Found wood identification

[Kyle Cogar]

So, I'm a total noob. I am still in the research/build my workbench phase. But, I was picking up some pizza and saw these logs in the parking lot. They looked pretty cool so I grabbed them up. I assume the two (roughly 3 foot long and 5 inches wide) logs are black walnut. But like I said, I'm a noob. The other log is about 22inches long and 8 inches wide. Red oak? I don't know. I need some confirmation. I was thinking I could cut them up and maybe make a cutting board. I also bought a lathe so I could use it for some turning projects., which I have zero experience with right now. Any ideas for projects?
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[Kyle Cogar]

For some reason it won't let me load pictures of the log I assume is red oak. ill keep trying

[Wade Lippman]

Looks like BW to me, but a number of trees have really dark heartwood and light sapwood.

[Morey St. Denis]

Would also be helpful to mention what region and country you're near; locally available trees and found firewood can vary. Concur that this looks like Black Walnut, likely from a branch or upper trunk, not the main bole; showing a lot of sapwood with this piece. If you're unable to get into some rough turning while still "green", you'll want to promptly apply a suitable greenwood sealant to those ends, such as "AnchorSeal". Can also reduce drying stresses that could otherwise quickly ruin this prize by splitting or "riving" it down the center into a matched pair of turning blanks.

[John K Jordan]

...likely from a branch or upper trunk, not the main bole; showing a lot of sapwood with this piece....

Or just a younger walnut. I had to remove two walnut trees recently and I saw at least that percentage of sapwood in the butt logs 12+ inches in diameter. I cut a lot into turning squares, some for bowls, some spindles, some for boxes and sealed with anchorseal on the ends before stacking for drying. The contrast between light and dark should be striking if it doesn't discolor.

Kyle, for use in something like a cutting board you will need to slice into boards, stack with stickers (spacers) between the boards, press together with weights or something, and let dry completely over a period of months depending on the thickness.

JKJ

[Bill Dufour]

The bark looks too thick to be eucalyptus which the color might suggest. We need to know something about location. Maybe a hint what continent are you in? Tree that size I am guessing not Antarctica? Never seen acacia with that light color sapwood. Does it float or sink

[Kyle Cogar]

Thanks for all the recommendations! I need to buy some AnchorSeal. Im in Maryland (good ol USA). I guess i need to read up on trees and their anatomy. Any recommendations on books or sites? I feel like a fool saying this but I had to goggle sapwood.

It was raining when I picked up the wood. SO they are pretty wet. I cut the end off of one to get a better look and it pulled the color from the center to the other wood. I wish it would let me load another picture. It keeps saying load failed. Otherwise I would post a better picture of the bark.

[John K Jordan]

Thanks for all the recommendations! I need to buy some AnchorSeal. Im in Maryland (good ol USA). I guess i need to read up on trees and their anatomy. Any recommendations on books or sites? I feel like a fool saying this but I had to goggle sapwood. It was raining when I picked up the wood. SO they are pretty wet. I cut the end off of one to get a better look and it pulled the color from the center to the other wood. I wish it would let me load another picture. It keeps saying load failed. Otherwise I would post a better picture of the bark.

Black walnut is certainly native to Maryland so it is a possibility. Fresh walnut has a distinctively strong and not unpleasant smell that you'll never forget once you know what it is. (Hey, someone should make a wood ID Scratch and Sniff guide!) You can get Anchorseal at Woodcraft. I go through so much I once bought a 55 gal drum from the manufacturer. The primary use of Anchorseal is to keep wood from drying too fast on the cut ends and slow down the formation of cracks.

If you want a brief education on wood, the online Wood Database has some great articles.
A basic introduction is here: http://www.wood-database.com/wood-ar.../what-is-wood/
This one on identifying wood might be useful: http://www.wood-database.com/wood-ar...ication-guide/

If you want more depth, there are many books (and I think I have most of them!) To me, good books are far better than online resources.
My favorite book is Understanding Wood by R. Bruce Hoadley Pretty cheap used: https://www.amazon.com/Understanding.../dp/B011SJ8HCO Hoadley is not only a wood expert but a woodcarver and craftsman as well and can relate to what woodworkers and turners need to know. This book is a fantastic education.
My favorite book on wood identification is Identifying Wood also by Hoadley. In fact, I have my copy beside me at the moment. Used so much the pages are falling out.

The website Hobbithouseinc has thousands of photos of various wood species. If you want to compare your board to Black Walnut, for example, take a look:http://hobbithouseinc.com/personal/w...,%20black.htmd Note that I'm not saying your wood is black walnut although it may be - MANY, MANY types of wood look the same and even wood from different parts of the same tree can look quite different. An ID from a photo is often no more than a guess. Knowing your location and how you acquired it narrows it down a lot - it is unlikely to be a species that grows primarily in California or Austraila!

The reason your photo upload failed may be because your file is too big. Another member had this problem just today and his file was over 2 megs. If that is the case with your picture, you can fix it with the Windows Paint program, any photo editor, or one of several free online photo resizers. If your photo is right off the camera, try resizing it to about 800 pixels in the biggest direction then save a JPG (with a different name). The file size on the disk should be dramatically smaller and the file should upload just fine.

BTW, getting wood wet on the outside, even if soaked in a pond, will not affect the inside of "green" wood just recently cut. The tree and log is already saturated with water! Unless cut into smaller pieces and dried somehow, a log can stay wet inside for decades.

JKJ

[Steve Demuth]

I agree with others that the color suggests Black Walnut, although the bark on the background pieces less so.

This is not the wood you want to start your woodworking experience with. It is almost certainly a branch, not a bole cut, and you can see the reaction grain distinctively in your one picture. Walnut is generally well behaved, but I wouldn't bet that this piece will be.

[Danny Hamsley]

I do not believe that it is walnut. Walnut has a distinctive yellow inner bark. The pic in this post has a reddish brown inner bark, not yellow. Here is a walnut cookie showing the colors.


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The colors of the wood in the OP's pic makes me think rainbow yellowpoplar.

[Wade Lippman]

I do not believe that it is walnut. Walnut has a distinctive yellow inner bark. The pic in this post has a reddish brown inner bark, not yellow. Here is a walnut cookie showing the colors.


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The colors of the wood in the OP's pic makes me think rainbow yellowpoplar.

I never heard of rainbow yellow poplar, but Hobbit says it is very rare; so it seems unlikely.

I salvaged a large walnut branch from utility trimming. The tree produces black walnuts, so I am pretty secure in the identification. The inner bark is brown.

[Yonak Hawkins]

Rainbow yellow poplar is just poplar with lots of color variation. I see a good bit of it. Depending on how green the wood is, it may be hickory.