Can someone id this wood?

[Two Socks]

Hi all,
Today I started carving with a wood I picked up some weeks ago. I had no idea what is was, but it showed nice colours so I figured it would make nice spoons. When I started carving I noticed that it smelled quite intense. A bit bitter. Is this one of the unsafe woods? Might it be laburnum or Rhodondendron or anything else I shouldn`t be putting in my mouth? I can`t manage to take better pictures, but I hope this shows enough:

It is really hard wood, and a little fibrous. Any help is appreciated!

 

[Macaroon]

This looks very like the stuff I posted about a few weeks ago, turned out to be wytch elm. As you say, very hard and beautifuly coloured...............That's what it looks like to me.

I don't think you need to worry too much about what woods you use for utensils as long as they are oiled properly with a food safe drying oil such as walnut or good tung oil, and keep 'em oiled and sealed. The one exception for me has always been yew, I don't have that in my mouth. I think if there is a safety issue with any wood, it is more likely to be from dust and debris as you work it rather than from the finished article.

I'm sure somebody far more knowledgable than me will be along...................atb mac

 

[Paulm]

Looks to me like it could be laburnum, see here https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=l...AWOkIGACg&sqi=2&ved=0CDAQsAQ&biw=1280&bih=681 particularly the second from left picture on the second row down, and also similar to some I have in my workshop for turning.

Can be poisonous, see Wikipedia

"All parts of the plant are poisonous, and can be lethal if consumed in excess. Symptoms of laburnum poisoning may include intense sleepiness, vomiting, convulsive movements, coma, slight frothing at the mouth and unequally dilated pupils. In some cases, diarrhea is very severe, and at times the convulsions are markedly tetanic. The main toxin in the plant is cytisine, a nicotinic receptor agonist."

Might be wrong though so don't chuck/burn it yet !

Cheers, Paul

 

[treetop57]

not dark enough for laburnum looks more like yew

 

[Mesquite]

not dark enough for laburnum looks more like yew

It's not Yew, wrong type of bark for that.

I think it's more likely to be Alder with that bark, the colouration in the wood and description of it being fibrous.

 

[mountainm]

Its a bit like lilac but the bark is wrong and its not purple enough.

 

[Ivan...]

Well, i do like to stick my oar in! In my opinion it's laburnum, the yellow outer rings give me more confidence, one word of note, in the last 20/30 years we have imported and therefore planted all sorts of shrub type trees that have had time to mature and confuse us old school boys.

It is not Common Alder or "water aller" as we call it in these parts, as within a couple of hours of being felled it bleeds and turns quite an obviuos orange colour.

Ivan...

 

[Harvestman]

Laburnum is my opinion too, but if sealed should be fine for use as a spoon.

 

[Two Socks]

Thanks for the help gents. Much appreciated. Happy to hear that after sealing it will be fine, as it wpuld be a shame not to use such a nicely coloured wood.

 

[Dave-Jefferson]

Duplicate post...

 

[joe.ford]

It's Blackthorn.

been turning loads of it lately, lovely red / pink colour to it

Edit..........................................


found one picture of a blackthorn log

 

[Dave-Jefferson]

Hi all,
Today I started carving with a wood I picked up some weeks ago. I had no idea what is was, but it showed nice colours so I figured it would make nice spoons. When I started carving I noticed that it smelled quite intense. A bit bitter. Is this one of the unsafe woods? Might it be laburnum or Rhodondendron or anything else I shouldn`t be putting in my mouth? I can`t manage to take better pictures, but I hope this shows enough:

It is really hard wood, and a little fibrous. Any help is appreciated!

A very reliable source of mine (tree surgeon) said he is 100% sure that is cherry and is defiantly not laburnum.. But like you say if you seal it well with a good quality food grade oil you will be fine what ever it is

https://www.google.co.uk/search?cli....9.img.IJME5bdTOFo#biv=i|22;d|fDo5t6y1xuwu1M:

Cheers Dave

 

[Two Socks]

Cherry! That actually makes a lot of sense now that you mention it, based upon the place I found it... The 'eyes' on the bark weren`t that obvious to me, but now that I compare it to a bit of japanese cherry I do see the resemblance.

Here is the 'mystery-wood' on the top and a piece of cherry underneath. The mysterywood smells a lot more bitter though, which is what worried me initially. I guess every wood has its quirks.

 

[luckylee]

I have a bit of cherry in the workshop logs seasoning ill have a butchers tomorrow but the inside looks the same to me.

 

[Harvestman]

Hmm, seems its a blacklabcherry...

However it turns out, it seems that it makes a nice spoon

 

[Bundleman]

Heartwood looks too red to me to be laburnan, I would say more blackthorn than cherry. Or possibly even crabapple...

 

[slowworm]

Another vote for blackthorn (sloe) or something similar such as bullace or damson.

The bark doesn't look at all right for Laburnum, yew or even common cherry.

 

[Stanleythecat]

All cherries have quite defined lenticels, the corky pores or narrow lines that run across the stem/trunk of the tree. Much more so than blackthorn at least. In the for of your photo there appears to be some evidence of these but without a close up I couldn't call it. The sapwood of cherry does seem to oxidise down to that yellow seen in the cut end of your photo too.

Leo

 

[Two Socks]

I do think said lenticels are there. I`ll get a close-up online when I get home tonight.

 

[Two Socks]

And the promised close-ups: