Anyone have any guesses? My dad got it from a friend who was remodeling a restaurant, it was a counter. It's got a light red hue and is super hard, like a rock. Took 6 different grits to knock it down smooth. It's getting used for a dashboard and cupholders and some other trim work in a classic Chris craft boat. Doesn't really matter what it is just curious. Beautiful wood though.
Dang it's beautiful, whatever it is! Look at that character and figure! And you speak of its red hue?! Whew- worth the effort, for sure So for guesses? Mahogany? Not Ebony.... Probably not Teak.... Nay is it Purple Heart.... Man, I got nothing. Someone will chime in..., I'll goodle it tomorrow, fer grins and giggles. Enjoy that stuff!
Alright, couldn't wait.... My guess is a Mahogany species.... Maybe someone should invite "Sweet Soul Sister"... Or is that actually Ashwatcher incognito?
Possibly Cocobolo but it does look a bit different than all of mine.Though the pattern is remarkably similar....
I thought some mahogany too. I have a old nightstick made of cocobola that was a great uncles, from what I've heard he called it his "wooden shampoo", boy how the world has changed. I'll have to see what the grain on that looks like. Thanks guys, and I'll put up a few pics of the project as it progresses.
Beautiful, whatever it is. I don't think it's mahogany though. Looks like it had a whitish colored sapwood, that should narrow it down a little.
I use mahogany often when making miniatures and it looks a lot like it. Hard to tell in pics... when I take mahogany out into the Sun it has a luminescent quality and shines with golden highlights, this is of course after it has been finished. Bubinga is not a common wood used in general construction of interiors, so I am on the side of mahogany as well. I do have all three species mentioned in this thread in my lumber collection, and I could dig them out if needed. The color, grain, and pores all point to mahagony though.
My father in-law worked for Outers sports in Wisconsin for 22 years and was a bow maker, he made a couple bows from Bubinga, that didn't go so well because the $$$ to make them would have been astronomical.
The color and design remind me of an Australian red gum... hard as nail termites won't eat it used in bar top applications 75 years ago because water won't stain it...
I just want to say again, this is bubinga. It's a slam-dunk in every way, including the OP's description of its extreme hardness. Its really and truly not mahogany.
I've actually never worked with bubinga, though I have handled big planks of it on several occasions. Whenever I considered using it for some project, I'd imagine how difficult it would be to work with, and thought, 'nah, maybe some other time.' Mahogany, though -- I've surfaced, cut, glued and sanded thousands of board feet of the stuff. I was a patternmaker for nine years, so I've spent the cumulative equivalent of several solid months staring at mahogany.
I definitely have some bubinga in my lumber collection. Never worked with it either, but it sure looks nice. I love working with mahogany, but not as much as Brazilian rosewood! It is a shame that it is almost impossible to get anymore. I have a nice stash of it still, but I always have to think real hard about if a project is worthy of it. Once my stash is gone odds are I will never get my hands on more. I feel ya on the too hard to work with. I have a sizeable stash of 60yo black ebony, I ripped some pieces down for a project once... my tiny little Dremel table saw hated me for that.
Just to prove how bad I am at wood recognition my quess would have been highly figured Cherry. I am good at being wrong though never worked with Bubinga. Had a girlfriend who's favorite word was Bazinga but the only wood she was interested in was,,,,,,,,,,,,,never mind, wrong forum.
Thanks Jon. It's going into a 1972 Chris craft lancer so I think it's a worthy project. I'll post a few pics this weekend. It sure looks pretty though compared to the crappy teak table it's on. Gotta get around to finishing that one day. So many projects, such little time...
