help with identifying woods

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Texatdurango

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While straightening up my blank storage area I ran across quite a few blanks that I didn't have identified. I found the ones below to have interesting grain so decided to make pens from them.

I would sure like to know what they are. blank "A" must be in the cedar family because while turning it, the shop started smelling of cedar and this morning when I went out to get the blanks my whole shop smelled like a cedar closet! Strong stuff, whatever it is! If it weren't so attractive, I'd put it in my clothes closet!

Blank E had "EUC" written on it, it has no particularly identifyable smell.
 

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Not a criticism, just an observation here, but I think the real reason Lou guessed "blonde" anything may have more to do with the fact that the pic looks totally overexposed w/light. The colors look washed out to me. The first blank looks like Thuya, at least the burl pattern-the color's all wrong, but again, I'm not sure we're seeing the color right. Are we? The real reason I say that is because the one marked EUC is obviously eucalyptus, and it's not that white in reality.

If the pic reflects the true color, I'm stumped, except for the eucalyptus. But then we had a pretty good clue for that one!

Dale

P.S. I agree with Lou about the sheoak, no matter the color-the pattern is unique enough on that one.
 
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For whatever it's worth, I would guess cedar burl, fruit of some sort, cherry burl, lacey redwood, and eucalyptus.
 
A, B, C, D & E - Mine, mine, mine, mine & mine. Send them to me; I have been wondering where they were! :biggrin:

"E" Looks like hickory burl. "D" = sheoak; A: since it smells like cedar, it looks like some cedar that I have seen in years past.
 
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Thanks for the help. Here is a larger image that shows the grain more clearly. This is about as real to life as I can get them. Blank "E" is pretty light.

The more I think about it, a couple of these were traded for at the central Texas get together a few months ago. Now if I can only remember who I was trading with! :)


unknown.jpg
 
George,

Blank E looks like some of the pecan crotch that I have and may have given you. Also, C is almost certainly some spanish oak burl from my private stash that I gave you.
 
I guess I need to go back to reading 101! If E was marked EUC, then it certainly did not come from me so is most likely not pecan though it does look like it.
 
My best guesses

a) Thuya Burl (which does have a very strong, pleasant and spicy odor)
b) No solid guess on this one...sorry
c) Tasmanian Eucalyptus Burl
d) Lace Sheoak
e) obviously Eucalyptus due to the id
 
Hi George, D is definitely Lace Sheoak. You and I traded a few blanks at the Central Texas meeting. Not all Lace Sheoak had the tight beautiful flame like pattern in pieces of wood like those I had along that day. I have 2 or 3 small boards for knife scales left with that same pattern. And there is a good chance "A" is Thuya Burl (unstabilized) which I also had along that day. Most of my Thuya Burl I use I have stabilized to keep it from cracking. I remember you looking at the blanks and asking about it. It does smell strong and hangs in the shop for quiet sometime. It reminds me alittle more of a unlit cigar smell thou or Spanish Cedar. I don't remember if you recall me telling you they use this for dashboards in Bentleys.

Hope this is of some help to you, Keith "mrburls"
 
Thanks for the replies guys. I was mainly interested with A,C,and D so without a positive ID on B or E, I'm happy.

Curtis and Keith, thanks for jumping in, it finally dawned on me that most of the unknown stuff I had lying around came from my last visit down your way.

From now on I am going to carry one of those little "White out" markers with me when doing blank swaps and buys and marking on the spot!

The sad part of all of this is that while turning the spanish oak further down Monday night it broke in half where one of the dark veins runs. I'm going to try and glue it back together but doubt it will hold.
 
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