Can anyone identify this wood? It’s very red, dense, hard and waxy. The sapwood is a dirty cream color. Takes a polish very well. It was found in a pile of hardwood dunnage at the port and I was told that it was NOT treated with chemicals. It’s awesome stuff, but I seem to be having a reaction to it similar to poison oak. I’ve been turning a bunch of bottle stoppers out of it and wearing my respirator, but the inside of my elbows and forearms were unprotected and now have a mild weepy rash.
I’ve never had a reaction to any other wood.
Hopefully the pictures will show up…
– Mahoganaholic
Replies
looks like padauk perhaps. I've heard of folks having strong reactions (like poison ivy) to the oils in it, but most people do not seem to be allergic.
It sure looks similar, but this stuff doesn't have the open grain, or the contrast like padauk.
Maybe I was wallerin' around in some poison oak and didn't realize it got me until I got some sawdust on it. Time to re-trace my steps...
- Mahoganaholic
padauk I think I agree...
I've used padauk from Cameroon that looks just like that. There's quite a bit of variation depending on the origin. It's also got an unmistakable odor - spicy and almost sweet. And padauk is a fairly common cause of skin rashes. If you're not already, use a respirator with this stuff. You don't need your lung tissue reacting like your forearms.
David Ring
http://www.touchwood.co.il/?lang=e&id=1
Rosewood is well known for causing both dermatological and respiratory reactions. There are many different types of rosewood but that sure looks like padauk in the photos. Certain individuals have reactions with all types of species. I'm guessing it's the wood and your skin doesn't like it.
Beat it to fit / Paint it to match
Thanks guys. Looks like long sleeves for me with this stuff.
- Mahoganaholic
Just be careful. You may want to see a dermatologist if it gets worse. I had a nasty reaction to Lacewood, and had a poison ivy like reaction from my elbows to wrists on both arms. Took prednasone for 15 days to knock it out. Tom"Notice that at no time do my fingers leave my hand"
Just an idea, not a statement of fact. With arrival of imported lumber in many forms, pallets, plywood, timbers, boards. It would be my thinking that some wood my be treated overseas to prevent the movement of insects and diseases. Not so much boards but pallets, and crate materials...Just thinking, The Asian long horn beetle has been traced to pallets.Looks like some thing the rosewood family. nice find!Ron in Peabody
I was thinking some kind of rosewood too. Maybe Kingwood? Who knows... It's all bottle stoppers now.
All the padauk I've seen has way bigger pores.
I received this stuff from a friend of mine that works at the port in Portland. It's used as stickers for track rail. I don't know where it's from, but there's a lot of really dense tropical-looking wood in the pile.
You know, I was just turning a bunch of lacewood too. Right before I started in on the red stuff. Hmmm... elbows to wrists, same here. Today I donned the long sleeves.
I still have to walk to north 40 to see if I have some poison oak out there.
Thanks!
I've dealt with a good deal of padauk and I'm open to the idea that origin can likely affect the look, but that doesnt look like any padauk I've used.
Add to that I react to everything, and don't to padauk.
I also vote a rosewood family, and comparing to hunks lying around here, some stuff I have of honduran origin is my best guess.
Real trucks dont have sparkplugs
I have been working with Panga-Panga.. Saeplely and Lacewoode...
I think If I live through this I will stay American woods!
Several years ago I sent in a photo of the exact same wood. I would describe it the same way you did, heavy, dense, tight straight grain. What I like about it is the tight grain lines of different colors. Like a rainbow the colors run from black to red to brown to cream. There were some cautious replies from the forum but I am still unsure what it is. I have several 2" thick pieces about 6" wode by 48 " long. I also have one large slab 12" wide and 12 feet long. I turned a small bowl out of this wood and found it seems work very well.
Wish I had more of it! Turns great. Nice long shavings and almost no sanding.
Found one board in there that looked like ebony too. Super dense and waxy.
Whatever it is you should get more.
It does not look like Padauk to me , especially the sap wood and open grain. What smell does it have and does it go darker when exposed to light?
If it came Africa I would suggest that it is False Mopani or Copal Wood.
Yeah, I know. It's beautiful stuff. I could go back to the port and do more dumpster diving. The stickers are about 2.5" x 3.25" so they're not good for much other than making small projects. Friends of mine were chopping it up and throwing it in their fireplaces!!! I told them that I wanted all the heavy pieces.
It really doesn't smell like anything. I just reminds me of really dense wax, with wood grain. I looked on the web for pictures of Copal and Mopani, but no luck. I don't know where this stuff is from, but I suspect Korea or China. I comes in with the steel track as stickers or dunnage, and I think a lot of steel comes from those guys.
Cheers,
- Mahoganaholic
I’d be concerned to use it for bottle stoppers until you find out for sure.
Perhaps you won't be one of these cases, but it's quite common for people to develop increasingly severe reactions to repeated exposures to an allergen. I'd be cautious about using any of it again - perhaps you could trade it to someone else for something more friendly...
It looks more like neem to me which is more of a poor mans teak. A lot of it comes out of india these days, where they use it for practically everything.
Sure looks like padauk to me..
Nasty dust.. But never bothered me.. I have some Panga-Panga that is a great wood but.. I will never work with it again!
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