Shopsmith Forums

Just wondering if someone can id this wood. It was given to me by a friend who got it from a friend. It is said that it was used as some sort of crating or packing material and was salvaged from a ship that was supposed to have come from a far eastern or a Polynesian port but there is no certainty about this claim.

I noticed that the growth rings have varying thickness around the span. Is it unusual for growth rings to vary that much or does it mean that the tree was damaged at some point in it's life? Something that is peculiar to me is the way the growth rings narrow significantly at the right hand edge of the plank
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This pic is of an unfinished bowl blank that was taken from the adjacent section of the plank. It will be finished at an upcoming lathe session at our community wood shop.
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When I sanded the bowl the sand paper had a distinct glittering look to it. Does this indicate a silica content? Could this possibly be a piece of Teak?
Any info will be appreciated
The piece is 2" thick, 12" wide and 6' long.
Bill V

The only question that I can comment on is that regarding growth ring inconsistency which is quite normal. The growth rings are very dependent on the environment in which the tree grew and the orientation of the tree to the prevailing sun. Environment changes somewhat from year to year. All of this contributes to the pattern of the growth rings. Also proximity to a branch or branches.

If it was teak, I think you would be commenting on how hard it was and how quickly your chisels got dull.

I can't tell much about species looking at just end/edge grain. Actually, I'm shakey on species identification no matter what I am looking at.

I agree with Dusty and others that the growth ring variation you see is really quite normal. As for the species? It is only a guess, but since it was supposedly used for shipping crates, it was probably the most available and inexpensive wood available.

Maybe if you do a search on woods from Polynesia you will be able to make a better guess to the species.

It's the best kind. Found Wood or Free Wood. It's pretty as well.