Guess the wood...

[British Red]

Looks familiar but....

Maple.?

Nice idea, but no

 

[British Red]

I'd go for one of the maples as well, looks similar to the silver leaf maple I've cut.

Not a maple

 

[British Red]

What does it smell like? (honestly a great way to identify some types of wood)

It does have a scent......

 

[British Red]

It does look a lot like sycamore but, as you say you've not handled it before, I assume it must be more exotic than that

It is

 

[British Red]

If it's an absolute ******* to split then you might be right. I was given a load once and my splitting axe just bounced off it. Even challenged a builder to try and he failed too.

That said, it does look more like sycamore to me.

Not any plane or maple

 

[British Red]

I go for Oriental Plane....patchy, smoothish bark...arrrgh, but its patches don't look pink.

No kind of plane

 

[British Red]

Does it smell like bay?

It does

 

[British Red]

Sycamore. Burns ok too. You’re lucky to have mixed woods, all we have is Ash.

Definitely not sycamore. I spent the day splitting sycamore

 

[British Red]

Could be a Holly with untypically dark bark?

Everything else points to holly

Definitely not Holly but similar in appearance

 

[Nice65]

It does have a scent......

Is it faintly almond?

I really am guessing now, I thought it a dead spit for Sycamore, but the end grain and rings don’t look right, they look more like Ash. Assuming it’s not Ash, then Laurel?

 

[Toddy]

It's not something really off the wall like Balsam Poplar is it ?

 

[British Red]

Does it smell like bay?

I'm hugely impressed, I didn't think anyone would guess. I certainly didn't. This was one of the trunks of a very large bay tree. Even as a man with a 9' bay tree, I would not have recognised the wood. Bravo!

 

[Nice65]

More, with jars of pickled onions prizes!

 

[British Red]

More, with jars of pickled onions prizes!

Oh I get some really weird stuff now and again

 

[British Red]

Is it faintly almond?

I really am guessing now, I thought it a dead spit for Sycamore, but the end grain and rings don’t look right, they look more like Ash. Assuming it’s not Ash, then Laurel?

Well yes, Laurus nobilis

 

[Nice65]

Offcut in a bag of bits from the local mill. Too nice to burn.

 

[British Red]

Offcut in a bag of bits from the local mill. Too nice to burn.

View attachment 70305

Pretty!

 

[Nice65]

Pretty!

Douglas Fir would you believe?

 

[British Red]

Douglas Fir would you believe?

Wow!

 

[Nice65]

And when you see the end grain, it’s so typically a conifer wood.