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  #1  
Old 02-13-2021, 07:24 PM
tomana tomana is offline
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Default need this piece of wood ID'ed

I bought this piece of wood years ago but I don't recall what kind it is. Can someone please ID it? It has pinkish/redish highlights I think it's rosewood but not sure. Thanks

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Old 02-14-2021, 12:34 AM
tadol tadol is offline
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Could be, but in its roughsawn shape, there’s no way to tell - plane one face down and you might get a better answer -
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Old 02-14-2021, 07:45 AM
runamuck runamuck is offline
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That could be any number of different woods - it's impossible to tell in that photo.
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Old 02-14-2021, 09:31 AM
redir redir is offline
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It looks like EIR. Knowing where you bought it and for what purpose could help narrow it down. If you bought it from a luthier supply shop then it's probably EIR by the look of it.
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Old 02-14-2021, 10:46 AM
The Watchman The Watchman is offline
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Maybe Koa?
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Old 02-14-2021, 10:55 AM
charles Tauber charles Tauber is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by The Watchman View Post
Maybe Koa?
It bears no resemblance to koa.

It does look like Indian rosewood.
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Old 02-14-2021, 11:40 AM
surveyor surveyor is offline
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Try cutting an edge slice off and see what it smells like. Also you will see the grain, etc more clearly.
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Old 02-14-2021, 12:14 PM
tomana tomana is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by surveyor View Post
Try cutting an edge slice off and see what it smells like. Also you will see the grain, etc more clearly.
kind of spicy. The thin side that runs along the grain is black so it would not photograph well enough to post a photo but here's a better photo I just took - the color is accurate. I bought this piece years ago, pretty sure it was stock for making a bridge and it is likely Rosewood, perhaps Indian as mentioned but wanted to see if it can be accurately ID'ed. Thanks for all the replies everyone ...


pic sharing
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  #9  
Old 02-14-2021, 02:06 PM
John Arnold John Arnold is offline
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I think the koa reference is tied to the cross-grain ripples that resemble curl. Those are actually saw marks from a very coarse bandsaw blade. Surfacing the wood makes identification much easier.
The smell of Indian rosewood is distinctive, but I wouldn't call it spicy. That description makes me think Guatemalan RW, which has often been sold as Honduran in the past. Cocobolo smell sometimes is referred to as spicy.
Any idea of the density? Guatemalan RW is noticeably less dense than most rosewoods.
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Old 02-14-2021, 02:44 PM
tomana tomana is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by John Arnold View Post
Guatemalan RW is noticeably less dense than most rosewoods.
I'm trying to sand it down since I don't have many tools here. The sawdust is a dark rusty red and the hardness? When I tap my fingernail on the blank it sounds like a piece of ceramic, almost the same sound as tapping a ceramic floor tile.
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Old 02-14-2021, 02:50 PM
tomana tomana is offline
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after doing some sanding and dang, this wood is hard stuff

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Old 02-14-2021, 03:00 PM
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cleaned off the sawdust and it shows the grain well


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Old 02-14-2021, 10:38 PM
Frank Ford Frank Ford is offline
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There are so many kinds of rosewood, I think it would be close to impossible to identify a sample without sending to a forest products lab or some such.

That said, Indian rosewood (Dalbergia latifolia) and Brazilian rosewood (Dalbergia nigra) each have very distinctive odors. Other rosewoods from Brazil, for example, may have no particularly identifiable odor, so precise identification is by smell, even at the sawmill.

There's no way I would accept anything as Brazilian rosewood if it did not pass the scratch-n-sniff test.


Kingwood, cocobolo, Nicaraugan rosewood, Cambodian rosewood and so many others are equally good, but the $$$ goes to D.nigra.
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Old 02-14-2021, 10:40 PM
tadol tadol is offline
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Could be ironwood - could be rosewood - there’s just not enough info there to make a definitive ID - I can tell you it’s not a spruce -
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  #15  
Old 02-14-2021, 11:43 PM
tomana tomana is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tadol View Post
I can tell you it’s not a spruce -
finally, a definitive answer LOL

ok then, it may be a while yet before computers offer smell-o-vision so, thanks for the input, much appreciated
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