Replies

1. 
   TXJon | Jun 11, 2004 08:09pm | #1

   I have a table top made of what appears to be the same wood.  I didn't make it, though.

   Mine is some sort of SE Asian stuff, I believe it was called Sarawood by the retailer.  That name probably doesn't mean anything. 

   You will find a lot of furniture made from the stuff at places like Pier One.

2. 
   jonsherryl | Jun 11, 2004 08:49pm | #2

   MBL, I wish you hadn't stained it before you took the photo. The stain appears to have increased the normal contrast between the pore flecks and the background tissue...But I suspect it might be rubbertree.

1. 
   MBL | Jun 11, 2004 10:04pm | #4

   Jon and friends,

   Thanks for the help, sorry about the staining. Had not meant to ask about the wood name till after wondering what to say it was if asked, plus the consideration that did not use the entire piece given.

   Here's a picture directly from some what's still left.

   The piece comes with a relief-dado cut typical of load supports for transporting wood, so it is rough cut (band-saw marks) all around.

   So, planed a little on the ends just for this photo. It does not plane well. It leaves pores behind and wants to tear a little. It is somewhat hard to plane. Tried both directions.

   The minute knot seen is about the only one in the entire 4 feet piece given. Otherwise, it is clean throughout.

   In the rough, it looks somewhat like pine if pine were also in the rough.

   Thanks for the kind effort.

   -mbl-

   
1. 
   SgianDubh | Jun 11, 2004 10:25pm | #5

   It looks suspiciously like one of the Shorea species from SE Asia. Some of the scores of shorea's are sometimes sold as 'Philipine mahogany.' Light weight, interlocked grain, open pored, pale pink or white/yellow, and often otherwise known as lauan, meranti. Some of the Shoreas are very woolly and light in weight. Others are quite hard and dense, but yours certainly resembles the lighter examples. Slainte.RJFurniture

1. 
   PlaneWood | Jun 11, 2004 10:58pm | #6

   I would say Lauan.  It's used for lots of shipping blocks and pallets.

   PlaneWood by Mike_in_Katy (maker of fine sawdust!)PlaneWood

1. 
   MBL | Jun 11, 2004 11:56pm | #7

   Thanks for all comments.

   Was wondering if it wouldn't be brazilian cambara or whatever other names it might have.

   This being since there's some p.w. sheets here that look exactly the same color, and they are from Brazil. Maybe it's a similar family to the merianti or lauan.

   But have used lauan and it is not this heavy. This one is heavy and hard to plane. The plane initially skates over it and it is difficult to take thin shavings. On the wrong direction, it cuts awful. In the opposite direction it still pulls. Where it planes nice it's a beauty, though.

   In might be a type of wood that is not attractive for woodworking and so it's used for loading.

   Anyhow, it's probably not worth much more effort. Will think it's some variation of marianti, unless someone is familiar with cambara as such, and says so.

   Thanks to all.

   -mbl-

2. 
   MBL | Jun 12, 2004 07:45am | #13

   Thanks, Sgian Dubh.

   Following the words 'yellow shorea' lead to this page, which seems to describe what's here:

   http://www.greenergy.com.sg/woods/balau_s.asp <-BALAU/SELANGAN BATU (Shorea)

   It'd be a shorea in the 'heavy hardwood' class, though. It is heavy actually, after paying more attention to it.

   Anyhow, this also talks about it's "Planing being slightly difficult to difficult". The uses described also seem to match this sample characteristics.

   So, as a shorea, it'd be a lauan, 'Indonesian/Philipine mahogany', or merianti. All those names are used but there are indeed quite so many variations and features.

   -mbl-

3. 
   tonyb | Jun 11, 2004 09:10pm | #3

   Reminds me of red plam!!

4. 
   UnisawA100 | Jun 12, 2004 12:52am | #8

   Looks like Taiwanese Budgetwood.  Jelatung (sp?)

   Keith Bohn

1. 
   jonsherryl | Jun 12, 2004 04:33am | #10

   Keith, jelutong is anatomically similar to rubbertree in that both are latex producing species...so, I guess you and I got the same first impression of this mystery wood. However, if it was either of these species there would probably be some indication of latex ducts and that clue isn't getting reported.

