- Thread starter elese
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Newlands
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That looks like teak to me - it has the right sort of honey colour, whereas iroko tends to be slightly darker. But I'm not 100% certain - I've used teak in the past that is darker than some bits of iroko! If you smelled a peppery smell when you sanded it then its iroko for sure.
Misterg
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Take a close look at the end grain and compare it to the photos on the wood database
They have photos at various magnifications - for example (all X1):
Teak:
Iroko:
Afrormosia:
northwest
Searching for the Holy Grail.........
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Newlands
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The trouble with identifying from photos is that it depends on the actual bit of wood they used for the photo. I've got bits of both species in the workshop, and I bet I could find a bit of each that looked exactly like the other. One bit of teak in particular is so full of oil it's much darker than any iroko. But in real life, when you can see a bit more of the whole tree it's usually much easier. What's missing in the @elese photos above are the white flecks that sometimes (but not always) appear in teak, but they can be seen in the end grain shots from @Misterg. That might point to the mystery wood being iroko.
Im inclined to agree with the Iroko id on those planks though its hard to tell without a freshly planed surface.
As for Mistergs fine side table, i would swear that is most definately old growth best burma teak!, But i could be wrong! Pre war Teak was used for lab benches, post war not so much with many educational establishments being fitted with Iroko on cost grounds. If the place was built in the 60's or 70's it will be Iroko.
Iroko has a much drier feel & when seasoned is not an oily wood despite what many say. When machining it the dust rises over the saw or thicknesser like smoke & its lethal. In the west african sawmills the workers lifespan is about 45 if that. It causes Rhinitis, Asthma & Lung haemorhaging.
Teak dust is also not good but the oily nature tends to clump dust together.
The other really bad timber is Western Red cedar, that stuff is awful & i cant sand it unless im outside with respirator, the slightest whiff of that dust & my chest hurts, I got sensitized to it about 25 years ago & rarely use it now.
As for Mistergs fine side table, i would swear that is most definately old growth best burma teak!, But i could be wrong! Pre war Teak was used for lab benches, post war not so much with many educational establishments being fitted with Iroko on cost grounds. If the place was built in the 60's or 70's it will be Iroko.
Iroko has a much drier feel & when seasoned is not an oily wood despite what many say. When machining it the dust rises over the saw or thicknesser like smoke & its lethal. In the west african sawmills the workers lifespan is about 45 if that. It causes Rhinitis, Asthma & Lung haemorhaging.
Teak dust is also not good but the oily nature tends to clump dust together.
The other really bad timber is Western Red cedar, that stuff is awful & i cant sand it unless im outside with respirator, the slightest whiff of that dust & my chest hurts, I got sensitized to it about 25 years ago & rarely use it now.
Another vote for Iroko.
Does the sawdust smell peppery when you cut it?
Just be careful if it is: I acquired some laboratory worktops a few years ago that I think are Iroko (I thought they were teak, but they weren't). After working with them for a while, I'm now allergic to the dust - the slightest hint of it and my nose swells up and starts streaming like a tap.
Made this with them:
View attachment 493526
Misterg
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Thank you!
The lab that the wood came from would have been built in 1956/7 (assuming it was original). There was a lot of discussion about what the wood was when I first acquired it (early 2000's??) and we came to the conclusion that it was iroko.
I've just taken a couple of pictures of the end grain of some of it, and I have to say I think it has more in common with the pictures of teak above, rather than iroko. It feels 'waxy' when cut, and the sawdust does clump together, rather than fly around. It does have a distinctive smell though.
Sawn end wiped with white spirit - two different planks in the same top (burned hacksaw blade for scale):
Left hand plank:
Right hand plank:
Whatever it is, it is lovely wood to work with. Be nice if it was teak, though.
A few close ups of the front panels, my money is on teak. I should know i was lucky enough to buy 2 1/2 tons of the stuff a couple of years ago, old floor boards. Took me weeks to denail & scrape the pitch off the back of the boards but more than worth it! Its usually quite a bit softer than Iroko.
gaz1
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ive been sanding wood with the grinder with a metal flap disk in it
it takes that hard glue off pretty well and you can sand that hardwood as well at the same time
also used on gripfill as well and that comes off as well
just wear a mask when doing so we was outside as helping neighbour out with his
it takes that hard glue off pretty well and you can sand that hardwood as well at the same time
also used on gripfill as well and that comes off as well
just wear a mask when doing so we was outside as helping neighbour out with his
Not enough of it. I have 1.5m2; I need 15m2.What's wrong with the wood you took out?
Thought maybe someone had some old lab worktops, given the discussion so far...
Misterg
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I have, but nothing like 15m^2 worth, and not really looking to sell them.
When i acquire timber i tend to hang onto it, It gets used in restoration jobs & I am halfway through the last two. A 28ft vintage launch & 16ft vintage sailing dinghy. Teak has become virtually unobtainium & is a prohibited import from many places, the only sources are either plantation grown which is low quality or old stock. This means the price is just soaring. I have had a lot of people over the years wanting some of my stock, all expect to get it cheap because its secondhand, none want to pay its market value. Teak price per cu ft is anywhere from £300 a Cu ft upards, if its long lengths double it.
I treat my stock as my fall back pension!
Timber offcut company in Brentwood often have big bundles of all sorts & recently had a load of bowling alley timber. Mind you i wouldnt put maple anywhere near a boat as it will rot in no time.
I treat my stock as my fall back pension!
Timber offcut company in Brentwood often have big bundles of all sorts & recently had a load of bowling alley timber. Mind you i wouldnt put maple anywhere near a boat as it will rot in no time.
james butler
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i get the feeling that might be mahogany
the end grain width seems too wide for iroko and teac?
Screwdriver
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Robbins timber in Bristol recently sold a couple of baulks of teak, it had been salvaged out of a timber ship torpedoed in WW1, they were about 18" square & about 30ft long, Price was approx 55k each.
Most expensive bit i have ever seen was a slab of finest English walnut that was on a Gunsmiths stand at the game fair. it was about 5ft long & was big enough to get 4 matched full length rifle stocks & a couple of shotgun stocks out of. He had turned down an offer of 10K just for that one bit.
The thing with Walnut, i have seen people trying to sell some bits on marketplace or wherever yet they have stuck a chainsaw into it at ground level, this where the roots flare out is where the most figured timber is with most value, cutting it down there they have ruined it.
Most expensive bit i have ever seen was a slab of finest English walnut that was on a Gunsmiths stand at the game fair. it was about 5ft long & was big enough to get 4 matched full length rifle stocks & a couple of shotgun stocks out of. He had turned down an offer of 10K just for that one bit.
The thing with Walnut, i have seen people trying to sell some bits on marketplace or wherever yet they have stuck a chainsaw into it at ground level, this where the roots flare out is where the most figured timber is with most value, cutting it down there they have ruined it.
Ah, ok. Thanks. I will be moving soon and there is no space at the new place, so if anyone wants these message me.
