Can you name this wood please?

[spamel]

I've been using this bit of wood with a hazel spindle for my bow drill set to great effect. It took me no time at all, 3 years after learning this method and not practising it at all, to get an ember which sustained itself for five minutes outside! The thing is, I have no idea where I got the wood or what it is. I have a suspicion it is beech, but beech doesn't appear in any of the lists for good hearth board wood. So what is it?

many thanks for looking.

 

[Stew]

My bark id isn't too great. Do you have a picture of end grain and lengthways grain?

 

[spamel]

Erm....no, not at the minute! To be honest, there isn't much to see as it is rough on either end from whenever I cut it with a saw and there are big black holes all over it from the bow drill! I want to know what wood it is because I want to get some more, it really is that good.

 

[Bernie Garland]

wood with bark on soz spam lime perhaps

bernie

 

[Stew]

To be honest, the long grain would be more use for me than the end. Even just a section an inch long would do.

Bernie's suggest of Lime is a good possibility as the inner bark looks quite distinct like Lime but the bark is covered with so much 'green' it's hard to tell.

Is it very light in weight for it's size? Lime is not a very dense wood at all and I've found it to be excellent for a bow drill - the easiest wood going!

 

[spamel]

It's not as pale as lime, I have some lime in my man crap room with me and it is a more a reddish color. I cannot for the life of me remember where or when I got it which could have helped. I've got some more pics going up on Photobucket so bear with me a minute, but i think lime smells of cow poo when used as a hearth board and this doesn't.

 

[spamel]

Here you go. Any help at all?

 

[Stew]

It does help - definitely not Beech....

 

[spamel]

Weeellll, what the bloomin' 'ell is it?!

 

[Bernie Garland]

lime i think

bernie

 

[Bernie Garland]

Weeellll, what the bloomin' 'ell is it?!

lime and your getting the hang of the camera spam

bernie

 

[steve a]

I think it might be Alder, did you collect it near water?

 

[spamel]

Can't remember! It seems to have a deep cambium, if that is what it is! The outer bark seems quite thin. It's great for bow drill, whatever it is!

 

[DoctorSpoon]

hmmm ... you need Robin for that one - I'll give him a shout when he gets back from his meeting!

 

[Stew]

I think it might be Alder, did you collect it near water?

Spoilsport!

I agree though.

Alder doesn't have a particularly 'strong' grain pattern from what I remember.

The inner bark is a good give away. It's quite thick on older wood and is used by the Sami for filling their engraved patterns on reindeer antler to give the distinctive red colour.

 

[Arth]

Looks like willow

 

[Biddlesby]

I can't get my head around how you guys manage ID's like this, what makes you say it is not beech?

 

[Stew]

Beech has little 'flecks' along it's grain.

 

[spamel]

I should have realised that because the surface the picture was taken on is beech veneer!

 

[spamel]

Oh, and sorry if I keep popping away. Die Hard 2 is on, and I am watching it just to pick holes in it!