I've got this "walnut"

[collinb]

At least it looks like walnut.

The first pic is a block that I got a few years ago that's clearly walnut. Heavy as concrete. It's the color of milk chocolate. Am looking forward to doing something with it. That's not the issue.

The second pic represents a number of boards that I picked up recently. They're the right color, though a dark chocolate color. But they're pretty light-weight, at lest by comparison.

Is it just another species of walnut, or something else?

[Mark J]

I'm not the expert on thus forum (I can usually tell wood from, say, particle board), but your second picture does not look like walnut to me.

Cut a half or one inch piece off the end and sand the end grain very smooth (400 if you got it) and then compare the two or to an example photo at Hobbit House.  I'll bet the two don't look the same.

[JohnG]

Agreed. First looks like walnut, second looks too dark. 

[collinb]

3 minutes ago, Mark J said:

I'm not the expert on thus forum (I can usually tell wood from, say, particle board), but your second picture does not look like walnut to me.

Cut a half or one inch piece off the end and sand the end grain very smooth (400 if you got it) and then compare the two or to an example photo at Hobbit House.  I'll bet the two don't look the same.

The second has a much more open grain.

[Tpt life]

Get below the weathering. BTW, walnut is not heavy. Heavy as concrete makes me think tropical exotic. 

[drzaius]

The pic isn't good enough to tell much, but to me that board just looks like western red cedar that's been sitting around in the shop for a few years.

[Chestnut]

I'd rely on a more reliable way then weight to identify. I have walnut all over the board in density.

[phinds]

I agree w/ drzaius but would need to see the end grain to really say anything. I certainly doubt it is walnut and I agree w/ others that walnut is NOT heavy as concrete. The high end of the walnut range is about 45 lbs/cuft. I know that statement about concrete was not meant literally since concrete, at about 150 lbs/cuft is about twice as heavy as the heaviest wood, and three times as heavy as walnut, but even so ...

[collinb]

So I went into Woodwerks this afternoon and took a piece of the wood with me. In the exotics was wenge. Most of the wenge was zebra-striped, but finer stripes than zebra wood of course. There was one piece of wenge with the same dark chocolate appearance and very similar end grain. The only real difference was the cut. That tended to be a better quarter-sawn or rift sawn cut and mine certainly isn't given its cathedral arches.

[curlyoak]

On 4/26/2020 at 3:21 PM, drzaius said:

The pic isn't good enough to tell much, but to me that board just looks like western red cedar that's been sitting around in the shop for a few years

I agree

[phinds]

From what I can see, I'd say there is zero chance that this is wenge.

[collinb]

10 minutes ago, phinds said:

From what I can see, I'd say there is zero chance that this is wenge.

The rep at Woodwerks was curious, too.

Maybe something was mislabeled.

[wtnhighlander]

Does your hand resemble a porqupine after touching it? Splinters are supposed to be a tell-tale sign of wenge.

[drzaius]

I've never seen wenge that even remotely resembles that board. How hard is it? Can you make a mark with a fingernail?

And ya, the splinters. I don't even think you have to touch it, just get within a meter of it.

[phinds]

3 hours ago, wtnhighlander said:

Does your hand resemble a porqupine after touching it? Splinters are supposed to be a tell-tale sign of wenge.

Yep, sure is.

[Coop]

Run it thru the jointer/planer and get a clean look of the surface.