What wood?

[Povarian]

Looks somewhat like yew to me. I've got some in my garden that looks quite similar. Admittedly, mine is 7ft long, but the bark has peeled on some of it in just the same way. (Goes flakey and then falls off). Hard to tell exactly due to possible discolouration, and that yew frequently has a darker heart wood. Yew would also match the toughness, being a hard "softwood".

 

[C_Claycomb]

Well, it isn't yew, and it isn't laburnum. Bark is wrong for both, as is colour of wood and lack of heart wood.

Just to throw everyone, it is possible, from the little info available, that it could be some kind of gum tree? The rings seem quite wide, and the great length with few branches sound right for something that grows fast, even if the bark looks a bit wrong.

If I had to put money on something native though, I would go with hornbeam, grown in a dark wood. The bark looks about right, hornbeam is sometimes called "ironwood", in the right places it can grow tall, spindily and straight. I always thought it was a little whiter, but can't say that I have seen any seasonned stuff that big up close.

Nice puzzle!

As for carving. Don't give up, just change tactics! If it is too hard to whittle, use saws, chisels and rasps! I have made a couple spoons from box wood, very hard, using rasps and files. Its nice to whittle something with only a knife, but that is a bit big to be doing a "bushcraft" spoon, I don't think there is any shame in using carpentry tools to make something beautiful from it. Good luck

 

[TAZ]

I work for a joinery company and will take the photos to work tomorrow to see if the guys have any ideas.

 

[jim_w]

Here's a better picture of the grain:
http://jim.fears.d0s.info/~jim/big.jpg

I would use capentry tools, if I had any! I'm a primitivist by necessity rather than choice - my toolbox contains lots of nets, a hammer, a saw, a pair of pliers and a screwdriver. Oh, and my knife

 

[Goose]

Here's a better picture of the grain:
http://jim.fears.d0s.info/~jim/big.jpg

I would use capentry tools, if I had any! I'm a primitivist by necessity rather than choice - my toolbox contains lots of nets, a hammer, a saw, a pair of pliers and a screwdriver. Oh, and my knife

By the look of your hand you should include a pair of gloves too

 

[jim_w]

Gloves... Pfffft.

Actually, I'm doing quite well at the moment - no new cuts in the past week or so. That one you can see there was the last nasty one. Here it is when fresh:
http://www-student.cs.york.ac.uk/~jw222/ouch.jpg

I'm getting better though. One day I'll look down at my hands and there'll be no cuts or scabs at all... Then I'll probably slip and cut my hand off due to the shock!

 

[TAZ]

Sorry to take so long to get back to you but my puter is down at the mo (borrowing my mates Libretto).
The general consensus at work is Chestnut. The grain looks right and it would be very hard to work as it is "the poor mans oak". Hope this helps rather than adds more confusion.

 

[ganit]

Cherry maybe?

 

[Big John]

Looks a bit like cherry, but the chunk I carved wasn't very hard - maybe it was a bit past it's best though!

 

[squidge]

Think you probably need to start with the basics. The identification of timber (hardwoods anyway) is done from an examination of a cleanly sliced section of end grain. You can then establish if the timber is diffuse or ring pourous and go on from there.

As someone else has already mentioned it's a bit difficult from photos.

 

[manofthewoods]

Its Sweet chestnut, its been on the ground for over a year, the centre has rotted out.
Its a lovely wood, woodsmans freind, great in the ground, slow to rot, and with the large grain, is beautiful to split, worth splitting with an axe into quarters make some tent pegs or spoons.. But be carefull....

 

[Marts]

Its Sweet chestnut, its been on the ground for over a year, the centre has rotted out.
Its a lovely wood, woodsmans freind, great in the ground, slow to rot, and with the large grain, is beautiful to split, worth splitting with an axe into quarters make some tent pegs or spoons.. But be carefull....

It also spits on the fire and stains your blade purple....