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| Need help to identify wood... http://w-ww.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10102&t=10689 |
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| Author: | Serge Poirier [ Thu Feb 01, 2007 4:18 pm ] |
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Hi ya bunch of family members, i thought i'd ask the creme de la creme to identify this chunk of wood, supposedly, i'll be getting quite a bit of planks of the stuff, i kind of like the grain when wetted. Pretty hard wood which tends to crack, any ideas? TIA Serge 
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| Author: | Serge Poirier [ Thu Feb 01, 2007 4:19 pm ] |
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Could it be some kind of maple? |
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| Author: | DannyV [ Thu Feb 01, 2007 4:31 pm ] |
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Looks to me like hard maple? Or some call it rock maple. The stuff they us in bowling allys and I think it grows in your part of the world. Nice Stuff. Cheers, Danny |
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| Author: | Lillian F-W [ Thu Feb 01, 2007 4:56 pm ] |
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Looks like maple to me. I'd even venture to say that it looks like its just thinking about maybe beginning to spault. The only other wood that comes to my fuzzy mind at the moment is sycamore. Where did you get it from? Looks like it has some serious potential. |
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| Author: | Serge Poirier [ Thu Feb 01, 2007 5:03 pm ] |
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Thanks folks, i got it from a friend who owns a construction business, i think they used to be from crates, they either come in full widths of 3" or 4" X 4" blocks, he said he'd bring some more so i'm thinking neckstock and headplate veneers and bindings, maybe rosettes... |
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| Author: | SniderMike [ Thu Feb 01, 2007 5:32 pm ] |
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Looks kinda like beech to me, Sergio. |
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| Author: | Larry Davis [ Thu Feb 01, 2007 7:52 pm ] |
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Looks like American Sycamore. Dark wood is heartwood. |
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| Author: | Colin S [ Thu Feb 01, 2007 7:57 pm ] |
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If you were in Europe Serge I'd say London Plane, Platanus x acerifolia. But as your in the Americas, it's probably as Larry says, American Sycamore a very close relative. Colin |
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| Author: | Sam Price [ Thu Feb 01, 2007 8:21 pm ] |
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I'd third sycamore. I recognize the wood from when I took apart my kid's Ikea cot to use for jigs and cauls.... 
It's alright, she had outgrown it!! |
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| Author: | Bobc [ Thu Feb 01, 2007 10:19 pm ] |
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Serge if it is hard like you say it is and considering your local I would have to agree with quartersawn hard maple or beech. |
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| Author: | robertD [ Thu Feb 01, 2007 10:26 pm ] |
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Hey Serge, I found this site. here's the link. I must say it looks a lot like what you have. Robert http://www.hearnehardwoods.com/Inventory/sycamoreamerican.ht ml |
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| Author: | Don Williams [ Thu Feb 01, 2007 10:36 pm ] |
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Sycamore was my first thought. |
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| Author: | Serge Poirier [ Thu Feb 01, 2007 11:07 pm ] |
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Thanks a bunch folks during my forestry course, i know i 've heard that there were trees called " erable platane "near Montreal, which could translate to Platanus acerifolius, maple or maple family is somehow obvious in this case here. I do not know how to translate sycamore in French but i would think that sycamore trees are part of the maple family, right? Another thing, when wetted, the darker spots show a light purplish color mixed with orangey, assuming it was used for crates capable of supporting weight for steel building, do you know what's commonly used for wood crates that are that strong? Thanks again Serge |
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| Author: | Tom Armstrong [ Fri Feb 02, 2007 2:41 am ] |
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My guess would be either hard maple or birch...hard to distinguish between them sometimes. Tom Armstrong |
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| Author: | Larry Davis [ Fri Feb 02, 2007 2:41 am ] |
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[QUOTE=Bobc] Serge if it is hard like you say it is and considering your local I would have to agree with quartersawn hard maple or beech.[/QUOTE] Neither of these two woods have medullary ray patterns like the photo. Serg, American Sycamore is not in the maple (Acer) genus, but is Platanus occidentalis. An old eastern USA name for it is "buttonwood" English Sycamore IS in the maple genus Acer pseudoplatanus. See the Honduras mahogany thread for additional wood name confusions 
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| Author: | Wade Sylvester [ Fri Feb 02, 2007 3:09 am ] |
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Serge, I guess the next question would be is it a reasonable tonewood? I like the color! I could see it useful as a neck wood at least. Alot of the back and side tonewoods would match color wize nicely with this stuff compaired to the "redish" colors of most mohogonys. Do you think it's too dence for neckwood? How much can you get? Wade |
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| Author: | Serge Poirier [ Fri Feb 02, 2007 4:55 am ] |
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Thanks all! Sounds more and more like sycamore! Thanks the clarif. Larry!
Wade, this chunk on the pic above is very heavy, dense, i would probably use this wood as center laminations for necks but not as neck wood alone, would serve better as a lamination right under the truss rod IMHO. My friend is supposed to bring me some more blocks of 4" X 4", he says that they usually throw this wood in the trash pile, i 'll tell you more when i get in touch with him again. it would also make nice bindings i believe. |
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| Author: | TonyKarol [ Fri Feb 02, 2007 6:22 am ] |
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Looks like hard maple to me, nicely quartered to show the fleck - lots of pallets and crates made of maple around ... |
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| Author: | Dave Rector [ Fri Feb 02, 2007 8:17 am ] |
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Looks just like quartersawn sycamore in the first pic. I have some that looks just like the sample you posted. I've been cutting it up for bindings since all I had were some small strips of it. |
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| Author: | Colin S [ Fri Feb 02, 2007 9:47 am ] |
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Serge I've got some QS London Plane, the European equivalent, all ready to bind my current English Walnut OM. Lovely stuff. Colin |
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| Author: | D Stewart [ Fri Feb 02, 2007 9:52 am ] |
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Hey Serge, Looks like a great find for you, regardless of the specific species. Keep in mind that if it was used for crates or such, it could be literally "dirty" and that dirt can be hard on your blades when milling it to size. I sure someone else can tell you better than I can if that is much of a concern. Just something I had heard before, for what it's worth. Regardless, ya gotta love free wood! 
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| Author: | SniderMike [ Fri Feb 02, 2007 12:06 pm ] |
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I'm gonna have to stay with Bob on this one. Beech or maple all the way. I've seen hundreds of pieces of each that look exactly like that. Of course I haven't seen a lot of sycamore 
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| Author: | Serge Poirier [ Fri Feb 02, 2007 4:19 pm ] |
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Thanks all, really appreciated, i'll probably use it as bindings and neck lams, you guys are great! 
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| Author: | Billy T [ Fri Feb 02, 2007 9:00 pm ] |
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Serge Buddy, they're all wrong, I hate to tell you this, that's Canadian Juju wood it's bad luck to cut down or to even have in your shop!!! Bad things will happen! Better send it to me so I can remove the curse of the Jujugoo!
It's actually a nice looking wood! |
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