Est. 1998 — 27 years of woodworking knowledge
Mystery Wood
Bob Verne
My son recently vacationed in Emerald Isle on North Carolina's Atlantic coast. He brought me back some wood cut from a fallen tree, but I can't identify it. Below is a picture. Can anyone of you wood experts help me out?
Thanks.
Bob
Re: Mystery Wood
Roger
Bark, leaves and "tiny" fruit indicate a cherry of some sort.
Re: Mystery Wood
Don Evans
That's what I was thinking to be closer I think it is "ornamental cherry" like the one in my side yard.
Don
Re: Mystery Wood
John K Jordan
The wood sure looks light for any type of cherry I've seen (but I certainly haven't seen them all!.) The fruit looks "cherryish", but so does a lot of others.
Hard to tell from the photo - are the leaves fairly thick with a waxy surface? Do you have a macro or closeup lens for your camera? Closer photos of complete leaves might help, as well as closer photos of the bark and end grain (at least cut cleanly and sanded to fine grit).
Also, the rings on the radial section look fairly prominent. Cut a clean spot on the end grain and look at it with a magnifier. Is the wood diffuse porous like cherry or ring porous or semi ring porous? (Are the pores between two rings fairly equally sized and evenly distributed or is the a band of larger pores at each ring?)
Cherry wood is diffuse porous. Here is a 10x end grain photo of sweet cherry from the wood database.
https://www.wood-database.com/sweet-cherry/
Look at section 7 in this wood ID page:
https://www.wood-database.com/wood-articles/wood-identification-guide/
JKJ
Re: Mystery Wood
r thomas
looks like cherry laurel , if it starts to crack rite away that what it is.
Re: Mystery Wood
Don Evans
John
There is a big difference in ornamental cherry and cherry that grows wild in the woods. Being as this came for NC coast I'm pretty sure this is one cut from someones yard that was purchased from a nursery.
As I said I got one in my side yard that looks just like it.
Don
Re: Mystery Wood
John K Jordan
Yes, there are zillions of cultivars with big variations. Although I understood even the ornamental cherries were all diffuse porous. If that's correct, a quick inspection of the end grain could at least tell if it's not cherry. Having the leaves in hand is a big bonus if he wants to research a little.
I have a lot of wood around here I'm not sure or don't have a clue about, especially wood given to me. I just turn it or give it to someone else to turn.
JKJ
Re: Mystery Wood
Roger
The more I look at it the more it looks like Weeping Cherry!
Re: Mystery Wood
Bob Verne
Thanks for your comments.
Below are some more pix.
Some history: I believe the logs are about 3 weeks old. I split them and waxed the ends when I got them about a week ago. The bark remains tight and no cracks have started.
The leaf is not waxy. its thickness measures .007". The berries are about .250" in dia.
Bob
Re: Mystery Wood
mikeee12345
The bark on the original post seems to have light colored lenticels which is indicative of cherry trees.
more questions
John K Jordan
Is the end grain diffuse or ring porous? Can't tell from that magnification since pores may be filled in.
The diameter is small. If this is an immature tree the bark is sometimes quite different than mature trees.
Does the wood smell pleasant and sweet when cut?
Compared to other species you've handled, does that piece feel heavy or lightweight?
Are the leaves Alternate or Opposite on the branch? Can't tell from the other photo.
Are the leave edges very smooth or have fine serrations?
Cherry leaves I'm familiar with are generally longer and more slender but I certainly haven't seen even most of them. Some info here about cherry leaves:
https://homeguides.sfgate.com/cherry-tree-leaf-identification-94774.html
JKJ
Re: more questions
Bob Verne
John, to answer your questions
1. The end grain pores are rather small and concentrated at the ring boundaries. I would say ring porous.
2. The wood has no distinct odor.
3. The piece I have seems moderately heavy.
4. The leaves are alternate. The edges are very smooth.
Thanks again for your comments.
Bob
Re: more questions
John K Jordan
If the wood is ring porous, that might eliminate the cherry species.
Note that (if you are a US citizen) you can send up to five small samples a year to the gov lab and they will ID them. I tested this once and they responded quickly and accurately. The instructions are at the bottom of the ID page of the Wood Database link I included earlier.
JKJ
My first impression is Cherry Laural
Keith Newton
Although it’s been a while since I’ve gotten any.