Wood ID help?

[Everything Mac]

Hi all, managed to get a section of what I believe to be sycamore, but can some one please confirm.

Taken from trees felled along Kelvin way in Glasgow if that helps.

If it is sycamore, is it worth drying it out and using for knife handles? or anything else?

cheers all

Andy

 

[Mesquite]

It's spalted wood but whether or not it's sycamore will be hard to determine without a picture of the bark or the tree it was cut from

 

[Everything Mac]

Sorry mesquite - both were taken away by the council prior to my collection.

There may be a few bits left - I'll see if I can get some photos.

All the best
Andy

 

[Everything Mac]

best I can do for now. Doesn't much look like sycamore. Hence my confusion!

Cheers

 

[alan whelan]

I think you have sycamore that looks like a section of branch wood which will not have much of the bark flaking like the main trunk would, the peace you want to dry looks like a thin peace if so it wont be much use as you have to go side ways into the wood to get the grain going the right way other wise the timber is very weak also the timber above the spalting lines looks rotten this often the case with spalted timber.
Alan.

 

[toilet digger]

judging by the raised striations on the bark, it looks like a prunus of some sort - maybe a Gean?
the timber looks as if there has been an attack of honey fungus too.
do you know why the trees were felled?

 

[Everything Mac]

No it was a wedge cut from the trunk before felling. - about 3" at the widest point.

 

[xylaria]

I think that is a type of cherry [prunus] as well. Interesting staining. I hope it stays firm once seasoned.

 

[Toddy]

No idea really Andy, I do know that spalted Ash looks like that though with the black lining through it. The woodturners make some beautiful pieces from it if it is that. It's not 'soft' or decayed, iimmc, it's just sort of been infected and stained.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[Everything Mac]

Certainly seems quite firm. - though it is still wet.

chunks would splinter off when I was chopping at it.

I'll keep it for a while - seems too nice to waste what ever it is.

Atb
Andy

 

[Davidn]

Looks as if it could be a Sorbus, maybe Rowan or Whitebeam, hard to tell.

 

[Stew]

Andy, it'll be suitable for a knife handle if it holds together (which you know already).

Looking at the level of spalting, I would be tempted to send the bits you want to use to Pikebite for stabilising though.

 

[SOAR]

Its hard to tell looks like Whitebeam, looks like a nice piece of wood dry it out somewhere away from a direct heat source it will be perfect to use when its dry, if it is Whitebeam it will be hard wood it can be used for carving mallets.
The spalting in the wood is the codit process (compartmentalization of decay in trees) the black lines you see are bariers that the tree has put in place to wall of the decay or fungul infection, you get this in all trees. Looks like Brown rot effected this one so could be Armillaria mellea.

 

[Everything Mac]

genuinely not a clue.

cheers Stew I will look into that.

They have marked a dozen or so trees for what I can only assume is felling. Maybe there is a disease going around the area. Indeed one has been felled today and it's core looks quite rotten.
I'll take a wander around with the camera and get some photos.

Andy

 

[treelore]

it is a prunus of some sort Mac, what i would do his have a look around and see if there are any other prunus trees about and take a photo..was it a street tree ? if it was or in a public area have a look on your local council planning site and they should be an application for work to be carried out, which if their is there will be the type of tree it is.

here to help on any tree matters

Treelore

 

[blacktimberwolf]

I would agree with most of the replys so far, it does look like a prunus, a decorative (ornamental ) cherry tree as opposed to a fruiting one , councils often plant them they are pretty, short lived & don't grow too tall. If it is then yes, you could use the wood for making things, cherry is considered a noble wood often used in quality furniture, but you will have to do a lot of sanding to bring out the 'veinage' of your find................it should be quite heavy which will distinguisih it from certain other suggestions made the members..........

 

[toilet digger]

Its hard to tell looks like Whitebeam, looks like a nice piece of wood dry it out somewhere away from a direct heat source it will be perfect to use when its dry, if it is Whitebeam it will be hard wood it can be used for carving mallets.
The spalting in the wood is the codit process (compartmentalization of decay in trees) the black lines you see are bariers that the tree has put in place to wall of the decay or fungul infection, you get this in all trees. Looks like Brown rot effected this one so could be Armillaria mellea.

compartmentalization is not so noticable or completely absent in pioneer species such as betula.

 

[robin wood]

I can tell for absolute certain there is not enough information in those images to make a positive ID but as Stew says you don't need an ID to know whether it will make a knife handle.

 

[Everything Mac]

 

[Davidn]

Hi Andy, Would say 99% certain its a Sorbus, maybe Whitebeam or Rowan, Definately not Sycamore or Prunus. Would be handy to see some buds but as i said 99% sure. David.