this seems unlikely to me.
It does chip when I get agressive but cuts really clean with a sharp detail gouge or skew. Many of the blocks I have do have cracks and the wood does seem really brittle. I broke one of the thin finials I was making and it snapped almost like plastic. Finishes great with WTF or just burnishing. There are small open pores. When I turn it aggressively it gives off a strange (to me) smell but when worked with light bevel riding cuts I detect no odour.
Still thinking it could be Lyptus and Jatoba is another option but I do have some flooring that I think is Jatoba (a teak copy) that doesn't appear the same and is not as nice finished.
I guess the jury is still out.

Appreciate all the input, thanks!!