ClassAct Posted December 5, 2016 Report Share Posted December 5, 2016 I'm trying to identify the wood used in a table that will be repurposed into a game table. Two clues: first, the wood is heavy as hell; second, a stamp on the underside saying "Made in Malaysia." My best guesses are beech or oak, both of which can be found in East Asia. What say you gents? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chet Posted December 5, 2016 Report Share Posted December 5, 2016 Looks like that rubberwood stuff to me. From the internet: "Rubberwood is a light-colored medium-density tropical hardwood obtained from the Pará rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis), usually from trees grown in rubber plantations. Rubberwood is commonly advertised as an "environmentally friendly" wood, as it makes use of plantation trees that have already served a useful function." 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MisterDrow Posted December 5, 2016 Report Share Posted December 5, 2016 I agree with Chet... looks a lot like Rubberwood http://www.wood-database.com/rubberwood/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted December 5, 2016 Report Share Posted December 5, 2016 Rubberwood. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mat60 Posted December 5, 2016 Report Share Posted December 5, 2016 Be shore if you try a darker stain to test on scrap on the Rubberwood. No offense but I had some tables out of it and didnt care for the grain or the way it takes stain. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gee-dub Posted December 6, 2016 Report Share Posted December 6, 2016 I too vote for the ubiquitous rubberwood. As Mat60 points out, coloring this wood can give odd results. This may be due to the yellow cast to some degree. I suspect this is why you frequently find it left natural with a clear topcoat. As in any new finishing endeavor running test boards to assure your result is a good idea. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClassAct Posted December 6, 2016 Author Report Share Posted December 6, 2016 Rubberwood it is. Thanks for the link to the Wood Database site. Sometimes pics don't really do a good job capturing wood's properties, but that site's pics confirmed the diagnosis. Thanks to all for the identification! No offense taken, Mat60. Yep, a dark stain is what I'm going for -- no need to highlight any grain or figure, just give it a dark mahogany-almost-espresso-like color. I'm about halfway through stripping the old yellowish finish with MC stripper, then I'll do my restaining research before I begin my table hacks. (Yes, it will probably show up in the Project Journal topic; it's going glacially slowly since I can only work on the project for two hours every Monday.) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phinds Posted December 6, 2016 Report Share Posted December 6, 2016 Useless late post: it's rubberwood ! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BonPacific Posted December 6, 2016 Report Share Posted December 6, 2016 5 hours ago, ClassAct said: no need to highlight any grain or figure, just give it a dark mahogany-almost-espresso-like color. Sounds like a perfect job for a gel-stain. I'd recommend looking at General Finishes' line. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JosephThomas Posted December 7, 2016 Report Share Posted December 7, 2016 4 hours ago, phinds said: Useless late post: it's rubberwood ! What's your opinion of rubberwood? I am seeing it being sold more and more in pre-glued slabs for table-tops or face-grain butcher block counters... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted December 7, 2016 Report Share Posted December 7, 2016 Most stuff I see made of rubber wood is glued-up panels of relatively short pieces. Does the tree not grow very large / straight, or is the larger lumber used domestically (where it grew) before Pottery Barn's supplier gets the off-cuts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted December 7, 2016 Report Share Posted December 7, 2016 Rubber wood is from the plantations they tap for natural latex sap. After several years the trees don't produce enough and they cut them down. A new tree grows from the stump. They used to burn the wood. Now they cut around the knots and flaws ,finger joint the pieces together and make Pottery Barn and IKEA crap out of it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phinds Posted December 7, 2016 Report Share Posted December 7, 2016 43 minutes ago, wdwerker said: Rubber wood is from the plantations they tap for natural latex sap. After several years the trees don't produce enough and they cut them down. A new tree grows from the stump. They used to burn the wood. Now they cut around the knots and flaws ,finger joint the pieces together and make Pottery Barn and IKEA crap out of it. Your facts are solid but I disagree w/ your conclusion. It's low end stuff for sure but if you like blond wood and you're a young person w/ limited means, it's quite a decent choice. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted December 7, 2016 Report Share Posted December 7, 2016 Agreed, it's far better than particleboard ! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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