simeond Posted June 20, 2011 Report Share Posted June 20, 2011 So I just bought a house with a barn in the back (the shop is coming together nicely...). The previous owner was a wood turner (made really interesting lamps primarily). There is a LOT of odds & ends wood in the barn - mostly smaller "chunks" for turning and plenty of full rounds with bark which he had waxed the ends of and labeled (both species and year). I discovered in the upstairs of the barn about 8 6/4 9'x9" boards of an unknown wood. They were really rough-cut and initially I thought they were cherry. Upon planing, they were definately not cherry, I was thinking plum. I then discovered two smaller cylindrical pieces which he had labeled "plum" which matched the "mystery wood" exactly. So, I had my confirmation it was plum. So here's the new rub: I have now discovered a new board that shares all the characteristics of the "plum" of the other boards: 6/4 in thickness and approximately 20" wide. There is a natural edge on one side, but the other side is a saw cut - which means the tree was even wider. I know that plum is notoriously narrow. Is it possible this came from a really wide plum tree or do I need to rethink what my "mytery wood" is???? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paoloberno Posted June 20, 2011 Report Share Posted June 20, 2011 Mmh, i've never seen a plum so big with a trunk 20" wide o 9' tall... Maybe some wild north american species can grow so much but googling a little they all seem shrubs or little trees, can you post a photo of the boards and the bark? Can you calculate the wood density? (mass of a regular board divided by volume) Plum, apricot, peach, almond and relatives are harder and denser than cherry... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simeond Posted June 20, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 20, 2011 I'll post a picture. Anecdotally, I can say that it's definitely denser than cherry... It also seems to be particularly sensitive to oils in my hands Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simeond Posted June 20, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 20, 2011 Here's the wider piece without any finish: and then some of the wood finished with teak oil (as part of a piece): Any thoughts on species? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joestyles Posted June 22, 2011 Report Share Posted June 22, 2011 My experience with plum is it is hard to find a nine inch wide board anywhere in a plum tree. This is not to say it is not possible just not likely. Some trees gone wild might grow in optimum conditions well beyond the norm perhaps this was the case here. I cannot say for sure what it is but is the old owner still available for comment if so he may be able to tell you where it came from. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paoloberno Posted June 23, 2011 Report Share Posted June 23, 2011 It looks like the wood in this page http://hobbithouseinc.com/personal/woodpics/plum.htm and you say it's heavy (plum wood is slightly denser than oak) maybe you have been lucky to find some of the biggest plum boards known... The finished wood is really beautiful with that warm red color, what do you think to do with it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simeond Posted June 26, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 26, 2011 It's definitely not cherry, not any sort of cherry that you can find in this area. It's denser than xherry and even purplish. Also, it seems to be particularly sensitive to the oils in me fingers, if that helps. The finish shown has no stain, it really darkens under a finish unlike most cherry I've worked with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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