What kind of wood is this ?

[robt57]

There was a good bunch of wood in the shop here when I bought this place. Going through some of the lower stacked stuff I found this, and I am drawing a blank on what it is. I cut it and expected it to smell like oak, but it does not. Hardly has any odor. And the back of it does not look like oak, although the one side looks oak ash grain wise. It is dense and heavy like ash. Thinking about making a drop top out of it...

Thanks

[Telenator]

The one on the left looks like poplar. No idea about the one on the right.

[robt57]

Originally Posted by Telenator

The one on the left looks like poplar. No idea about the one on the right.

The one on the right is the back of the one on the left. ;)

It does look like a totally different board.

Poplar was my only guess, but that brown with no greenish streaks made me question that...

Is the greenish staining closer to the bark on poplar? Because it is clear that the one side of the board is the last cut before the heart wood, which is why one side looks so different. You can see the rings and the edge of the heartwood.

[sean79]

A lot of poplar doesn't have the green. A lot of it does. But that does look like poplar.

[tonewoods]

My guess would be birch....

[robt57]

Edge pic shows the heartwood/sapwood change.

[robt57]

Originally Posted by tonewoods

My guess would be birch....

Guess where I leaned the wood after the pics I took to upload them?


Against a temp cab I made of Birch Ply....


Color ??

[guitarbuilder]

Poplar can be really heavy and dense, but it doesn't have open grain. I'm thinking Pecan/Hickory. I used that in Texas when I lived there, but I can't remember if the grain was open or not. ... but that stuff is harder than maple and I don't recall any green.
marty

[robt57]

Pecan switch plate pic:




More pecan:

[robt57]

The rings are very tight, I think hickory rings are more sparse.

Judging by the rings in this piece, it is about 12" from the center of the tree 'just' outside the heartwood.

[shoretyus]

Looks like Yellow Poplar to me

http://www.ramsaytimber.co.uk/stock/poplar.jpg

[woodman]

i guessed poplar on the right-hand one, but the one on the left looked like a whole 'nother tree. that's an amazing stick o' wood ya got there!

[boris bubbanov]

I gotta see it in person.

[robt57]

Originally Posted by boris bubbanov

I gotta see it in person.

I'll have to send ya the body, cause it is a drop/top for one of the pine Thinline bodies...

[woodman]

just noticed this:

Originally Posted by robt57

Hardly has any odor.

poplar has a pretty distinct odor when cut/routed ... hmmmm ... i think this wood originated off-planet!

[robt57]

Originally Posted by woodman

just noticed this:



poplar has a pretty distinct odor when cut/routed ... hmmmm ... i think this wood originated off-planet!

It is old and dry wood, so no oil to speak of. Hickory I've cut usually blade burns easy, but that could be green wood too. Pecan, yea... maybe pecan... ;)

The back pieces of the split have the heart wood, but I think with the right stain it can be blended nice and I will use them for a top for another Hollow or TL body.

[Little Nip]

I'm with ToneWoods on this one, it looks like birch to me. Could be poplar but, as Woodman says there is a distinctive odor when poplar is cut. Birch isn't quite as pronounced a smell IMHO.

[mcneilcab]

birch

[jwells393]

Another vote for birch here. I think new member dougk could probably give the best answer based on experience.

[boris bubbanov]

"What Wood Is That?" by Herbert L. Edlin (Stobart Davies Ltd. 1977)

"Identifying Wood" by R. Bruce Hoadley (The Taunton Press, 1990)

[johnnytronics]

Any Beatles fan know what it is;
NORWEGIAN WOOD

[robt57]

All my efforts [and yours ;)] to figure it out make me think it is Red Birch.


Agree, disagree ??


Thanks all for chiming in.

[Tele Fan]

I have no idea what I'm talking about, but I'll agree with you anyway.

[guitarzan13]

Tree.....

[dc098]

White Birch