Identifying a species of wood - how

I am surprised no-one has mentioned the smell test. Sand on plane oss a small area. Wipe off the surface and smell it. If it smells like ****, it is teak.

Before any pedants join in, it should be noted that some stuff called Burmese teak does not smell like that.
 
peter2407 said:
Hopefully, pics are attached .View attachment 41140
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Without doubt iroko.
Iroko can vary in colour when first sawn/planed & be almost the colour of balsa wood but within a few days/weeks darkens off. Other samples will be very dark brown when cut, but these samples are heavier & harder because there are bits of silica that the tree has drawn up whilst growing. It varies in weight considerable as well. It varies in workability, the silica embedded samples blunt tools quickly. As others say it has an irritating smell & dust & will make you cough.Splinters turn septic.
Absolute Identification is undertaken by slicing across the end grain with a very sharp blade so that the individual pores are clear. Iroko has clusters of pores all the same size (holes) in chains surrounded by a white border. Each timber has its own individual layout of the end grain. see here http://www.wood-database.com/wood-articles/hardwood-anatomy/

John Lilley
 
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I'm amazed that people can confidently distinguish between teak and iroko from the photo. It could well be teak, iroko, or afrormosia (or a few other exotics). I'd rate iroko as the least likely of these from the wild grain, but then, if it's relatively new, the statistics simply make iroko more likely. Anyone who can confuse teak and sapele is seriously short on wood knowledge. I have lumps of all in these workshop. I could tell you with certainty whether it is teak if I could cut it and smell it. Take a bit to your nearest shipwright and let him/her sniff.
 
Agree Amulet, extremely difficult to tell from a picture. If it was in your hand you could judge weight ,smell, grain, colour. Anyway as the owner of an Iroko boat,who has consequently seen rather a lot of the stuff , I can say I have never seen iroko with that grain pattern either.
 
Amulet said:
I'm amazed that people can confidently distinguish between teak and iroko from the photo. It could well be teak, iroko, or afrormosia (or a few other exotics). I'd rate iroko as the least likely of these from the wild grain, but then, if it's relatively new, the statistics simply make iroko more likely. Anyone who can confuse teak and sapele is seriously short on wood knowledge. I have lumps of all in these workshop. I could tell you with certainty whether it is teak if I could cut it and smell it. Take a bit to your nearest shipwright and let him/her sniff.
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Afrormosia is possible but the drain looks to "open" it is also an endangered species now so again less likely, i have chairs i made from it 40 yrs ago.
when i was an apprentice our Co refitted a National Westminster Bank branch, walls clad as well as furniture & fitments, all in French polished Afro
 
Amulet said:
I'm amazed that people can confidently distinguish between teak and iroko from the photo. It could well be teak, iroko, or afrormosia (or a few other exotics). I'd rate iroko as the least likely of these from the wild grain, but then, if it's relatively new, the statistics simply make iroko more likely. Anyone who can confuse teak and sapele is seriously short on wood knowledge. I have lumps of all in these workshop. I could tell you with certainty whether it is teak if I could cut it and smell it. Take a bit to your nearest shipwright and let him/her sniff.
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Almost certainly Iroko. Have a board just like that with the same curly grain in my workshop. When you cut it the strips have a life of their own and spring to follow the grain - so not much use if the job require stability. Probably why it ended up in a Boat Jumble!
 
Tranona said:
Almost certainly Iroko. Have a board just like that with the same curly grain in my workshop. When you cut it the strips have a life of their own and spring to follow the grain - so not much use if the job require stability. Probably why it ended up in a Boat Jumble!
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that exactly it.I got some for nothing in the mid eighties (6foot 6 inch by 3) I tried to cut it into 1inch, it sprung all over the place, some pieces , twisted by 3/4inch along there length
 
chinita said:
Amazing talent - to be able to judge the 'spring' from a (poor) photo.
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Just observing that iroko with curly grain like that can twist when machined into strips. Not saying it will, just that the grain is a good indicator of stability. In fact the plank that I had was very straight grained over most its width and the pieces I used from that for a hatch garage were stable, but the strips I cut from the bit that looked like the photo was unusable.
 
Iroko, oh no!(LOL)

I dont like it but I have used it. Chunky bits work best like handrails and rubrails, it is tough and hard wearing but greys left unvarnished

I have also built up 50mm slabs of it, throughbolted, to fit 'grown up' primary winches and an extended taffrail strong enough to mount a servo pendulum vane gear..

So, used judiciously, the OP may have got a bargain!

Tranona is spot on with working it tho, esp in thin strips, which is possibly what the OP had as one reason in mind? Power tools only and a good mask, vacuum cleaner, outdoors even...
 
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From the photo it actually looks more like the lumps of teak than the lumps of iroko I have in the workshop. I also have a lump of afrormosia which looks pretty much like that. I'd never be able to judge from a photo though.
 
Tranona said:
Just observing that iroko with curly grain like that can twist when machined into strips. Not saying it will, just that the grain is a good indicator of stability. In fact the plank that I had was very straight grained over most its width and the pieces I used from that for a hatch garage were stable, but the strips I cut from the bit that looked like the photo was unusable.
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True. I had a nice straight, true piece of iroko approx 3" x 1" which I ripped in half. I ended up with two curved lengths! Funny stuff iroko.
 
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