   The second photo doesn't help me much. The fact that the wood was used as dunnage (and if it came from Southeast Asia) would certainly suggest that it might be a lauan (Shorea spp). Lauan is commonly used for that purpose, but it just doesn't look like Shorea to me. The Shoreas tend to be more uniformly coarse textured...and while this wood has some large pores, it appears to be finer textured.

   It sure would help to know where in the world it came from. The name cambara (Erisma uncinatum) has been mentioned, but it's a South American timber. It does have a vague similarity in appearance to the lauans, but it comes from a completely different family; Vochysiaceae.

   Another candidate might be monkey pot (Lecythis spp), but I'm just guessing. I'd have to see a sample to narrow it down...and even then I'd probably need to know whether it's an Old World or New World species. 

5. 
   eddiefromAustralia | Jun 12, 2004 01:06am | #9

   mbl,

   I'd say it's lauan/meranti - we see a fair bit of it here.

   Cheers,

   eddie

6. 
   Steinmetz | Jun 12, 2004 05:45am | #11

   Lauan (a k a Cigarbox wood Phillipine Mahogany.)

   Stein

   
   

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   Edited 6/11/2004 10:53 pm ET by steinmetz

   
   

   ---

   Edited 6/11/2004 10:54 pm ET by steinmetz

1. 
   MBL | Jun 12, 2004 07:05am | #12

   Well,

   It is probably a lauan or Philipine or Indonesian 'mahogany' which at least one web page says "it's hard to plane a smooth surface".

   Cambara, on the contrary, is said to be "easy to plane".

   Some places show photos of "Philipine mahogany" and they show it in a redish brown and it was this totally pale yellow pine-like color that would not seem to agree. But this site shows a photo of "Philipine mahogany" that looks at least in color very much with what is here:

   http://www.sfvictoriana.com/wood/pm.htm <-(Phillipine Mahogany)

   As Jon says, it is probably more of a detective work, on top of seeing a photo to really pin-down some of these things. So the fact that it was a load-wood support probably puts it as a lauan. This is not the first time that am given pallet or loader pieces, but most are dark brown, and when that's the color, they'd say it was indonesian lauan, and had no question. But the red-brown pieces are much easier to plane.

   So, would this probably be "Philipine" instead of "Indonesian"? Do have here a bought piece of "Indonesian lauan" that went from dark brown, to light whitish, to a nice olive-green. That one is easy to plane, though.

   And so, would "Philipine mahogany" be so much harder to plane than "Indonesian mahogany" and would it be more uniform in color to pale yellow, as the photos show, and "Indonesian mahogany" would generally have dark-redish-brown color and be easier to plane?

   Here's a picture of what am working recently, resawn, and was bought as "Indonesian Lauan" or "mahogany". The green part that it disclosed was not even suspected to be there till it was re-sawn. The greenish-lauan is nice to plane.

   So, because of pale yellow color and the really hard to plane grain, would not have thought the all yellow wood being discussed would be a lauan (merianti or 'mahogany'). Since have a few times bought the Indonesian merianti or lauan.

   Thanks to ALL.

   
1. 
   jonsherryl | Jun 12, 2004 02:58pm | #14

   >>"And so, would "Philipine mahogany" be so much harder to plane than "Indonesian mahogany" and would it be more uniform in color to pale yellow, as the photos show, and "Indonesian mahogany" would generally have dark-redish-brown color and be easier to plane?"<<

   MBL, the Shorea genus ranges from India through IndoChina and Indonesia to the Philippines, with Malaya probably having greatest number of species. There are about 70 species in the genus...and the family it belongs to (Dipterocarpaceae) has several other genera that produce similar woods.

   The lauans have extreme variation in both density and color. Some are as soft as basswood, while the denser ones are harder and heavier than white oak. As for color, they range from ash gray, through various shades of yellow and pink to deep reddish brown. In fact, the species vary so much that the lumber trade doesn't bother to keep track of them by species and the wood is sorted on the basis of color. The lighter ones are usually referred to as lauans, while the darker ones are called merantis. Since the lighter colored ones in both these categories are also usually softer (and less decay resistant), the sorting system also reflects density and the appropriate uses for these extremely varied woods.

