wtnhighlander Posted April 7, 2015 Report Share Posted April 7, 2015 This stick was sold to me as cherry, but scraping or planing does not reveal the pinkish color I expected to see. Here are a couple of close-up after scraping the surface. First a face grain shot: Then an edge grain shot: Sorry the lighting is uneven in both shots. I just snapped these with my phone, and my garage lighting leaves somewhat to be desired... So, any opinions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted April 7, 2015 Report Share Posted April 7, 2015 Looks like leopardwood...how it would get mixed in with cherry, no idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted April 7, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 7, 2015 Looks like leopardwood...how it would get mixed in with cherry, no idea. Yeah, anything exotic is questionable. I got this from a co-worker who was cleaning out his barn. This and several other pieces were leftover from his late father's stash, and have been stacked in the barn for more than 15 years. No idea where it came from. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keggers Posted April 7, 2015 Report Share Posted April 7, 2015 The bottom photo looks like quarter sawn cherry to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted April 7, 2015 Report Share Posted April 7, 2015 I guess it could be so old that it oxidized through and through. Can't say I've ever seen that before but I don't really deal with antiques or ancient wood. How much material did you plane off? It is in fact the color of very old cherry. Keggers is right...that bottom photo looks more like the fleck of cherry. I wasn't paying attention and thought I was looking at the face of a different board instead the edge grain of the same in the first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted April 8, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 8, 2015 I only took a couple passes off the surface. It supposed to have been sitting in the barn for 15 or 20 years, so maybe the dark goes deeeeeep. Thanks for the input! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted April 8, 2015 Report Share Posted April 8, 2015 I truly doubt it is oxidized through. Poplar is not as dense and I have worked 150 year old poplar that is only oxidized about an eighth of an inch deep. Maybe your piece sat in the sun and has radiation change? I am curious to see deeper but would not destroy the utility of the piece just for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davewyo Posted April 8, 2015 Report Share Posted April 8, 2015 Maybe if you take a thin slice off the end grain and compare that to the end grain of a known piece of cherry it will help. Plus you'll be able to see how deep the oxidation goes. D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted April 9, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 9, 2015 I'll take some off the end this weekend, and post a pic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RPCV_Woodworker Posted April 12, 2015 Report Share Posted April 12, 2015 I vote cherry, that fleck is awesome, btw... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted April 13, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 13, 2015 Oops, got busy elsewhere, and forgot to photo a slice. Maybe tomorrow... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phinds Posted April 13, 2015 Report Share Posted April 13, 2015 I would bet money against cherry based on the bottom pic. Looks like leopardwood as Eric suggested Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendon_t Posted April 13, 2015 Report Share Posted April 13, 2015 This also doesn't look like any cherry I've ever seen. In for the fresh cut end shoot e Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted April 14, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2015 OK, I took a slice off the end, here is the result: Does that help anybody? Sorry it isn't very clean. I was using a sled to cross cut the end of an 8' stick on the TS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phinds Posted April 14, 2015 Report Share Posted April 14, 2015 Can't reall make out any details at all. What I can see, if I am interpreting it correctly and that's not at all clear since the details are just not visible, is that it is consitent with cherry and not with leopardwood. I am STILL convinced, however, that the second pic in your first set is not a pic of cherry. Can you clean up the end grain and get a better pic? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted April 14, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2015 I'll see what I can do this evening. I'm suspecting cherry is the answer, though. The 'leopardwood-ish' grain in that one photo is just a small section on one side of the stick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted April 14, 2015 Report Share Posted April 14, 2015 phinds - take a closer look at the second photo in the original post...it's deceiving because you think you're looking at face grain because of the size of the photos, but you're not...it's the edge and that fleck is tiny like you see in QS cherry. It only looks like leopardwood because you think that edge grain is face grain. I think it's cherry...very oxidized cherry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted April 14, 2015 Report Share Posted April 14, 2015 ^^^ Good point...and cherry does have a fairly distinct smell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phinds Posted April 14, 2015 Report Share Posted April 14, 2015 phinds - take a closer look at the second photo in the original post...it's deceiving because you think you're looking at face grain because of the size of the photos, but you're not...it's the edge and that fleck is tiny like you see in QS cherry. It only looks like leopardwood because you think that edge grain is face grain. I think it's cherry...very oxidized cherry. I have never doubted for a minute that the flakes look exactly like some seen in cherry. What makes me think it's leopardwood and think it's not cherry, is the horizontal striations that are fairly clear in the lower left area of the 2nd pic. I can't see them well enough to be positive but if they are what I think they are then they are not like any cherry I've ever seen and they are exactly like leopardwood. I DO agree that based only on the flakes it's more likely to be cherry, but those striations tell the tale. @whthighlander, can you get a closer pic of that area along w/ the cleaned up end grain? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted April 14, 2015 Report Share Posted April 14, 2015 That end grain is cherry if I've ever seen cherry end grain. Leopardwood end grain shows medullary rays. It's the second photo that's throwing things off...the rays and color fooled me at first as well...I think if there was a size reference in the photo it would be much more obvious. I'm 99% that it's cherry. But Mike is right - Ross, take off another sliver and give a good whiff...bet it smells like cherry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted April 14, 2015 Report Share Posted April 14, 2015 Cherry left, leopardwood right... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keggers Posted April 14, 2015 Report Share Posted April 14, 2015 I agree with Eric. I still think it's cherry that's seen a lot of light. Smelling it will answer the question without a doubt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendon_t Posted April 14, 2015 Report Share Posted April 14, 2015 I'm jealous of you guys. I have a terrible sense of smell. I couldn't tell you oak from cherry from pickle juice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted April 14, 2015 Report Share Posted April 14, 2015 When you say grass.... I don't agree with your labels but find them no less distinct. I think it is context association. The shame is that you will likely remove some of the beauty in making the piece project ready. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted April 14, 2015 Report Share Posted April 14, 2015 White oak smells like burnt popcorn to me. I didn't find out until I started woodworking why I hated whiskey so much...it's not the liquor, it's the white oak taste. Sickening sweet nastiness. I agree about the poplar...wet underwear, indeed. It's not as bad as zebrawood though. That stuff is a dirty, wet dog in August. The smell of walnut is the smell of woodworking to me. When I come out to the shop in the morning when I'm in the middle of a walnut project, the smell just makes it feel...right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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