What wood type is this?

[mr dazzler]

I have been carving some spoons and a kuksa from this sort of wood, I m not sure what it is though. Its very nice to carve, even dry it cuts like cheese, leaves a smooth surface, doesnt tear out much, quite light (not dense like beech or ash) It reminds me of lime wood but the colour is distinctive as you can see

Any sudgestions?
cheers Jonathan

 

[Rosco]

It's Alder, I think

 

[In Wood]

it might be Cherry or another fruit tree type.
Do you have any with bark on to show?

 

[Salix]

If it turns a golden orange colour when freshly cut into it's Alder.

Mark

 

[robin wood]

No question Rosco is right Alder it is.

It starts white when fresh cut, if you leave the log 2-6 months depending on size the sap oxidises to leave that orangy brown, the white bits normally oxidise orange soon after carving if there is still a bit of moisture in it. The medulary rays are also distinctive you can see them just by the lower hole in the handle and radiating into the body. Perfect choice for learning carving on like you say works very like lime but looks a bit more interesting.

Nice Kasa by the way particularly like the handle.

 

[In Wood]

See I said it was Alder!

I bow to greater knowledge:notworthy :notworthy

 

[mr dazzler]

Thanks for the tip's lads. Lucky me, I bagged some fantastic stock earlier this morning. Totally by chance I met up with THE firewood dealer (wholesale) for Suffolk and Norfolk while he was loading logs onto his truck (BIG truck!). A very friendly down to earth chap who not only took time out to walk around some log piles with me and point out good section's I'd not noticed, but also obviously loves wood and woodwork as well. I bought some 7 inch birch, 8 inch LIME (i always thought it was rare as hen's teeth?) 12 inch chestnut and some 6 inch ALDER. As you have said, it is white fresh cut, the saw dust is white, but even now only a few hour's later the cut ends are orangy brown. I find its quite good fire wood as well. Theres plenty more alder where that came from, plus we did a deal he wil supply stacks of firewood logs I will have to cross cut and split, but WAY less ££'s than what I have been paying the middle man (probably about 8x the volume of wood)
I'll be making some more ladle's, spoon's, bowls/trough's etc I cant believe the sudden upsurge of creative energy of late.
PS Robin, was that alder wood you used on your excellent demo vide's recntly, I cant remember if you said what sort it was. I made a similar spatula blue peter copy style after watching, I was pleased with it. As soon as it was done I used it, bung it in the dishwasher (the hazel ones havent suffred with that) and it emerged "suntanned" Its now almost a reddish choclate colour.
PPS Robin is alder and lime food safe??

 

[robin wood]

sounds like a good contact for your wood. Yes lots of lime in Norfolk and Suffolk, its also a very commonly planted street tree and in 18th C landscape parks too. Very easy to carve though on the soft side so I use it for cooking and serving spoons but prefer harder woods for eating spoons.
Yes the spatula/spoon in the vids was alder, good to hear you made a copy and liked it. Dishwashers are nasty environments for wood all hot and steamy one second then cool and dry, drains any oil out and can lead to splits. If it makes it through once it will probably always be OK.
Nearly all English woods are food safe, the only one I would not use is Yew and there is some mild question over laburnum...lots of toxin in the seeds and flowers but probably not a significant amount in the timber. I have a lengthy article on it from Kew.

 

[mr dazzler]

If it makes it through once it will probably always be OK.

Thats what I figured, simple but brutal product testing sink or swim I test hazel poles by smacking them (hard) on the floor, sometimes they are standing dead wood if they break I just leave them. Actually the hazel spoon's took on a nice pinkish/grey patina type colour after dishwashing. We have to put salt in being as we are in a lime scale water area so that might effect it as well?
Now you mention it theres a whole avenue of what I think could be lime trees in Nowrich. I split a few logs open after dinner, couldnt resist. The lime is real clean and white. The chestnut was easiest to split as you would expect, one blow off the axe and it was almost there (the chesnut logs are about 2-2 1/2 foot long 12 inch diameter) I absoulutely love the smell of tannin so dos my boy I know lime carves nice even dry, I made print blocks from it at one time. That alder is something else though. I heard clog maker's used it in some region's for sole's, but it carves SO well. I was taking off 3mm slices with a framing slick with no chatter or real effort (stropped chisle mind ) I'm gonna paint the ends of the unsplit logs until I want to use them
cheers Jonathan

 

[Rosco]

I'll be making some more ladles, spoons, bowls/troughs etc

don't forget to post some pics mate so we can see how you're getting on. I took Robin's advice and have been working with as many different timbers as possible to find out for myself their different characteristics. Don't forget to leave finished pieces for a few days emersed in Linseed oil for lasting durability (that's where I was going wrong to start with).
Good luck with your carving and look forward to seeing the results
John