   ...You might say, There's a lauan for everyone...But what they definitely aren't is a mahogany. 

   ---

   MBL, are you sure the wood in your last photo isn't yellow poplar?

   Edited 6/12/2004 8:01 am ET by Jon Arno

1. 
   MBL | Jun 12, 2004 07:15pm | #15

   Dear Jon Arno,

   Thank you for your good explanation on lauan, meranti, and the use of the word "mahogany" and the so many uses and variations of those species.

   On your question if the green-shaded wood is yellow poplar, would say no, since it came from a large, heavy 2" thick planck that bought and used up a few years ago, and this was a short piece left, about 2 feet long only from which the resawing was done. The rest of the wood from the same plank was all dark-brown, heavy, and looked just like what have used as merianti or indonesian mahogany, and it was sold as such.

   It was a pleasant surprise to find those green tones, almost the green of banana leaves. So, making some special cabinet with it is the plan.

   Have used a little poplar and know it gets green shades, but this wood is heavier and the green is darker.

   Most of the time the word of the seller is what one says or thinks the wood is, though. But, definitely would say that most of the sellers do not know as much about wood species (not meant to demean them, as personally am below them) as the friends that helped on this quesion.

   That the experise be shared as has been done is appreciated.

   -mbl-

   Edited 6/12/2004 12:16 pm ET by mbl

1. 
   Sphere | Jun 13, 2004 05:03pm | #16

   10 bucks says that last photo is poplar. 

   Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks

   Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations. 

2. 
   MBL | Jun 13, 2004 05:44pm | #17

   Dear sphere,

   10 bucks wouldn't cover the DNA test.

   Perhaps if you want to raise the stakes...

   -mbl-

3. 
   Sphere | Jun 13, 2004 05:51pm | #18

   no, no, no...it's a free test. Send Jon a pc. 3'' x 6'' x 1/2''...he's the man..and neutral.  The USFS has a lab too..or USWP. One of them places.

   Pop. heart wood gets real dense, and green,purple,black,brown..depends on soil conditions..that is pop. 

   Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks

   Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations. 

4. 
   MBL | Jun 14, 2004 03:32am | #19

   Dear Sphere,

   Thanks for the info. Did go ahead and took another picture for your further consideration, and perhaps Jon or others might want to say a little more if it merits.

   The pic shows the -back- of one of the same boards on the previous lauan photo.

   The board shown here has no brown on the other side only green. On the side NOW shown, you can see how the 2" thick plank looked from the outside. All the time, the plank was known to be only brown.

   See at the middle stll the glue-line can be seen. From there to the right it is all brown with no hints of green. That's what was visible from the outside, only dark red-brown. The green inside was a surprise.

   As said, bot this 10" wide by 12 feet long as Indonesian meranti, picked it from a pile of many more like this one, and used most of it a few years ago at its full thickness.

   Now that am starting on re-sawing, am finding what a wonderful capability is added to one's woodworking, and what beauty there is to be found below the surface of things.

   Thanks for your kind and good help.

   -mbl-

   
5. 
   Sphere | Jun 14, 2004 03:51am | #20

   Hmmm...if that green turns brown over time.it sure sounds like poplar..BUT the grain is a bit different (no offense, but the photo on my laptop does not really look all that clear)..I've messed with a lot of meranti and clones..and have never seen green yet..notice I said yet {G}

   OK if some definite proof exists..you get a pair of Lincolns..

   Don't know where yer located , but I got some real sweet yard chocks from Gennett Lumber in Asheville NC..4x4 IPE, and various dense hard tropicals..stuff that would dull a jointer in one pass..lol. Even 2 4x4 x4' tiger maple chocks..all nice and dry. They would toss the stuff in the dumpster.

   Another great source for Mahog. and the like is Motorcycle Dealers..for the longest time Honda crated all the bikes with Mahog. (like we use slash pine). FWIW 

   Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks

   Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations.