Comments on: The Truth Behind Wood Identification

By: Richard

Richard — Mon, 19 Jan 2026 17:36:07 +0000

In reply to Eric.

Hi Eric,

Thanks for the reply.

I haven’t stained it, just applied a single coat of aslightly yellow coloured Danish Oil. I’ve attached another photo of the same piece in it’s raw state.

I think I can eliminate oak, as although it did have an odour while being worked, that wasn’t it.

By: Eric

Eric — Mon, 19 Jan 2026 08:21:32 +0000

In reply to Richard. If you suspect it's of European origin, it could be mappa burl that's been stained a reddish brown.

By: Richard

Richard — Fri, 16 Jan 2026 00:30:32 +0000

Having read how much of an inexact science identification is, I imagine it’s 100 time worse for burr/burl wood! I inherited several slices and a large chunk from an old cabinetmaker and suspect it came from the UK – am in New Zealand.

Can anyone tell me what this is? It’s been oil finished.

By: Daryl

Daryl — Sun, 21 Sep 2025 12:58:39 +0000

Can anyone identify this wood please possibly acacia ?

By: Dave

Dave — Sat, 20 Sep 2025 17:37:15 +0000

You’ve been great to ID so many of these posts. Thank you. I’m curious if you might know this. Someone told me some type of rose wood but none that I can find seem to match. Google says Bocote from mexico but I’m not so sure about that either. The original piece was a bit lighter base before putting a linseed oil blend and wax on it. The grain color has remained relatively unchanged before and after. The block was very striped. Thank in advance for your input!

By: Dakota

Dakota — Tue, 28 Jan 2025 18:05:06 +0000

Can you help me identify this would please I’m new to woodworking and I have no idea species of wood I can only tell softwood from hardwood

By: Richard

Richard — Wed, 09 Oct 2024 19:24:35 +0000

In reply to Brett. Looks a bit like Iroko to me, but can't be certain

By: Tyler

Tyler — Wed, 22 May 2024 18:40:58 +0000

In reply to Matthew. Ivory possibly

By: Brac Swackhammer

Brac Swackhammer — Tue, 25 Apr 2023 00:06:48 +0000

I’m looking to ID the wood of 2 objects, dose anyone do age testing? Both pieces are pretty old, one is a totem pole , the other has been in the ocean for a good long time, I believe was part of an old ship.

By: Mike

Mike — Fri, 27 Jan 2023 16:53:05 +0000

In reply to Eric. Thank you. I believe you're correct. After checking the Wood Database everything listed matches. I have never heard of it, but again, I am new to exotic woods. Now I have to find a project for it.

By: Eric

Eric — Fri, 27 Jan 2023 09:43:55 +0000

In reply to Mike. I'll guess it's black limba.

By: Mike

Mike — Thu, 26 Jan 2023 20:42:30 +0000

I hope this wood is easy to identify. It has the three letters of BLM on it, but I can’t ascertain what BLM stands for. I’m very new to using exotic woods. Purchased this as a lot of many different species a while back and the seller didn’t know. I asked my lumber supplier, and he offered the very obvious answer to BLM, but it does not ID the wood he didn’t know. I appreciate your time.

By: Brian Green

Brian Green — Wed, 14 Sep 2022 01:38:09 +0000

I have lived in Hawaii for 50 years, doing woodworking for maybe last 15 or so. I was visiting my daughter on the east coast, Connecticut area. Flew out of the airport in Massachusetts. On my way to the gate I stopped at a little sales kiosk which had some wooden pens. I saw one with a beautiful red/brown/gold luster to it and wracked my brain trying to figure which east coast wood this could be made from, to no avail. I finally asked the salesperson and she said it was Koa from Hawaii. I have dozens of pieces of Koa in my workshop which I can identify on site. My location completely kept Koa off my mental list of possible woods.

By: Matthew

Matthew — Sat, 11 Jun 2022 22:16:02 +0000

I was chopping up some scrap wood with my father and there were logs of this mystery wood, this is a cross section of one of the medium sized logs. Most of the logs aren’t that big. When scratching it with my finger nail, it left a mark, but that may be because it still has some moisture. This is from the US, more specifically, New York. Could you Identify it? Thanks.

By: Eric

Eric — Mon, 23 May 2022 02:19:10 +0000

In reply to Danny. Looks like a softwood of some sort, possibly pine.

By: Danny

Danny — Fri, 20 May 2022 19:54:49 +0000

Identify my floors please

By: Olurotimi Olajide-Adetolu

Olurotimi Olajide-Adetolu — Wed, 29 Dec 2021 18:55:26 +0000

Please what is the name of this wood from West Africa? Is this Ozouga or Rikio or some other wood?

By: Wayne Elson

Wayne Elson — Fri, 17 Dec 2021 20:13:44 +0000

I took and dendrology class in college and one of our tests was to identify tree species by looking at the xylem and phloem under a microscope.

By: Henry

Henry — Mon, 01 Nov 2021 15:56:01 +0000

In reply to Ted. that doesn't look like Brazilian kingwood but more like Bocote which is a member of the Cordia Genus rather than a dalbergia which are true rosewoods

By: Thomas

Thomas — Tue, 19 Oct 2021 04:57:37 +0000

In reply to Lesley. It looks like a burl slab to me.I live in Australia, and we really don't have that many deep red coloured timbers that produce burls like that. If it was made in eastern Australia then it is likely to be river red gum. If it was made in Western Australia, then it could be jarrah.